{"id":27670,"date":"2016-12-29T02:01:19","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T15:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pipeburn.com\/?p=27670"},"modified":"2016-12-29T02:41:54","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T15:41:54","slug":"pipeburn-2016-bike-year-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/pipeburn-2016-bike-year-award\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pipeburn 2016 Bike of the Year Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

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So here we are, standing at the finish line for 2016. And although we\u2019re out of fuel, tired and more than a little dirty, there\u2019s still one last thing to do. There\u2019s one last thing before we pat this totally crazy year on the back and kick it to the curb, and that\u2019s to give away one more of our exhaust-shaped stainless steel beauties, also known as\u00a0a Pipeburn Bike of the Year award.<\/p>\n

Now in its seventh year, the Pipeburn Bike of the Year Award has just one aim \u2013 to honour the world’s best bike builders and all their hard work. It\u2019s important to remember that for every amazing custom bike that appears on our site, there\u2019s someone out there who\u2019s got the skinned knuckles, sore back and empty bank account to show for it. This is our way of giving a little back to the scene and saying thanks. As always, we\u2019ve reviewed every single one of our 2016 bikes and\u00a0reader comments, along with tallying Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest likes to get us a top 20. We then nut out a final ten bikes in the order we feel best portrays their creativity, build quality and all-round coolness. Here’s the results…<\/p>\n

10. \u2018Brass Rajah\u2019 Royal Enfield 350 \u2013 Mid Life Cycles<\/a><\/h4>\n

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In what can only be described as a late dash for the finish line, this 350 Classic\u00a0was built by Charlie Hallam and the rest of the team at Melbourne’s Mid Life Cycles for an Australian Royal Enfield bike build-off held here in November. It just goes to show that perfection doesn’t always take time. With a design based on the brand\u2019s Isle of Man\u00a0racers from the 1930s and a look that could only be described as beautifully timeless, the bike is one of those rare builds that simply doesn\u2019t have a single thing out of place, except maybe for the fact that we’re not riding it.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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9. Twin Turbo BMW R100 \u2013 Boxer Metal<\/a><\/h4>\n

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Position number nine is filled by a bike that proved to be one of the year’s earliest BOTY contenders. After a gold-winning performance at Portland\u2019s The One Show, where it took home the prestigious BMW-sponsored \u2018Motorrad Award\u2019, were we lucky enough to snag the exclusive. The brainchild of Chris and Rebecca from California\u2019s Boxer Metal, it\u2019s probably the one bike in the list we\u2019d most like to misbehave on. Tyre fry-up anyone? Just\u00a0imagine that sound! Phwoar…<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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8. \u201877 Yamaha RD400 \u2013 MotoRelic<\/a><\/h4>\n

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A classic \u2018quite achiever\u2019, this two-stroke from Virginia\u2019s MotoRelic takes the \u2018why the hell didn\u2019t they build it like that the first time\u2019 award for its combination of sporty looks, restrained styling and 70s two-stroke smoke nostalgia. Made by MotoRelic\u2019s Sean Skinner for a friend, it racked up some big numbers in early August with its textbook demonstration of what can happen when there\u2019s implicit trust between a builder and their customer.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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7. \u2018V05\u2019 BMW R80RT \u2013 Vagabund<\/a><\/h4>\n

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With an approach that reminded us\u00a0ever so slightly of this year’s overall winner, Austria’s Vagabund seemingly came out of nowhere in early November with this, a (note the trend here) BMW R80RT\u00a0with some real world-class craftsmanship and a bunch of cool creative ideas to match. But it was the bike’s simplicity that really had us weak at the knees.\u00a0If we were giving out prizes for minimalism, you’d be looking at this year’s winner right now.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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6. \u2018Little Bastard\u2019 Suzuki SV650 \u2013 Krautmotors<\/a><\/h4>\n

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Delivering a twin blow with its innovative looks and jaw-dropping engineering, this was clearly one of Glemseck\u2019s shining lights. Devised as a factory entry\u00a0by Suzuki Germany, their masterstroke was to hand the keys of a rather innocuous SV650 to local custom meister, Rolf Reick of Krautmotors. The bike\u2019s minimal bodywork is swappable, allowing it to transform from urban scrambler to sporty trackster at the pull of a split pin. And how cool is that through-the-tank air filter? Don\u2019t get us started.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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5. \u2018AgoTT\u2019 MV Agusta Brutale \u2013 Deus Ex Machina<\/a><\/h4>\n

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There were plenty of punters who would have been more than happy to pronounce Australia\u2019s Deus ex Machina and their many international incarnations a spent force. Largely responsible for much of the initial fervour in this new wave custom scene, it would be easy to write them off as has-beens. But to underestimate Michael \u2018Woolie\u2019 Woolaway and his bike building skills would be a grave error. And\u00a0his late August reveal of what would have to be one of the nicest MVs we\u2019ve ever<\/em> seen proves the point perfectly. We couldn\u2019t think of a more fitting Giacomo Agostini tribute if we tried.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0Yamaha XV750 \u2013 Peters Dog Cycles<\/a><\/h4>\n

\"BOTY_03\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When it comes to trends in the custom scene, Yamaha Viragos seem to have a never-ending head of steam. Originally pioneered by the now legendary John Ryland and Greg Hageman, their ability to transform themselves into whatever they please is enough to give\u00a0Optimus Prime a major hissy fit. Straight outta Lithuania, the Peters Dog Cycle\u2019s boys Gediminas and Gytis put their minds to seeing where else the platform\u00a0could go. And the results? Those David Bowie headlights saw one of the busiest days for the Pipeburn servers all year.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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3. \u201878 Honda CX500 \u2013 BBCR Engineering<\/a><\/h4>\n

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And now for\u00a0the top three. It’s no exaggeration to say that we receive more Honda CXs submissions that almost any other bike, so you’ll understand that there’s a certain amount of fatigue that sets in. But wow, what a way to clean out the cobwebs. Another giant-killing contender from Eastern Europe, Maldova’s BBCR Engineering has proved that those who still dare to call the CX a ‘Plastic Maggot’ have got rotten flesh where their good taste receptors used to be. Congratulations to\u00a0Andrei for a well-deserved third place.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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2. \u201860 Triumph TR6 \u2013 The Gasbox<\/a><\/h4>\n

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The proof of a truly great builder is their ability to outpace both our expectations and their own laurels. And from their 3rd place in the 2014 awards,\u00a0Jesse Basset and the team from Ohio’s The Gasbox have done just that with an honest to goodness genius<\/em> pre-unit Triumph restomod. It’s simplicity is undeniable,\u00a0but the levels of polish and attention to detail should rightly see this bike arrested for assault with all those\u00a0jaws hitting floors. We’re stoked to be able to call this incredible 1960 TR6 our 2016 second place winner.<\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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1. \u2018DA#4\u2019 BMW RnineT \u2013 Diamond Atelier<\/a><\/h4>\n

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If you’ve perused these Bike of the Year posts before, it will come as no surprise to you that a certain Maxwell Hazan from Los Angeles has had quite the run of number ones. In fact, for as long as we’ve been giving out trophies, he’s been winning ’em. To be honest, we were concerned that he would go and do it again in 2016, making the whole thing look rigged. Then Max sent word that his next big build wouldn’t be ready until early 2017. Enter\u00a0Tom Konecny and Pablo Steigleder, Munich locals and the creative force behind Germany’s supremely talented Diamond Atelier. Without a word of a lie, we knew from the moment we laid eyes on\u00a0this\u00a0slammed racer\u00a0that nothing short\u00a0of a bike submission from the Gods of Custom Motorcycles themselves would keep them from the top spot. As you’ve probably already guessed,\u00a0the Gods were a no show. And so we’re proud to announce that the winner of the 7th annual Pipeburn Bike of the Year Award is the ‘DA#4’ from Diamond Atelier.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SEE MORE HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped us make this award,\u00a0and Pipeburn itself, happen. Cheers to our writers Martin, Marlon\u00a0and Ian. Hats off to Jackson, our coding and WordPress guru. Massive thanks to Paul McKinnon from\u00a0Evolution Motorsports<\/a>\u00a0in Sydney who makes our trophies, and to Standard Motorcycle Co.<\/a>\u00a0for the trophy background\u00a0photo. We\u2019d also like to express our never-ending gratitude\u00a0to all the builders who supported us in 2016 by letting us show their hard work to the world. And lastly but not leastly, to all the Pipeburn readers; without you guys we\u2019d be nothing. Here\u2019s to an even greater year for custom bikes in\u00a02017. See you there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

So here we are, standing at the finish line for 2016. And although we\u2019re out of fuel, tired and more than a little dirty, there\u2019s still one last thing to do. There\u2019s one last thing before we pat this totally crazy year on the back and kick it to the curb, and that\u2019s to give away one more of our exhaust-shaped stainless steel beauties, also known as\u00a0a Pipeburn Bike of the Year award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[1427,76],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27670"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27670"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27714,"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27670\/revisions\/27714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pipeburn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}