Big bikes bookend this edition of Speed Read. We start with a 1,700 cc single-cylinder chopper and finish with a BMW R18 from CW Zon. Sitting in the middle are a classy Honda CB200 café racer from Indonesia and a K-Speed kit for the Honda Dax. 1,700 cc single-cylinder chopper by Al Hackel What do the Beechcraft Staggerwing and Ford Trimotor aircraft, M18 Hellcat and M4 Sherman tanks, and HUP Retriever helicopter all have in common? They’re all powered by the same 975-cubic-inch Wright R-97...| Bike EXIF
Michelangelo famously said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” I've long suspected that Yuichi Yoshizawa applies a similar philosophy to building custom motorcycles. The frontman of the Japanese workshop CW Zon has the ability to take even the most mundane motorcycle, stare into its soul, and turn it into something magical. This time, he's done it to the venerable 1981 Yamaha XV1000. Known as the TR1 in some markets and the Virago in others, the XV1000 featur...| Bike EXIF
This week's list starts with the first custom Honda Gyro X we've ever featured, courtesy of Deus ex Machina's Japanese outpost. We then feature a Harley Evo chopper by CW Zon, a Moto Guzzi Le Mans by 46Works, and a Honda CB360 from the only builder not based in Japan—Slipstream Creations. Honda Gyro X by Deus Japan Honda has manufactured some quirky and adorable bikes over the years. This offbeat custom from Deus ex Machina in Japan uses one of them as a base; the Honda Gyro X. In productio...| Bike EXIF
Six cylinders, 1,649 cubic centimeters, 113 liters of storage space, and more electronic aids than you can shake a stick at; the BMW K1600 GTL is a high-tech behemoth, built to devour miles in supreme comfort. It's the first bike we'd pick for a cross-country trip, grinning widely as its six inline pistons spool up like a row of angry hornets. But it's the last bike we'd want to customize. Thankfully, Yuichi Yoshizawa doesn't share our reservations. The frontman of the hit-making Japanese wor...| Bike EXIF
