It’s no secret that the vintage
look is hotter than ever. It seems like everyone, OEM and custom build
alike, is trying to get back to the heyday of 1960s and 1970s design.
While those machines certainly looked the business, their performance
doesn’t necessarily stack up against modern machines. That’s why you see
so many builders, including motorcycle manufacturers themselves, aping
the old styles with new hardware.
Just look at bikes like the BMW R nineT or the Triumph Thruxton, for
example. When the big manufacturers get in on a trend, you can guarantee
that the custom builders have been heading down that path for quite a long time already. This 1991 Kawasaki Zephyr 750 built by November Customs is a perfect example of a beautiful vintage look draped across the best modern engineering.
The first thing that strikes you—other than that retina-searing
paint—is the delicious bubble fairing. The longer you stare at it, the
more impressive it becomes. The bodywork is a bonkers hand-formed,
all-steel monocoque. That means that the fairing, the tank, and the tail
are all one continuous piece of metal. No fiberglass here. The original
tank is in there somewhere, but cut, chopped, welded, and reformed
within an inch of its life. Oh, and they made a one-off aluminum gas cap
while they were at it, because when you’ve gone this far, why stop?
Underneath
that luscious bodywork is a ridiculous hodgepodge of parts, a regular
United Nations of motorcycle engineering. Up front is mostly Italian,
with the front end from a Ducati 848 and the clip-ons from a Ducati 748.
Calipers off an Aprilia and Brembo discs carry on the Italian theme,
although the wheel and brake discs are both from Triumph. There’s also a
custom mechanical anti-dive system tucked in up there, because things
were just a little too stock. Out back the weirdness continues with a
Honda CB900 swingarm and more Brembo hardware. There’s even a muffler
off a BMW S1000R and rearsets off an Aprilia RSV to really round out the
mix.
What I love most about this bike is that it gets better the
longer you spend with it. At first glance, it’s another retro-inspired
racer with a flashy paint job. But the more time you spend poring over
the details, the more custom work peeks out at you. None of it is big or
flashy, but it’s there. You know how when you’re at a party and someone
references your favorite movie, and nobody else gets it but you? This
is like that. Most people will just see another retro bike, but the
people that know will know. You get all of the style and flavor of the
glory days, but with the modern hardware to back it up.
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