Editor’s Choice: An alternative top 10 for 2023
Crunching the numbers to pick the 10 best custom motorcycles of the year is a headache. But picking my personal favorites is…
Read more »Flat Track
Several types of motorcycles can be called ‘trackers.’ The original is the board tracker, named after the machines that raced on board tracks in the USA in the 1910s and 1920s.
In the 1930s, as the board tracks faded away, flat track racers appeared: street bikes modified to race on dirt or clay ovals. Past icons include the Harley-Davidson XR-750, but others include flat trackers from BSA, Norton and Triumph. This style is still popular today, with interest spurred by an intense rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian.
Flat track motorcycles (or dirt trackers, as they are sometimes known) do not have front brakes, but the slimmed-down style has been copied by builders of ‘street tracker’ customs.
Pan X: Motocrew’s spicy Harley Pan America flat tracker
Ever since Harley-Davidson went quiet on the future of the seemingly ill-fated Bronx streetfighter, we’ve been waiting for The Motor Co. to…
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Speed Read: The return of the Honda Motocompo and more
The Honda Motocompo is back, electric, and cuter than ever. In other news, Deus Milan has just built a Ron Wood Rotax…
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Meteor: A 1946 Harley-Davidson WL flat tracker from Japan
Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa has had a busy year. Hot on the heels of a collaboration with Indian Motorcycle and Sideburn Magazine that…
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Not like the others: Limey Bikes’ Honda CB750 flat tracker
By Chris Kelland’s admission, he and his partner Elijah Reese will “build bikes for anyone that wants to throw bundles of cash…
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Smoke Show: A svelte Yamaha SR500 flat tracker from Idaho
As soon as a particular motorcycle becomes popular among customizers, it becomes harder and harder to find clean examples of it. The…
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Urban Drifter 2.0: A sparky custom Kymco KTR 150 from Taiwan
Using a commuter bike as a platform for customization is hardly a new idea. But we’re still impressed whenever a custom builder…
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Love Language: A Yamaha SR500 flat tracker by Hombrese
Most guys can’t think beyond a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers as a gift for their significant other. But…
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How to build a Harley Sportster flat tracker, the Mule way
If you’ve ever fantasized about building a Harley-Davidson Sportster flat tracker, there’s a good chance that you’ve pinned a couple of Richard…
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Race Bred: Jeff Palhegyi’s Yamaha MT07 flat tracker
Any custom workshop that’s been operating for a decent length of time is sure to have a multitude of leftover parts lying…
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Twinshock Twins: Two Yamaha flat trackers built to race
Alex Winkler wears many hats. By day he’s an industrial mechanic—but by night, he puts those skills to work in his home…
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This one’s a keeper: Hombrese’s Honda XL500 flat tracker
If you fancy yourself a romantic, consider this: have you ever built a custom motorcycle for your significant other? Uwe Kostrewa has,…
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