His name is Mark Hawwa, the larger-than-life character behind the global phenomenon that is The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, and its cousin, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive. When he’s not donning the dapper, he has his finger in many...

In 1978, the legendary Pops Yoshimura switched from Kawasaki to the mighty Suzuki GS and won everything from the great race at Daytona, to the world’s biggest endurance races and a pair of AMA titles with superstar rider Wes Cooley. Nearly fifty...

If there is a brand and model of motorcycle that has been produced in the last fifty years, then there is a good chance one has been customised and featured on these pages. Like any creative endeavour, there will be observers who love the art, those...

So you want to be a champion custom bike builder" It’s a dream many aspire to, and who can blame them" But how many truly understand the incredible sacrifices required, the years of hard slog, and the financial hardship that are all part of the...

For decades, BMW Motorrad was a notoriously insular brand, but the 21st-century motorcycle industry is a different beast, and input from around the world is essential for success. Over the weekend, the company won its first WSBK title, thanks to a...

As a manufacturer, they currently lead the Moto3 World Championship, compete in Moto2, have flown their flag at the Isle of Man TT, and off-road they won the World Rally-Raid event in the deserts of Morocco. Few would guess that the brand behind...

It’s been twenty years since the cafe racer revival took off, and it shows no sign of slowing down. However, that doesn’t mean things have stayed the same, with just 20% of the custom bikes we’ve featured this year fitting neatly into that...

One of the great achievements in any custom motorcycle builder’s career is to be invited to showcase their wares at a major show. Not only is it an acknowledgement of the builder’s skill and recognition of their position in the scene, but for...

We’re a little bit like kids on Christmas morning around here when an email arrives in our inbox from the lads at Germany’s Diamond Atelier. Just like Santa’s big day, it seems to only happen once a year; this is a workshop that takes its...

The world is a melting pot, and the motorcycle scene has always benefited from that simple fact. A South African designed the most beautiful Italian motorcycles, the Germans taught the Japanese the dark art of the two-stroke, and America gave us...

It is one of the most interesting and exciting periods in all of motorcycling and will go down as one of the greatest successes in business history. When the big four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers turned up the wick, took on the world and seized...

In the world of motorsport, without a doubt, the great contribution of the United States is flat track racing, that glorious slideways action on the dirt track. It’s not just the great sport itself but also the amazing riders who have come through...

It has become a bit of a trend for guys who own high-end sports cars to have a motorcycle to match their collection. However, plenty of these people never ride the bike; they simply buy the most expensive Ducati Superbike money can buy and get it...

Turning on the nightly news can be a depressing exercise, but here we always aim to deliver some cheer. Not only is this one hell of a bike, but it also comes with a good news story! Six years ago, we met Spencer Parr, a hardworking American who had...

For many around the globe, having a custom motorcycle workshop and building magnificent machines is the ultimate fantasy. And back in 2009, we first featured a bike from the talented California-based builder Dustin Kott, who has been living that...

Finding out you can’t believe everything you see on TV was a bigger blow to my young mind than discovering the truth about those charlatans, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. For the makers of reality custom car and motorcycle television, there is...

From the epic adventures of Lawrence of Arabia to the heyday of the Paris-Dakar, those iconic periods in motorcycle history not only live on in memories but also fuel the modern retro segment that plays a significant role in the bike industry today....

Cars, motorcycles, even fishing gear—add three little letters and instantly the interest goes up along with the price. JDM, or Japanese Domestic Market, is a very simple acronym, but for many of us there has always been an intense fascination and...

Let’s address the elephant in the room: two Green BMW R series motorcycles in as many days. Normally, we wouldn’t commit such a sin, but when both bikes are built by two outstanding companies, it would be pure foolishness on our part to let one...

In the last decade or so, two classic automobiles have come to define a deep desire within the enthusiast community. Each represents a time when vehicles were entirely analogue, designers were Renaissance men, and their machines were styled in...

Some motorcycles immediately suggest a wealth of customisation possibilities. I have to admit, I never saw that potential in the Yamaha Virago/XV, but visionary builders like American Greg Hageman have proven otherwise. His stunning creations helped...

The last ten years have seen a practically invasive swarm of modern retro motorcycles, and there is no doubt they’ve been very good and bloody popular! But, having just come back from throwing a leg over a 2024 Yamaha XSR900 GP, there is a new...

We’re only a few months away from the big European motorcycle shows, which means a host of brand-new bikes will be on display for the first time. For some, it’s a chance to take it all in and daydream about a future purchase, others are hooked...

It was love at first sight for us at Pipeburn HQ, as our initial exposure to the Indonesian custom bike scene grew into an ongoing fascination. Kustomfest is to the archipelago nation what Mooneyes Yokohama is to Japan, and it was there that we...

It’s home to super yachts and supercars, over-tanned and tattooed tourists, and some of the most eccentric expats you’ll ever come across, most seemingly with a wealth of cash. So, to stand out in the Spanish resort city of Marbella on the Costa...