There’s a constant tension in the custom world between motorcycles that are meant to be ridden often, and those that will spend most of their lives parked, on display.
This neon-flavored Hercules GS250 scrambler is an enigma though. It’s tidy enough to do duty as décor in a trendy moto-cafe, but it’s actually heading into a riding season full of abuse.

It belongs to Enrico Pauli, proprietor of The Loose Screw?a communal DIY workshop and creative co-working space in Dachau, near Munich. And even though Enrico brought it back from the dead, he reckons it’s going to be back on the bench, come next winter.
?This year the bike is to be ridden again off-road and on various tracks,? he says. ?And therefore, unfortunately, it will be a little bit destroyed again.?
?But that’s why we build motorcycles; to ride, not as dust catchers.?
Enrico found the donor bike almost by accident. He was inspecting an entirely different bike, owned by an older gentleman who had a number of vintage machines in his collection. The sale didn’t work out and Enrico was about to leave?then the old timer told him about a 250 cc motocross bike that had been standing in his basement for the past 25 years.

?After a short inspection?and a price I could not say no to?we carried the motorcycle up the stairs,? says Enrico. ?Carried, because the brakes were completely locked up.?
Hercules was a German manufacturer that was bought by ZF Sachs in 1963, and eventually shu...