?Winter was coming, and we needed a bike to go snowboarding,? they explain. ?It should take us to the nearby mountains?there could be snow and it might be off-road at some times.?
The Z500 seems like an odd choice, but Titan were dead set on it. ?Motorcycle magazines call it ‘The insider’s tip.’ Probably too much of an insider’s tip, because no one?s ever wanted one. Except for us.?

Despite the shabby condition, the engine was still in pretty good nick. So Tom and Michael treated it to a thorough service, stripping and cleaning the carbs along the way.
The rest of the bike hadn’t fared as well. A number of bits had to be cleaned up and sent for powder coating?including the frame, which was shortened too.
The tail unit has a similar story behind it: it’s the bike’s original tail piece, cut and adapted to fit the new rear frame. ?It just fitted the shape of the tank perfectly, and we thought we wanted to keep this original piece.?
The seat pad itself is new, built on an aluminum base. The upholstery is another inspiration from out of the left field: the guys like to collect old racing leathers, and had a blue suit from the 70s that matched the orange bike perfectly.

The aluminum headlight plate is a one-off too, along with smaller items like the rear brake reservoir bracket, license plate holder, and the fuel level indicator on the right of the tank.
Twin tail lights are embedded in the rear, with discreet LED turn signals mou...