Written by Martin Hodgson
As closely related as they are the custom worlds of two and four wheels rarely meet, having developed entirely distinctive cultures over the last hundred years. But that wasn’t always the case. The original Hot Rodders and Cutdown bikes of all kinds shared a common philosophy of shoving the biggest engine into the smallest frame possible. Now Italy?s Plan B Motorcycles has taken things full circle and in the age of high-tech, they have built a proper Moonshine Racer. From the carcass of a Bianchi Tonale comes the ?Flying ?57?, a bike that’ll outrun any cop on your late night liquor run.

Step inside the Northern Italian home of Plan B Motorcycles and it’s instantly apparent that this is a place of old-fashioned hard work. Amongst the welders and workbenches are some of the incredible machines that Christian Moretti has constructed. From historic racing motorcycles, to classic custom cafe racers and tyre shredding drag bikes, if it’s mechanical he can make it! But for his latest build he had a fresh idea, to create a barn find motorcycle from an alternative universe, an Italian “moonshine racer” packed with ingenuity and hidden details.
Bianchi is the world’s oldest bicycle manufacturer with enormous sales success and wins at the Tour de France. But for a 70 year stretch they also produced motorcycles, largely for the commuter market while also enjoying some racing success and sadly a supercharged four-...