The European sprint scene has exploded in the past few years. As well as the famous Glemseck 101 sprints, we?ve now got the Sultans of Sprint and Essenza series. And no self-respecting festival is complete without the roar of tuned machines racing down the eighth-mile.
The bug has bitten many custom builders, but the adrenaline rush has a downside: building a successful drag bike is a journey that never really finishes. And no one knows that better than Schlachtwerk?s Tommy vom Hof, whose Yamaha can blast through 200 meters in less than five seconds.

Tommy is best known for the rapid, performance-oriented Kawasaki W-series customs that roll out of his Offenbach, Germany workshop. But in 2014, he decided to tear down a humble TR1 tourer. The air-cooled 981cc V-twin had already spent over three decades on the road, and was built for the long haul. ?It had all the touring goodies you can imagine,? says Tommy. ?A really big fairing, heated grips, hard bags, and a radio!?

After Tommy finished, he nicknamed his remodeled TR1 the ?Skinny Beast.? She was sporting 18? forged aluminum wheels, Yamaha YZF-R1 forks, a high-performance Wilbers shock, big brakes, and sticky modern tires. ?It was 172 kilos and 75 hp,? Tommy recalls. ?Not bad for an ex-touring ship.?
Tommy decided to chance his luck on the drag strip. He entered the TR1 into the Cafe Racer sprint for street legal bikes at Glemseck, and won. ?After that, I couldn?t sell the bike,? says Tommy. ?So I decided to keep i...