From where I?m writing, in rural New Zealand, the Suzuki DR650 is a common sight. The bulletproof thumper has been one of the country?s bestselling bikes for many years, because it?s easy to maintain and cheap to buy. And yes, it?s still on sale down under, despite being carbureted, air-cooled and devoid of ABS.
I don?t think I?ve seen a customized DR650 in my ?hood though, unless you count luggage racks, mufflers or sheepskin seat covers. So I was intrigued to see this pair of cleverly modified zooks from Crooked Motorcycles.

Builders Jakob Müller and Dominikus Braun are based in Memmingen?an hour or so west of Munich. They?ve developed an angular and distinctive style, and picked up clients from all over Germany.
In this case, the commission came from the two founders of Heimplanet, a Hamburg-based outdoor gear brand known for its tents (and about to celebrate its tenth anniversary).
?We got along very well because we share common passions?adventure and surfing,? says Dominikus. ?The first plan was for two NX650s, but we switched to the underrated DR650?which has not been customized often. It?s a very good base for adventures and long journeys.?
Jakob and Dominikus are speaking from experience: they?ve been travelling around Europe regularly on older enduros for around three years now. ?Suitability for travel was in the foreground for this project. We wanted to ?optimize? the donor bikes as well as possible, but still create a unique design.?

It took four month...