If you are still Sad that Harley never brought the streetfighter from the Bronx to market, California’s Whiplash Speed Company has a custom Harley-Davidson Pan America that might just scratch the itch. Next, we present a battle-ready Honda Dominator, a Yamaha Scorpio SX225 from Bali, and a 1972 Kawasaki H2-R with a racing pedigree.
Harley-Davidson Pan America by Whiplash SpeedCompany Whiplash founder Carlos Pena got into the parts and accessories game by taking a grinder and welder to his Dyna Street Bob. Now specializing in slick custom parts for all kinds of Harley-Davidson, the Southern California company just built what Harley couldn’t – a custom Pan America that looks like The HD Bronx concept from a few years ago.
When the Bronx concept was unveiled in 2019, we (and many others) thought it was a step in the right direction for the Bar and Shield. Its compact, modern road bike design was on track to attract younger buyers (something HD desperately needed). But a new corporate strategy saw Harley suddenly diverge from the Bronx, much to literally everyone’s chagrin.
We’re not sure if the Bronx was the inspiration behind the construction of Whiplash in Pan America, but it certainly fills that gap. Starting with a 2021 model Pan Am, the crew removed most of the bits and pieces.
A pair of 17″ Dymag wheels with Dunlop Q5 tires set the decidedly off-road stance. A carbon front fender was installed, along with a pair of Brembo brakes (with the ABS removed). The stock suspension was retuned to suit. better at road riding.
The front section is kept clean with a racing number plate, also made of carbon fiber. The stock electrics are still integrated into the ECU, with the bike’s OEM TFT dash sitting in a new housing, above a new steering damper and ProTaper bars.
The tank cowl and custom tail section are also carbon fiber, with a custom Whiplash seat nestled neatly between the two. The waspish tail, slick tire, and Akrapovič muffler highlight how long the Pan America swingarm is, but we’re seriously digging the proportions. A brake light from the Whiplash catalog is ingeniously integrated into the rear of the left side panel.
With sharp lines that ooze racing style, Whiplash’s Pan America is right up there with our favorite Harley builds. [Whiplash Speed Company]
Honda Dominator by Matteucci Garage tea Honda Dominator it’s a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of bike. Although it may not set the world on fire with blistering specifications, it is guaranteed to get you where you need to go. That’s why Marco from Matteucci Garage took this 1989 Honda Dominator, and then turned it into what is nicknamed the Honda “Raptor”.
“The Honda Raptor was born as an idea for a cheap motorcycle for carefree enduro riding,” says Marco. “Obviously, something went wrong and it got carried away. The idea was to get a good base, put a decent suspension, and go have fun.
A Honda CRF front end has been bolted on, with a new 320mm brake disc, a new caliper, and a Brembo master cylinder. A dirt bike-style front fender was also added, along with the CRF’s lower fenders.
A KOSO LED headlight on a custom mount lights up the night, aided by a pair of fork-mounted spotlights. The new bars on the custom risers are adorned with Motogadget switchgear, heated grips and Circuit brush guards. A new windshield hides the Quadlock phone holder and the Motogadget Motoscope mini speedometer, which is embedded in the handlebar clamp.
Marco replaced the stock fuel tank with an aftermarket 23-liter [6.1-gallon] Acerbis unit, perfect for long days in the saddle. The custom side panels, which resemble the shape of a velociraptor, give the bike its name.
The stock seat was trimmed at the rear and covered in custom vinyl to match the new paint scheme and Mosko Moto bags. The Moskos are protected from the exhaust with custom aluminum heat shields, integrated into the rear rack.
A Keihin FCR41 carb was inserted to put a little more pep in the Dominator’s step. The factory airbox has been left in place for maximum usability and reliability, but the bike exhales a little easier through a new exhaust system. The entire bike has been rewired from scratch and there is nothing on the Raptor that hasn’t had a fresh coat of paint.
We love intentional adventure builds, and the only thing we’re adding to Marco’s Dominator is a few layers of mud. [Matteucci Garage]
Yamaha Scorpio SSX225 by Deus Bali tea scramblers and road trackers built by Deus ex Machina’s Canggu, the Bali-based team generally sees its fair share of use. But the Yamaha Scorpio SX225 pictured here has a more colorful history than most.
It was originally built seven years ago for a Deus Bali crew member and is widely used for commuting to and from work, easily passing through the busy roads of Southeast Asia. That is until she was robbed.
“In the last days of November 2022, a cheeky, nimble-fingered Englishman brazenly rode it out of Deus’s compound (but that yard is another story),” reads Deus’ blog. “Suffice it to say that the pillager was arrested within twenty-four hours and ended up behind bars, but the bike was also locked up.”
The police kept the bike as evidence for four months, so when the team finally got it back, it was in a sorry state. A spare build slot opened up in the shop last year, so the tired Scorpio was brought onto a workbench for a new lease of life.
The bike was stripped, with the engine (which was already tired) getting new rings, a rebuilt carb, new seals and fresh paint. A new lowered subframe was fabricated and bolted together with a new leather seat, and a three-in-one lighting setup was integrated into the rear loop. The front and rear fenders were handcrafted from aluminum.
Hurricane handlebars and rubber grips were imported from Japan, and the scoop was changed from a high-output scrambler pipe to a low-profile road shoe. Mini LED turn signals hang from the front and rear of the bike, with the LED headlight mounted on custom brackets. The polished rims and Chunky Shinko tires were still in good condition, but the team decided to replace the brakes and brake lines with stainless steel.
A new surfboard rack (which might be a legal requirement in Bali) was manufactured, along with new tank badges. The inverted logos were the happy result of a manufacturing error, but we think they look perfect. Deus Bali’s in-house painter took care of the British Racing Green, skillfully laid out over the fenders and tank.
This Scorpio has certainly had its ups and downs, but the silver lining here is that it looks better than ever. [More]
For Sale: 1972 Kawasaki H2-R In the early 1970s, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) set a 750cc limit for racing bikes. This led to the rise of Formula 750 – an exciting series that eventually gained world championship status.
The bike you see here is a 1972 Kawasaki H2-R, built specifically for the racing series. Formula 750 bikes used to use engines taken from production bikes, so at its heart is a two-stroke, air-cooled three-cylinder lump from an H2 Mach IV road bike. Paired with a custom frame taken from the Kawasaki H1-R Grand Prix bike, it looked like a recipe for success.
Despite its prowess, Kawasaki struggled to score a Daytona win with the H2-R – or its successor, the liquid-cooled KR750. However, the H2-R prototype, greatly improved for high-speed handling by a custom frame made by Randy Hall, showed promise by winning the Talladega 200 and the Ontario 200 (ridden by Yvon Duhamel and Part Smart, respectively ).
This bike is believed to be one of six H2-Rs built in 1972 and features one of the last wide port engines used by Kawasaki. Its current owner bought the bike in November 2004, with the previous owner buying the bike from Randy Hall himself. The bike has undergone a sympathetic restoration, including a complete engine rebuild.
The bike retains its original magnesium hubs and engine covers and also has original paint on the tail and fuel tank. The tank also bears several signatures of notable people from cycling’s past, including Kenny Roberts and Giacomo Agostini. It has been maintained in a temperature controlled environment as part of the current owner’s collection and comes with an extensive history file.
The H2-R is proposed for sale at Bonhams, with an eye-watering price guide of $148,000 to $198,000. Being such an important piece of Kawasaki racing history, we’re sure the new owner will be proud, regardless of how much lighter their wallet is after the sale.
