Have been lamenting your lack of something with a unique aesthetic between your legs? Well, forget American Chopper and grab a plane for Denmark, because Copenhagen’s Wrenchmonkees are building some of the most insanely cool bikes around.
Looking like a mix of Isle of Man and Rat Rod, the Monkee #11 eschews the over the top and overexposed modern chopper mien in approbation of a slightly off-kilter TT racer. This is just one of a number of custom bikes that Copenhagen’s Wrenchmokee has crafted out of rebuilt motors, new, and custom-made parts.
Starting at $20,800, these bikes are not for the dilettante, but whether you want to see or be seen, each one is imbued with cool. They offer bikes in two forms- standard and custom. The standard bikes have limited changes made to them, but are rebuilt to be as new. Custom takes the bikes to a whole new level, and as you can see, these bikes would look just as at home in your living room as your garage.
Wrenchmonkees will deliver to EU countries, and to the US, but as they note, that could get expensive. But as the guys in the long coats at the back of the magazine store say; it don’t cost nothin’ to look!
Maybe because I've nearly killed myself a few times on them and lost several friends to bikes, home-built motorcycles just kind of freak me out. This is more the kind of thing I'd park in my loft and look at, whereas the new retro Honda CB1100s just shown at the Tokyo bike show would be the cool retro thing I'd actually entrust my life to.
But that's not to say these aren't gorgeous.
Those are gorgeous! I want one. Yeah, it would probably kill me, but at least I'd enjoy the trip.
Remember, it is our goal, as Hoonigans, to pass through the pearly gates upside down, on fire, screaming, and totally disoriented. Saint Peter's first words, upon seeing us, should be, "Clean up to the front counter, please!"
That or "Do it again!"
Check out Monkee #8. Holy god that's cool.
"Hoonigan", I like that.
Isn't "hoon" short for "hooligan?" Is there now a difference between hoonigan and hooligan? Or did I just miss the slang boat?
Several years ago, in a Baja race in Wisconsin, our team captain went end over end.
The corner workers had him up facing a tree (no reverse) after he immediately tried to get back to the track.
They started with one of the standard questions: "Okay, can you tell me where you are?"
*brief uncertainty*
"IN A RACE!"
Dang skippy – which is why I live by this: "Better pass boldly into that other world in the full glory of some passion than than to fade and wither dismally with age." – James Joyce
These bikes are gorgeous. And if I get the chance to make the trip to Copenhagen (a friend is moving there next week,) I'll make SURE to visit these guys. WOW.
Are those considered "cafe bikes"? I'm not well versed on cycles but it seems to fit the definition.
Some of them are. Cafe racer is an aesthetic but some of the bikes are after a Japanese urban model (look like a Bultaco enduro bike with street tires) and some are straight up "naked bikes".
Yes they are. You can just picture the Toecutter riding one like this right before Mad Max forces him into a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer.
Makes me wish I hadn't given that CB750SS to my brother. Oh well, there will be others.
Oh, and these don't really take any special skills to put together. Once you figure out the carbs and charging systems, they get downright easy to put together and work on. I don't say that to take away from these guys, as they're obviously very good at what they do. But what they really excel at is vision. What I'm getting at is that bikes like these are super-cheap to get started on and don't really take any space or a bajillion dollars in custom parts you have to buy. It's really about minimalist styling and excruciating attention to detail.
The one pictured (#11) is by far my favorite, but #7 is cool as hell simply for its scrapped together appearance. By far my favorite customs are Exile Cycles, but I'm not huge into bikes so there may be similarly minimalist old-school style customs out there that are just as awesome. I love a simple, no-clutter appearance on a bike.
The featured bike appears to have some very beefy high-tech brakes paired with some not-so-beefy low-tech tires. Perhaps I am wrong, and these are modern tires designed to look vintage, but the bike the way it is seems more suitable for living-room conversation piece than corner carving.
Not that I don't love it. I'm just a little concerned about actual rideability.
Holy Lord! I have never been so smitten by a street bike than I am with the one in the lead photo right now. Absolutely beautiful!
I love Wrenchmokee custom bikes, I nearly crapped myself when I saw these on Hell For Leather.
Second to this Moto Guzzi Cafe Racer
<image src="http://hellforleathermagazine.com/galleries/images/moto_guzzi_racer.jpg">
Holy crappers, if I was a motorcycle I would look like this. Well, if I was attractive. I'd want to look like this at least.
The dude who bought my rolled-over Jeep does this. Had a redone Honda 500 in his garage, said he had less than $1500 into it (lucked out with the famously handbeaten/formed tank) and it looks friggin’ awesome! Trying to get pics…
These Wrenchmonkee rides are all kinds of awesome, too. Not sure $20K awesome, tho…
Me like this, bikes with only the things you need. Wheels, brakes, engine, transmission, handle bars, suspension, seat and lights.
I would love to see this concept bike come to production too, it´s the equivalent of the Ariel Atom, Sachs Beast.
<img src="http://www.funmails.org/mails/images/2007/09september/0912-concept-bikes/sachs-beast01.jpg">
It looks like you have pulled together quite the little following now! I’m pleased for you.
[...] If you’ve got a bent for classic café racers and live in Denmark, you’re in luck. Oh, it’ll help if you’ve got cash bleeding out of your ears, too. Custom bike builders out of Copenhagen, Wrenchmonkee specializes in whipping together a mix of rebuilt, new and custom parts into slick manifestations of my own two-wheeled dreams. The guys say they’ll be happy to ship their wares to the EU and the US, but buyer pays those costs and bears the burden of getting the thing titled. Prices start at $20,800 – and that’s before the trip across the Atlantic. Check out the gallery for some more shots of the Number 11. [Source: Hooniverse] [...]