Our favorite custom bike builder is teaming up with one of our favorite fashion brands to build a motorcycle. There’ll be free beer too this Thursday and the remaining two Thursdays in May as Hammarhead goes hands on at Dunderdon NYC. James won’t tell us what he’s turning this Bonneville into, but it’s apparently not just another Jack Pine. :continue:
It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of the high-end custom bikes coming out of Philadelphia-based Hammarhead Industries. Much more than just looks, they’re genuinely boosting the functionality of the Urals and Triumphs and Hondas they’re based on to a whole new level. All that while remaining super tasteful and understated. You can apply the same plaudits to the company’s burgeoning range of accessories, like this new backpack. Waxed cotton and leather construction will make it water resistant and incredibly strong, but keeping the logos off it and the colors all black means you can use this equally well off the bike too. Handmade by D’Emploi in Brooklyn, quality should be as high as Hammarhead’s bikes.
With 6 customers’ motorcycles headed to the west coast, it seemed like a special delivery road trip was required. Introducing the Hammarhead “Gasoline and Caffeine” tour. Hammarhead will spend the next 2 weeks traveling the west coast to visit customers, collaborators, and fellow builders. Our first stop, after a 48 hour drive from Philadelphia, will be Seattle to visit our friends at the Ace Hotel, meet with Ural Motorcycles, and throw a party with Gibson Guitars (a busy Friday). :continue:
On Friday, I shot these pictures of Sean riding a Hammarhead Jack Pine in my riding gear. That’s a little confusing, but it’s about to get worse. The plan was to have Sean write up his impressions in relation to the ridiculously positive review I did a year back. Figured it made sense to get a second opinion. But, due to a print mag being upset that we regularly eat their lunch, we’ve been asked not to write about the bike right now. Instead, I’ll tell you about the second neatest thing in these photos, the AGV AX-8 Dual helmet.
What do you get when you cross the distilled essence of two-wheeled awesome with a tiny pit bike? The Hammarhead Bad Monkey was brought to life by the same mad scientist as the Jack Pine and Solo X, but unlike those two bikes, you can probably put this Hammarhead on your credit card; the five they’ll make go for $1,850. :continue:
Here’s the first of the jackets we’re modifying to create something that’s actually safe, yet doesn’t make us look like Power Rangers. This is a Vanson AR2 fitted with Alpinestars Bio Armor. The ultra-thick, sturdy leather and strong construction will protect me against abrasion better than just about anything else out there and the high-tech Bio Armor exceeds CE standards by more than double. Yet, that armor doesn’t cause the jacket to bulge and I’m not slathered in logos. Remind me why can’t we buy something like this ready-made?
Photos: Grant Ray :continue:
Conventional motorcycling wisdom states, “Dress for the crash, not the ride.” But why does being safe have to involve dressing up like a DayGlo sausage, a European hairdresser or a large nylon pillow? Why can Dainese make an airbag racing suit that can tell the difference between a high and low-side crash using a GPS sensor, three gyroscopes and three accelerometers, but not offer a jacket I’d be seen dead in?
You know what, screw it, we’re going to show people that it’s possible. :continue:
Our friend JonB pinged us yesterday — “New job, new season, time for a new bike. What should I buy? HFL should do a buyer’s guide.” Good idea. Here’s 11 motorcycles you can afford that will make 2011 a summer to remember. :continue:
During the month of March, Hammarhead will exhibit three custom motorcycles at Philadelphia’s Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction gallery. Most of the collection will be familiar to Hell for Leather readers; however, the exhibition will also include the new Hammar 449, a work in progress. This urban scrambler will features a bespoke frame, lots of alloy and a 449cc Honda CRF X motor.
Photos: Kara Mortellite
Know the party we threw at the Ace Hotel New York two weeks ago? That was to unveil the Hammarhead Solo X. Based on the Ural sT, James Hammarhead set out to boost its off-road ability in order to make it even more of a go anywhere, do anything machine. That didn’t just mean fitting knobbies and tougher suspension, Hammarhead relocated the air intakes into a cutout in the tank so the bike can ford streams.
Photos: Ryan Miller and Enrique Oliva
