Spare from the commence, the Husqvarna 701 Vitpilen is a very likely candidate for customization. Although there may possibly be a temptation to increase on the Vitpilen notion, Arjan van den Increase went in the other route. The Artistic Director & Founder at Ironwood Customized Bikes in Amsterdam stripped the 701 Vitpilen down to permit its mechanicalistic mother nature bloom with The Chain Smoker.
Motorcycling runs in the Van den Increase family—as a youngster, his uncles ended up motorbike officers. Mopeds acquired van den Growth started out, and he describes an knowledge on a Honda CBF500 when he was 18 as the “best moment at any time.”
A 1995 Honda CBR600F Computer system31 led to a 2008 Yamaha YZF-R6 for speed on the street and keep track of. As the café racer scene took keep, Van den Growth bought some sections from Dime Metropolis Cycles to personalize his ride.
Van den Boom’s first total create was a 1978 Honda CB550 he morphed into a bratstyle café racer. The modifications bundled fat Firestone tires on wire-spoke wheels, a lowered front, open-air ingestion filters, Megaton mufflers, no fenders, and a extensive flat seat.
After starting up Ironwood Personalized Motorcycles in 2012, Van den Growth experienced a near-fatal 2013 crash. While the accident understandably slowed him down on the pavement, it did not dimmish Van den Boom’s want to personalize motorcycles. Van den Boom says he is inspired by “anything all around me, from foods to buildings to supplies, journey automotive, drawings and art. My mind is storing it all to permit it out at foreseeable future initiatives.”
The Ironwood Customized Husqvarna 710 Chain Smoker is a bit of a departure for Van den Boom’s brand name. “We are recognised for our classic BMWs,” Van den Boom reminds us, “especially the Deathstar R100 styles. But we can do additional than this—aiming and hoping to work more on present day bikes and getting more varied on brands and types upcoming to BMW.”
A portion of the Ironwood organization prepare, The Chain Smoker is a commissioned get the job done. “Obviously, no consumer concerned produces a way to go all out in our have model, or a client who says, ‘Do regardless of what you want.’ Produce and sell is what we did in our early times to get found and make super one particular-offs.” Van den Boom describes. “Working with the ideal consumers will continue to deliver the same flexibility of creating something interesting,”
The Chain Smoker is certainly some thing interesting, and Van den Boom is happy of its “bold and radical, loathe it or enjoy it vibe.” The target was crystal clear: “Overall, it must be recognizable as a 701, but make it imply and edgy. Retain the critical options like the tank with the humps, OEM wheels, speedo, and lightning. Alter the strains. Make it exclusive, but, in a way, it could be made by any individual. The 701 was already hella cool, but now it has much more confidence and matching our ABCD genetics: Intense, Daring, Cleanse, Stunning!”
The far more you look at The Chain Smoker, the extra it reveals. The Akropovič muffler and personalized header grabs speedy interest. Then, you see the personalized subframe and leather-based seat. “The seat appears like a reversed chopper saddle,” Van den Growth observes. Effectively-concealed rear switch indicators are integrated into the subframe.
With the new subframe, the aspect panels and airbox ended up jettisoned. A pod-style filter cleans the air and is on full show. Farther back again, a personalized license plate holder was fashioned, with its steel-tube braces finished in the model of the new muffler hanger. Bodywork was executed by Marcel van der Stelt at The Personalized Factory.
Back again at the midpoint of The Chain Smoker, the chin fairing has disappeared. Over that, the gasoline tank receives a custom geometric paint occupation by Lisa Ottevanger of Dutch on Wheels, and it is a most loved component of the build for Van den Growth. The 13-shades-of-grey paint is impressed by the angular camouflage made use of on older warships. Aftermarket 701 tank badges incorporate a finishing touch.
In the entrance, the headlight is inventory and repositioned. Motogadget provided the grips, mirrors, and bar-end convert alerts. Van den Growth also slimmed down the casing for the stock round instrument panel.
The consequence is a customized motorcycle that retains the fantastic Husqvarna powerplant with an Akropovič improve, though aiding out the WP suspension and dealing with by dropping 33 kilos from an now-light chassis. Apart from for the seat, which Van den Boom will allow is not comfortable, The Chain Smoker is all out driving the streets of London—the residence of the build’s commissioner. Of course, we wouldn’t be astonished to see it enterprise into the hinterlands.
“It began just to make a couple of bikes for shoppers in the beginning—working with my hands, be inventive, and make people’s dreams appear real,” Van den Growth remembers of the early days of Ironwood Customized Motorcycles. “That grew far more into turning into a recognized brand name or shop with an possess seem and experience.” Evidently, a lot more desires are on the agenda.
Pictures by Greater Simply call Paul Motography