Custom Motorcycle Eastern Europe Style

How they do it in Eastern Europe? Here an example coming from a builder named Roman Bus from a custom shop in Czech Republic called “Wildstyle” (notice that almost all shops in Europe use an English name). Not my style this huge industrial looking belt pulley and this Jap. fender, but it won in the Annual Rod ‘N custom Show held last weekend in Budapest, Hungary. Roman even got 5000 Euros (about $9000) to pay his expenses to bring the bike to Sturgis to compete in the “AMD World Championship Of Custom Bike Building”.

14 Responses to “Custom Motorcycle Eastern Europe Style”


  1. 1 Nicker May 12th, 2008 at 12:34 am

    The appearance doesn’t look bad at all.
    But as a single sided swing arm, it seems counter intuitive to have the drive-belt pulling on the unsupported end of the axle.

    Does that bother any one else…. ???
    -nicker-

  2. 2 bertrand May 12th, 2008 at 5:05 am

    You’re right ! !

  3. 3 saorijohn May 12th, 2008 at 10:01 am

    And just to think that only a few years ago the eastern europeans only had Russian Urals to modify.

  4. 4 Jack Carter May 12th, 2008 at 11:32 am

    Nicker made a good observation. The setup with the pulley placed on the unsupported side of the swingarm doesn’t make any sense. How this bike can win the show? Shame to the organizer.

  5. 5 rodent May 12th, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    You guys act like this conceptual piece of art is actually ment to be ridden…It’s artplain and simple.like it or not

  6. 6 burnout May 13th, 2008 at 10:31 am

    veddddy intevesting! peace

  7. 7 Nicker May 14th, 2008 at 12:51 am

    RE:
    “…It’s artplain and simple.like it or not…”

    Well, may be “Simplistic” is more like it.
    Call my simple if ya like but when the thing doesn’t function, then it becomes an “abstraction.”
    If your willing to allow scooter-art to morph into non-functioning piles of dissacociated parts the entire exercise begins to be pointless. (IMHO, anyway).

    I think that thing will hook to the right every time ya nail the throttle.
    The designer simply didn’t have his thinking-cap on that day or he was just too lazy to do it right.
    Or worse, he didn’t know any better (in which case he is out of his element)

    -nicker-.

  8. 8 Neil May 15th, 2008 at 9:46 am

    I wasn’t at the Hungary show and was a little alarmed at the criticism being levelled at Roman’s bike. Going through the photos, I couldn’t find anything which showed the other side of the bike, so I emailed him. This is his reply:

    “Thanks for your mail and questions you have around my bike

    The criticism may be justified. I only wanted to emphasize just the drive on the driving side without swinging fork with a big pulley. It seems the effect met expectations because I checked the photos of Horst and I found out the bike was never taken from the side where the swinging fork is. Nor even anyone else´s photos do not show that side of bike, I can only offer you few of my private photos, but they´re not of a very good quality. However, you can at least see the swinging fork which is strenghtened with the hub that goes utmost towards the pulley in the wheel on the other side of bike so there is no extra stress.

    I drove the bike and I had no problem with the belt. For better start of belt on the pulley, I used spherical eccentric stretch mechanism on axle of swinging fork tack.

    I build the bikes in the style of playing chess. At the very beginning I already knew and faced this alternate there would be a problem with stressing and we set the swinging fork so that there would be a possibility to mount a dural stiffener in the bottom level behind the belt.
    I hope this answers your questions. Should there be any other I am ready to answer them.

    Thanks & Have a good day,
    Roman Buš Wildstyle”

  9. 9 Nicker May 15th, 2008 at 8:45 pm

    At the risk of beating this to death:

    RE:
    “…I only wanted to emphasize just the drive on the driving side without swinging fork with a big pulley. …”

    OK, the design was intentional.
    (although maybe not rational)

    Isn’t the compelling thing about a single sided swing arm is the quick change rear wheel aspect (drive stays in place while ya remove the wheel.
    And then there’s the visual effect of no longitudinal connections between the frame and hub.

    RE:
    “….It seems the effect met expectations…”

    Well, i guess that’s another reason why i don’t sell scooters.
    (So much for “Form following function” …….????)

    -nicker-

  10. 10 Shovel 76 May 15th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

    I appreciate the efforts of Roman to justify his setup, but it doesn’t make any motorcycle sense. In Sturgis, this bike is going to make a lot of people smile. I heard that in the US AMD has a credibility problem due to very incoherent judging. Sorry guys, just hire professional judges with a supervisor who knows a little bit more about bikes than being a publisher.

  11. 11 Nicker May 15th, 2008 at 10:13 pm

    RE:
    “…but it doesn’t make any motorcycle sense…”

    Right……

    Although the form and stance of the scooter is very well done, overlooking that drive is difficult.
    No matter how well the swing arm is designed to resist the bending pull of the rubber-band, the visual effect is that it “makes no sense”……. to me or Shovel, anyway.

    Sorry.
    -nicker-

  12. 12 Neil May 16th, 2008 at 4:38 am

    RE:

    “I heard that in the US AMD has a credibility problem due to very incoherent judging. Sorry guys, just hire professional judges with a supervisor who knows a little bit more about bikes than being a publisher.”

    Obviously we have no control over how the Affiliate shows do their judging, but the vast majority use a regular jury system. Of course one of the failings in a system like this is that politics and one or two guys with dominant views can affect the result.

    If you’re talking about the World Championship itself, the competing builders are the judges, not us. If the bike design is that obviously flawed then it shouldn’t get any votes in Sturgis.

  13. 13 Nicker May 16th, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    RE:
    “…very incoherent judging…”
    “… If the bike design is that obviously flawed then it shouldn’t get any votes in Sturgis…”

    Well, if that were true then abstract art wouldn’t sell (because eyeballs in belly buttons don’t make sense), but it does.

    God only knows why judges (& umpires) make some of the decisions they do….????

    RE:
    “…the World Championship itself, the competing builders are the judges…”

    And so we come full-circle:
    (Only God knows why some ‘Builders’ make the decisions they do……….. 🙂

    -nicker-

  14. 14 ducduc Jul 9th, 2008 at 5:13 am

    Hi GUYS….i am owner for this bike event horizon,and i can drive this bike on road ,not problem after Sturgis i put him to wall in my Motoscoot bar in Opava for show to people ….before that i just driving only sports bike likes ducati including desmosedici rr which i also have in my stock number :350/1500,and many other special custom bikes vmax,valkyrie and etc.. and ducati 998r,999r,9996sps,mhr,mh 900e,851 and many other…..About event is important is ,this is complete bike can do function especially most biggest capacity engine in the world likes 3,3 litres capacity ..because noby in whole world have like that…this is important point not only for different original design for this event…but important is that engine 3,3 litre!!!!!And bike can do riding and i test him on road that all…also i have dvd about that if somebody dont trust. Best regards …Pavel

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Cyril Huze