In Southwest France, Xavier Raynal loves custom bikes, ordered many from local shops, all until now built with a high tech speed drag or street drag flavor. After a few months of hard riding, each of them ends up being resold to finance the next one. Like a man playing the field with ladies (!), Xavier didn’t want to get too much attached to any of his bikes … until one of them, for whatever reason, made him so happy that he decided to stay faithful to her… It’s the one featured here, built for his 40th birthday by Bernard Massard at V-Twin Mechanic
Named 65, this new school Tracker got started from a custom rigid frame modified to run a thick mono down tube around the engine cases, pre-1935 Harley style. V-Twin Mechanic boss Bernard Massart and Xavier Raynal having in mind a racing theme with some retro feel agreed that engine should be very special and called Southern Motorcycle Works to get one of their modified 127″ Pandemic motors, a high Performance Evo block producing 140 hp, using a lot of Ultima components and fitted with re-machined Panhead style parts. Carburation is provided by a Mikuni HSR 48 dressed with a Meteor model Rebuffini air cleaner. Driveline is composed of a 5 into 4-kick start RevTech tranny, of an Ultima 3.5″ narrow open belt system with a chain for final drive. Front end is a shortened Harley Dyna on which were installed a pair of rubber boots. Handlebar comes from a Ducati 996 modified in 1″ OD to accept Italian Rebuffini hand controls.
Bodywork consist of a slightly modified Cole Foster gas tank unusually tilted forward to give the bike a racing stance and on which was installed a rare and now discontinued Technoplus gas cap. Oil tank (extended for appearance only) and rear fender are one-off parts welded to the frame with a series of LED’s lights recessed into the thickness of this fender to provide both taillight and turn signals. 65 rolls on a pair of 23″ wheels, model “Black Poker” from Southern Motorcycle Works. with integral braking (both and rear brakes work together and silmatuatel) via PM discs and Harrison Billet calipers. Headlight (painted) and solo seat were sourced at Crime scene Choppers, Metallic flake paint job by Hot Quad. V-Twin Mechanic. (photography copyright Eric Corlay courtesy to Cyril Huze)
Really nice looking, clean, bike. Well done !
Steve Carr
very sharp lil’ whip!
Sharp looking ride! I love how distinct European bikes look. The German bikes are always aggressive looking and sterile…no extra crap, all business. The french bikes are classy and colorful and the Swedish bikes are long lean and just plain cool. I really don’t anything from our country right now except Darwin’s FXR. Glad to see that things are getting shook up overseas.
very very nice,what a great build!
Frenchies have class (hey, Cyril!)
Like.
very cool….. nicely done!
Damn…. I hope Cole is getting royalties from that tank, I see that on a hell of a lotta custom builds out there (I had one on my for build for awhile too).
To see the owner kick start this bike and do a hole shot would be fun. I bet the 127 sounds awesome. ..Z
The bike is easy on the eyes and looks like it means business in the power department, but the use of the word ‘tracker’ seems to be a little too watered down for me. A race number does not a tracker make.
Slick looking piece of machinery.
Really nice looking with the large wheels.
But 140 HP could be a bit too much 😉