We’ve cast our net wide this week to bring you four very different motorcycles from four different countries. Portugal offers up a Yamaha XSR700 street scrambler, Canada sends us a tasty Honda CB750 restomod, and Italy shows off the new Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia. Finally, we ogle an as-new 1991 Bimota TESI 1D 904 SR from New York, USA.
Yamaha XSR700 by Unik Edition Deeply embedded in Lisbon’s buzzing custom motorcycle scene, Loek Janssen has a bike for every occasion—including a KTM 450 EXC-F in supermoto trim and a 1981 BMW R100 street scrambler. He’s just added this Yamaha XSR700 to his stable, to make sure all his bases are covered.
Loek’s vision for the XSR was to have a bike he could scoot around the city with daily, and point down the occasional fire road whenever the craving hits. Inspiration for the bike’s neo-punk vibe came from Loek’s travels—specifically his time in Tokyo, where he spent many a rainy night sampling food and beer with locals.
One of the leading lights of the Portuguese custom scene, Unik Edition, was called in to handle the custom work. Loek picked the XSR700 because it’s fairly uncomplicated for a modern bike, and because it’s a hoot to ride. The idea was to retain its rideability—but nip and tuck it visually.
Unik edition fabricated new tank covers for the bike, moving the visual weight forward and creating a more aggressive silhouette. The paint simple paint job is an exact match to a quick drawing that Loek whipped up on his iPad, which was only ever meant to be a rough guide. “First I was mad,” he tells us, “but then they said that they really tried a lot, but my drawing still came out on top!”
Several parts from JVB-Moto complement the custom tank. These include the seat and rear fender, head- and taillights, front fork covers, radiator guard, and a bunch of smaller bits that help tidy the bike up. LSL bars adorn the cockpit, fitted with Puig levers, BikeMaster grips, a Yamaha R6 quick-throttle, and Motogadet mo.view mirrors.
The full list of parts is exhaustive, but highlights include a K-Tech rear shock, Pirelli Scorpion STR Rally tires, and a titanium exhaust system from Akrapovič. There are no dB killers inside the twin mufflers, but there are electronically operated valves (from Druijff Racing) that help Loek keep his neighbors happy.
A Hordpower intake and a Dynojet Power Commander tuner helped Unik eke more performance out of the already peppy XSR700. Loek specced the bike with an ABS on-off switch for off-road shenanigans, along with enduro-style footpegs from JVB-Moto. The sump guard, crash bars, and beefy side stand are SW-Motech parts.
“I spent way more than the value I purchased the bike for—like, way more,” Loek admits. “Do I care? No. Do I enjoy the bike? Hell yes.” [Unik Edition | Images by Tiago Almeida]
Honda CB750 by Big Dream Motorcycles Boasting the title of ‘The World’s First Superbike,’ the Honda CB750 has enthralled motorcyclists since it hit the scene in 1968. We’ve seen scores of CB750s on these pages—from extreme customs to thoughtful restomods.
This 1978 Honda CB750K restomod is the work of Matt Wieckowski at Big Dream Motorcycles in Ontario. Dressed in a well-judged mix of modern and classic parts, it tips its hat to all the CBs that went before it.
The CB750 wears the front end from a 1999 Yamaha R6, matched to 17” Excel rims laced to Cognito Moto hubs. Between the forks, brakes, upgraded rear shocks, and sportbike tires, the CB750 now handles a lot better than it did in 78.
Matt rebuilt the Honda’s stonking four-cylinder engine with high-compression pistons, and upgraded the ignition to a newer Dyna unit. K&N pod filters replace the air box, while gasses exit via Ripple Rock Racers headers and a Hindle muffler, all made from stainless steel.
Matt’s client is a big fan of vintage bikes, so Matt swapped the 1978-model CB750’s fuel tank out for a 1975 item. Older side covers were fitted too, and the bike retains its chunky seat, big fenders, and generous lighting.
Matt finished the bike in an elegant white and red scheme, color-matching parts like the headlight ears as a throwback to the days when that was the norm on production Hondas. A smattering of red-anodized hardware ties it all together. [Source]
Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia The practice of dressing an existing motorcycle from your catalog in new paint and selling it as a special edition is hardly new. But Ducati does it with more panache than most marques. Case in point; the new Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia looks spectacular.
Limited to 163 units, the Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia is essentially a Panigale V4 S with a predominantly blue paint job and a handful of hop-up parts. MotoGP fans will recognize the livery—it’s the same one that Ducati Factory Racing employed at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, where two-time MotoGP world champion, Pecco Bagnaia, and his teammate, Enea Bastianini, finished first and second.
The Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia recreates the livery, which was inspired by Italy’s national sports teams, faithfully. Italy’s official ‘Azzurro’ blue dominates the design, complemented by sections of white and traditional Tricolore details. As befitting a race replica, the fairing is splashed with sponsor logos.
Underneath the graphics is a mostly ‘regular’ Ducati V4 S—a 216 hp superbike with electronically-adjusted Öhlins suspension and a dry weight of 188 kg [414.5 lbs]. It’s 3 kilos lighter than stock, thanks to the stunning carbon fiber wheels that replace the usual forged hoops.
The Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia also gets a monstrous braking upgrade in the form of Brembo’s brand-spanking new Pro+ package. A first for production bikes, it uses two finned 338.5 mm Brembo T-Drive discs, a pair of GP4 Sport Production racing calipers with cooling fins, and carbon fiber air ducts.
Other upgrades include a dry clutch, adjustable billet aluminum foot pegs, and Alcantara trim on the seat. Ducati has a host of track-only accessories for the bike too—including a matching kangaroo leather suit that’s exclusively available to Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia owners.
Each Ducati Panigale V4 Tricolore Italia’s top yoke is adorned with its series number, a silhouette of the Mugello circuit, and Bagnaia’s lap record there. The tank sports the two-time champ’s signature, and each bike is shipped in a personalized wooden crate.
If you’re wondering what it costs, don’t bother—all 163 units are already spoken for. [Ducati]
1991 Bimota TESI 1D 904 SR Produced in extremely limited numbers, the 1991 Bimota TESI 1D 904 SR is arguably the bike that put the boutique Italian motorcycle manufacturer on the map.
Its fairings and livery were quintessential early-90s Italian design. And when you stripped them off, you’d find a 904 cc Ducati Desmodromic engine wedged between a pair of machined alloy chassis plates, with Bimota’s signature hub-centered steering system poking out the front.
Bimota equipped the TESI 1D 904 SR with Marzocchi suspension, Marchesini wheels, and Brembo brakes. The Ducati mill also came with a six-speed transmission and Marelli fuel injection.
With clip-ons linked to the hub-center steering system, a bold digital dashboard, and a solo seat with minimal padding, the TESI 1D 904 SR was a true show-stopper. (It was as if Bimota had built the bike that Ducati was too conservative to.)
34 years on, the TESI 1D 904 SR hasn’t lost an ounce of its charm. But owning one is a rare privilege—particularly one as clean as this example.
Showing just 1 kilometer on the clock, this particular 1991 Bimota TESI 1D 904 SR has just been sold on Bring a Trailer by Moto Borgotaro—sparking a last-minute bidding war that pushed the final price to a staggering $78,000. [Source]
