The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer by John Pellew

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Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer by John Pellew
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer by John Pellew

John Pellew, of London, builds custom motorcycles in his spare time under the name of Taimoshan Cycle Works. His latest project, the Super Cafe Racer, took 12 months to design and build and is just now completed. It’s a nice one.

He started with a custom built and modified replica of a Norton featherbed frame. The engine is from a 1000cc Aprilia RSV Super Bike.

Taimoshan uses a Ducati front end, wheels and brakes. The swingarm is a hybrid Honda Unit pro-link. The aluminum Manx tank, seat unit and rear sub frame are all custom made.

The radiator is tucked up under the seat along with the electronics package.

John says he just started 2 more custom racer style bikes, one is his take on a Vincent and the other is an Art Deco BSA A65 Oil In Frame, GP racer.

This looks like a very sweet blend of the old and new, vintage frame, modern power, nice work, John!

More images below:

Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer by John Pellew
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer by John Pellew
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer tail section close up
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer by John Pellew
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer by John Pellew
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer with the builder
Taimoshan Super Cafe Racer with the builder

Comments

  1. I have the upmost admiration for a man who can form and finish his own body work. The body work makes this build special, very nicely done.

  3. I like all the polished metal, especially the bronzed colors. Has a nice steampunk appeal to it. Though what’s the deal with the left side of the front fender? It looks chipped or peeled or faded or something, is that deliberate? Wood inlay maybe? Seems an odd place and color for such an accent.

  5. Joe, it looks like venting through the fender for the brake caliper, probably the same thing on the left side.
    I wonder how well the radiator works beneath the seat, though. Not that I have any room to criticise, this is a fantastic looking bike.

  6. @Joe: Those bronze colored areas on the fender appear to be screens for air to cool the brakes. — hah, looks like Bigshankhank beat me to it.

  9. I truly love the design of the bike, but when I see the movie, I doubt of the ability of this bike to be fast.
    John seems to be too careful, legs out, poor leaning,.. just like he doesn’t trust his bike.
    I hope that’s only because he crashed in his first tries…

  10. This is one of the best looking combinations of modern components and traditional styling that I’ve seen. It deserves a good mongrelized name.

  13. Ab-so-lu-te-ly delightful bike.

    (Bigshankhank; Britten used an underseat radiator too – it was very small, because for some reason the airflow made it a lot more effective. (Doesn’t explain why everybody else copied the idea, though)).

  18. I’ve been running an underseat radiator on my naked VTR since ’05 with no problems.
    I agree with FREEMAN, radiators are truly an eyesore, especially on naked conversions where the radiator was never meant to be a design element.

  19. Britten’s chassis was designed to channel air through to the rear-mount radiator. He took advantage of the low pressure area behind the bike and exhausted the hot air there. All bikes in motion create an area of higher pressure up front and low pressure behind. The issue is getting the air to move from one place to the other. I don’t see an air flow channel on this bike, but I do see a fan.

  21. Walt made my point, I know the Britten had a “hidden radiator”, but was designed as such. I don’t see an air flow path to the rad on this bike. Again not a major critique, just curious as to how well it works in this application.

  24. Really nice…a custom that looks like it’s meant to be ridden! At first glance, I hated the muffler, but on further examination, I decided it looked like something old that had been re-purposed, which goes along with the sorta steampunk theme.

    Very nice job on the bodywork…kudos!

  27. Do you know the dangers of riding a bike without a helmet !!!!!!
    NICE WHEELS JONNY JUNIOR (senior)