custom revolution

BEEZERKER

BY SPEED SHOP & DESIGN

FROM BOSTON, MA, USA

COLLECTION OF NIKKI ZACHARY FLECHTNER

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL LICHTER

BEEZERKER - Header Image

In the eight years since the “Beezerker” was built, it’s been lavished with attention in magazines, books, and blogs, and certainly ranks among the most original two-wheeled conceptions ever built, while remaining within the lines of a traditional motorcycle – sort of. It’s also perhaps the most unusual café racer ever built, which stretched the mind of traditionalists, but all the clues are there: the dropped handlebars, the rearset footrests and the humped seat. The aluminum fuel tank is even a stylized, squared-off version of two quintessential inspirations in the café racer genre: the 1950s Norton Manx and the 1970s Ducati 750SS “Imola.” That tank is a message from the future, and builder Chris Flechtner seems most inspired by 1930s-era sci-fi films. It could be Flash Gordon’s BSA!

The construction of the “Beezerker” is flawless, and all its metal-bending, welding, and bodywork clearances reveal Flechtner’s experience as a silversmith. Every detail is precisely crafted, with peerless lines and symmetry. He also restores Samurai swords, and consults for a boutique furniture design factory. The “Beezerker” is technically brilliant, with almost everything besides the 1965 BSA A65 motor dreamed up and fabricated by Flechtner. The front forks are obviously unique and built out of a bent aluminum sheet as a solid girder, with a hydraulic shock hidden behind the headlamp cowl. The frame is totally handmade, with an elegant bowlike arc from the headstock to the rear axle, and what’s less obvious in photos is the seamless disappearance of the exhaust pipes into the actual frame tubes in a simple but breathtakingly elegant transition, from pipe to frame and chrome to paint.

The “Beezerker” has been featured in Bike EXIF and the AMD Championship.

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