The Taiwanese custom scene impresses yet again, with a handsome Hartford VR150 flat tracker from one of the workshops that wowed at the country’s Speed and Crafts show. We also have a rare Honda EZ-Snow snowmobile, a Jawa 350 scrambler, and a vintage Indian Sport Scout flat tracker that’s being auctioned off at Mecum.
Hartford VR150 by SMF Custom With a fifth-place finish in the Freestyle class and first in the Modified Harley class, SMF Custom made quite an impression at Taiwan’s Speed and Crafts event. But as it turns out, they brought more than just their award-winning bikes to the show.
This Hartford VR150 was on display too, and it’s a real cutie. It started life as a dual-sport commuter, but the team at SMF had other ideas. They turned it into a classy, nimble flat tracker that looks perfect for rippin’ around.
The bike, denuded of its original plastic bodywork, was hurled into the SMF workshop for the full treatment. The aluminum tank is from WM in Japan, but it was modified to fit over the Hartford backbone with new mounts. The custom rear subframe was built to support the new leather seat and old-school British scrambler-style rear fender.
The factory hubs were laced to new 19F/18R rims and wrapped in Dunlop K180 flat track rubber. SMF leaned heavily into the flat track vibe, by deleting the front brake and fitting a set of fork guards. The rear caliper was upgraded to a twin-piston unit, which squeezes a slotted disc.
The front and side number boards were handmade, as was the beautiful exhaust that splits into two from the single exhaust port. The airbox was removed, with a pod filter and a larger Mikuni carb feeding a few extra equines through the little thumper. A set of tall flat track-style bars were bolted to the CNC-machined fork clamps, along with new controls.
We love the hand-painted lettering on the tank and side covers, and how the number board on the left doubles as a heat shield. All it needs is lights, a speedo, and a front brake, so that we can take it to the streets. [Source]
1992 Honda EZ-Snow Now here’s something you don’t see every day. The boys and girls at Iconic Motorbike Auctions have just listed an incredibly rare Honda EZ-Snow. And if you don’t know what an EZ-Snow is, you’re not alone…
The story of the EZ-Snow starts with the Honda Cub EZ-9 (known as the EZ90 in the USA). Released in the early 90s, the EZ-9 was a variant of the Honda Cub. Other than its radical styling, it offered a 90 cc engine and a measure of dirt capability.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots from the EZ-9 to the EZ-Snow. The latter traded the former’s wheels for a steerable front ski and a powder-flinging track out back. But how it came into being is the stuff of myths.
According to Iconic, the prevailing theories are that Honda never officially produced the EZ-Snow, that they only produced a kit for owners to fit themselves, or that they made a few hundred factory examples that were only sold in Japan. Regardless, one thing’s for sure—it is wild, and it is rare.
The current owner of this Honda EZ-Snow bought it a year ago from Japan, with the frame bearing the number ’50.’ It’s currently sitting in Belgium and could be yours for the tidy sum of $18,725. Just make sure a certain snowmobile-mad Bike EXIF staffer doesn’t bag it first (we’ve got our eye on you, Dean). [Source]
Jawa 350 by Thornton Hundred Jody Millhouse and his outfit, Thornton Hundred, are renowned for their wild modern Triumph customs. So this delightful scrambler is a little left-field for them. Swapping horsepower and EFI for classic lines and timeless style, the Thornton Hundred team built this custom 1981 Jawa 350 two-stroke, which looks like it came straight out of the 60s.
Starting life as a boxy, stock Jawa 350, all the bodywork was stripped and a billet steel subframe was grafted on. Billet steel shock mounts were added, to which new YSS shocks were bolted.
A longer swingarm was fitted and aluminum fenders were mounted up high at both ends. The front fender features a beautiful bracket that also holds the headlight in place, while a small taillight is bolted to the rear fender.
The Jawa hubs were laced to brand new Excel rims and shod with Michelin Tracker tires. While TH was at it, they rebuilt the front forks with upgraded internals.
The seat sits on a carbon fiber base to dramatically reduce the weight, and the side covers are also custom items. A reproduction chromed steel tank was fitted and the battery was relocated to a 3D-printed enclosure. The engine was torn down and rebuilt with new bearings, a fresh carb breathing through a K&N filter, and a new exhaust.
With a strong Greeves trials bike vibe to it, TH’s Jawa looks like perfectly proportioned fun. [Source]
1940 Indian Sport Scout flat track racer When we think of vintage flat trackers, the first bike that pops into our heads is usually the Indian Sport Scout. Long before the rise (and recent fall) of the bonkers Indian FTR, the rigid frame, compact engine, and overall proportions of Indians from the early 20th Century made for great flat track and board track racers.
There isn’t a lot of information available about this 1940-model Indian Sport Scout flat tracker, but we can see that it’s in beautifully used condition with plenty of patina.
The 45 ci V-twin engine is paired with a three-speed box with a hand shifter. The polished girder fork up front looks brand new and the Amal carb looks like it can suck plenty of air through the K&N air filter. The sprung seat and fender pillion pad don’t exactly look comfortable, but that’s racing, baby.
Adding to the Indian’s good looks, it’s also taken home a few trophies, with wins in the hand shift class at the Davenport races in Iowa in 1991 and 1992. With the recent closure of the Thunderdome Car Museum, where the Indian Sport Scout has lived for the past five years, the bike will be auctioned off through Mecum Auctions next month. With any luck, someone will buy it, fill the tank, and take it racing. [Source]
