letsgofishing
Grey Hound
Taken from MCN...
German firm LSL are becoming famous for creating achingly-cool retro custom bikes, but for owner Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler they’re merely a hobby – his real business is manufacturing accessories.
When MCN visited LSL, we expected to find a small custom shop, but instead were welcomed into a 900 square meter, solar-powered factory turning out everything from handlebars to rearsets.
So how did the Triumph Thruxton and Kawasaki W800 specials you see here come about? Schmitz-Linkweiler explains: “They come from my personal history. I started with a BSA B25 when I was 18 and this bike was the first I changed the handlebars on. I still use the same type of bar now on my own Yamaha TRX850 – it’s very narrow and bent a little bit, like a clip-on. It’s a perfect compromise between comfort and sporty.
“I started with classic motorcycles. I love the minimal and classic nature of a motorcycle. There’s nothing there that’s not necessary, it’s just the fuel tank, seat, bars, wheels and engine. We carry this idea into a lot of the bikes we build now, we just concentrate on only what is necessary.”
Schmitz-Linkweiler has no plans to put any of these retro specials into production, he just enjoys building them for his own pleasure and they’re a handy rolling showcase for what LSL can do. But there again, he’s already built a few copies for German customers, so where’s there’s a will…
You could build any of the bikes here using parts from the LSL catalogue, or UK importer Moto Evolution can put you in touch with a specialist like Triumph dealers Jack Lilley, who have a history in producing tasty specials using the German company’s parts.
There's a nice little video, but I can't embed it :-\, so here's the link:
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/videos/2012/January/jan1112-video-lsl-customs-riding-europes-finest-retro-bikes/?https://www.motorcyclenews.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=emailnl&utm_campaign=MCNMCN%20Newsletter%20January%2017%202012%20(1)
German firm LSL are becoming famous for creating achingly-cool retro custom bikes, but for owner Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler they’re merely a hobby – his real business is manufacturing accessories.
When MCN visited LSL, we expected to find a small custom shop, but instead were welcomed into a 900 square meter, solar-powered factory turning out everything from handlebars to rearsets.
So how did the Triumph Thruxton and Kawasaki W800 specials you see here come about? Schmitz-Linkweiler explains: “They come from my personal history. I started with a BSA B25 when I was 18 and this bike was the first I changed the handlebars on. I still use the same type of bar now on my own Yamaha TRX850 – it’s very narrow and bent a little bit, like a clip-on. It’s a perfect compromise between comfort and sporty.
“I started with classic motorcycles. I love the minimal and classic nature of a motorcycle. There’s nothing there that’s not necessary, it’s just the fuel tank, seat, bars, wheels and engine. We carry this idea into a lot of the bikes we build now, we just concentrate on only what is necessary.”
Schmitz-Linkweiler has no plans to put any of these retro specials into production, he just enjoys building them for his own pleasure and they’re a handy rolling showcase for what LSL can do. But there again, he’s already built a few copies for German customers, so where’s there’s a will…
You could build any of the bikes here using parts from the LSL catalogue, or UK importer Moto Evolution can put you in touch with a specialist like Triumph dealers Jack Lilley, who have a history in producing tasty specials using the German company’s parts.
There's a nice little video, but I can't embed it :-\, so here's the link:
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/videos/2012/January/jan1112-video-lsl-customs-riding-europes-finest-retro-bikes/?https://www.motorcyclenews.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=emailnl&utm_campaign=MCNMCN%20Newsletter%20January%2017%202012%20(1)
