The Art Of Zen Motorcycle Building

“Is This A Bike I See Before Me?”

Damn right it is and by Jove there’s two of ‘em! Emerging like a moto mirage from the workbench, rising above piles of stock parts and oily rags, our custom Flat Tracker and Adv Scrambler are looking a lot like, well, a custom Flat Tracker and an Adv Scrambler. Let’s have a look inside the workshop and see what’s been happening at the Kommunal Kustom Build:

Always thinking, always tinkering, Lenny made a neat little custom bracket for the Flat Tracker tail light and license plate to keep the rear end essentials compact and tidy. Hamish is just about managing to fight the urge to impersonate Spiderman with the upholstery spray glue (if you know, you know- that stuff is a lot of fun). Leah fabricated headers that fit like a glove ready for the rest of the custom exhaust system. When the engine goes back in the frame the team will be able to see exactly where their pipes needs to hug the right side contours of the bike. This design choice is another tribute to the classic trackers that whip around the circuit counter-clockwise, meaning pipes are set high on the right side to avoid grazing the dirt. Matt’s Dad came over from the UK but the family reunion played second fiddle to our build night (naturally) and it was straight to Kommune for the full workshop walk-thru before being put to work with a Panhead tinnie in one hand and a spanner in the other! While waiting patiently for wheels to be re-spoked offsite, a few of the Flat Tracker Team masked up and got busy in the painting bay with a no nonsense gloss black to compliment the sky blue pin-striping on their tank and seat cowl. What’s that old saying? How does a mouse eat an elephant? Piece by piece, with patience and diligence!   

Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Building   

Speaking of patience and diligence, at this stage the builds really are about working methodically and strategically, recognising the value of incremental achievements, keeping hopes high and expectations in check while maintaining momentum. Steph was back and forth lining up, levelling, measuring, marking and notching pipes for the Scrambler subframe while Lee threw sparks to the ceiling grinding down old welds so Steph could weld her pipes accurately. Amelia and Tony deciphered bags of engine bolts and drew up a legend to show where each one lives in their newly reconditioned top end, while Paul showed the team how to re-hone the bore so it could all be reassembled. All in all, a symbiotic symphony of moto DIY playing out under the tin roof, cloaked in the potent aroma of paint fumes and Ross’s sausage sizzle! 

Did You Know?

Oskar is an intrepid off-road adventurer. He might look clean and coiffured on a Thursday night but this chap spends most of his free time caked in mud, exploring the far reaches of Oz with Maschine Adv Bike Tours. Check this stunning video of their Great Divide Ride and keep an eye out for Oskar on his KTM.

Amelia drives an absolute beaut of a ’65 Daimler Lancaster whose warm rumble sent our team swooning into romantic mid-century day dreams.

Paul built his first tattoo machine from scratch when he was 15 years old. 

Steph not only wrenches on bikes, she’s a dab hand on the industrial sewing machine and knows pretty much all you need to know about traditional woodworking and joinery techniques. 

The point is, the Kommune crew are as interesting as they are practical, so if future society collapses and we’re looking for people to pilot the Kommune land ark, the list is going to look a lot like our build teams! 

The Kommunal Kustom Build is part of our Kommune Konnections program funded by the DGR and Movember. If you’re keen to learn more, check this page and if you’re keen to get greasy, join us on a Thursday night from 6pm. Thank you to Nina as well for capturing our handsome crew!

Written by Tom Ansell