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Mongrel motorcycles. .

matty

Border raider.
Joined
Feb 8, 2022
Member Number
139
Posts
627
Location
England Scotish border
As a small child in the 1960s, i can remember the Mongrel bikes here in England, These were the specials as they were termed back then. the TRIBSAs The TRITONS, The NORVINS and so on and so forth. There were many varriants tri ducatis by example, and some were made up of parts of many diferent bike brands to get the required look or style / technical spec one wanted or needed.
The custom Scene as in choppers etc as the cafe racer bikes were cattered for by an aftermarket industry making parts for such bikes, and frames etc.
Now to the IMHO the True Mongrels, and not wanting to put a firm date on such bikes as i am sure they have been created since motorcycles first appeared. But i would say in my limited little world view it probably got or started to get more widespread around the late 60s early 70s and though not exactly mainstream as such its still going on today.
By Mongrel i mean a Bike made of a multitude of parts and components often from diferent manufacturers and of different time periods all asembled in to a unique functioning motorcycle that can and often is much loved and much used by its owner who is i would say fairly regularly its creator too.
It can be anything, it can be british frame jap engine or visa vera and lets say an old BSA A10 tank on a relatively stock KZ400 or XS650 with WP Dirt bike forks and a Suzuki front wheel and Yaqmaha rear wheel etc etc.
True mongrels. Do you or have you ever owned such a beast? Or Know of any such bikes you saw or know the owner? Or have you an interest in such bikes and want to share thoughts?.
We live in a modern clinically clean if you like affluent and some what aspirational world where for some only the most up to date technically cutting edge motorcycles are worth reconing, and thats fine but if like me you see the good in a Mongrel no matter how diverse a pedigree it dose not posses then share your pics input and words on this thread. Even your thought ideas on such creations you might be contemplating, all would be good to hear about.
 
One of my stalled projects is an old 250 Nighthawk, I've ditched the spoked 16/18 wheels for the 17x4 tubeless cast rear wheel from a late model 750 Nighthawk. Up front I've swapped on late model 750 Nighthawk 41mm forks, 300mm brake disc and twin piston caliper, rolling the 17x2.15 front wheel from a CBR600F1 Hurricane and Michellin Pilot Road tires 110/80 and 130/70. I've ditched the plastic bodywork and de-tabbed the rear of the frame and solidly mounted an old CB750K rear fender. I've bent up some .110" aluminum plate and trimmed it into sort of a tracker tail shape that I'll mount the small Harbor Freight Apache case to.
The whole frame, fender, swingarm, and lower triple were sprayed with 2 cans of stainless steel colored appliance epoxy.
I bolted it all together and threw a cover over it for the winter about 26 months ago. I still need to reassemble the engine, side covers, stator, starter clutch, oil pump and clutch are out for inspection and new gaskets and are waiting their turn for reassembly.
 

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Wow!! I had a cm200 with hiding cow golden boys. 2nd best snowbike ever to get to work on. Not sure why it worked so well. Tires and weight maybe. Oh I hated that bike. I put 1500 one way trips to work on that bike and sold for a $100 loss to someone in need. I would have never sold a night hawk 250!! And no ptwin fan. The cm200 with the new owner(275lbs) rode the crap out of interstates. I never even got on an interstate once ...but did 2 up the cm..nice over 55mph ..4 speed!
 
The cm200 would break 2nd loose. So I did have 100s of flat track crossed up exits out of the neighborhood. That was gold! Never bought a ptwin since.
 
Does this count?


mockup- 2-17-15.jpg


1419723587814.jpg

hydro clutch on.jpg

Started as a '78 CB750

Hurricane 1000 forks. Stock CB front hub machined to accept a Ducati rotor ( forget which one) and I think the caliper was from a Hayabusa?

Converted to mono shock with an older ZX6 swingarm, shock and linkage assembly. It was an air shock, so I thought it might prove useful for adjustable ride firmness depending on the mood. Rear hub was stock CB machined to hold a CBR600 F3 rear disc and rotor.

Aftermarket universal Harley XR seat. The whole "subframe" was scratch built. Dry sump engine, built an oil tank that lives under the seat. You can see the AN lines peeking out. I don't remember what I got the fuel tank from. Somehow I ended up with a hydraulic clutch setup from a Cannondale ( no clue what model) and I adapted it the stock CB clutch. That part was surprisingly easy. Flanged aluminum rims in 18/19. Universal tires.

No longer with me. She was a top heavy old girl. Was fun to build, it sat up good and the old school sport bike suspension was a good mix of holding the road good without being bone jarring stiff. Kinda wish I'd painted it up nice and kept, but oh well. Would love to know where the heck it is nowadays.
 
Last edited:
Does this count?


mockup- 2-17-15.jpg


1419723587814.jpg

hydro clutch on.jpg

Started as a '78 CB750

Hurricane 1000 forks. Stock CB front hub machined to accept a Ducati rotor ( forget which one) and I think the caliper was from a Hayabusa?

Converted to mono shock with an older ZX6 swingarm, shock and linkage assembly. It was an air shock, so I thought it might prove useful for adjustable ride firmness depending on the mood. Rear hub was stock CB machined to hold a CBR600 F3 rear disc and rotor.

Aftermarket universal Harley XR seat. The whole "subframe" was scratch built. Dry sump engine, built an oil tank that lives under the seat. You can see the AN lines peeking out. I don't remember what I got the fuel tank from. Somehow I ended up with a hydraulic clutch setup from a Cannondale ( no clue what model) and I adapted it the stock CB clutch. That part was surprisingly easy. Flanged aluminum rims in 18/19. Universal tires.

No longer with me. She was a top heavy old girl. Was fun to build, it sat up good and the old school sport bike suspension was a good mix of holding the road good without being bone jarring stiff. Kinda wish I'd painted it up nice and kept, but oh well. Would love to know where the heck it is nowadays.
Freakin nice!
 
My buddy has a KT 649 Enduro and after he blew the engine he stuffed a Ymaha engine in it but I don't know from what. He's a smart guy, aircraft mechanic and races vintage Ducatis.

It's still going now back to all KTM.
IMG_1614-XL.jpg
 
Awesome. Keep them coming, i happen to think the mongrel irons are a vastly overlooked motorcycle gendre.
They are born out of nessasary at times and yet planned other times, and all are unique and have a healthy quantity of the creator in their DNA and deserve moar consideration and deserve moar consideration in this world of glitzy showroom glamour models.
 
There are a couple of Japanese cruisers sitting in a driveway rotting not too far from me. One of these days I plan to stop if I see the owners and ask if I can take them away and maybe build something interesting.
 
ruisers are very much not my thing and never were, However i Purchased a kawasaki EN500 A3 local off fleabay, and de glitzed it sold the unwanted parts and ended up with a light fast good handling bobber that is suprisingly spitely given it has close to an GPZ500/ EX500 Power plant right down to the 34mm KK CVK carbs and 6 speed box. A bobber is the logical thing for a cruiser and relatively simple to create.
 
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