This bike mixes low key functional looks with ostentatious flair to create a truly head-turning piece of work that serves as a fantastic showcase for the hard work of the team at Untitled Motorcycles. Deep under the arches, behind the canal, within spitting distance of the markets and the MTV studios in Camden Town resides the home of Untitled Motorcycles, where Adam, Rex & Anita chop, grind, weld, rivet and wrestle old school bikes into retro-modern classic street rides. This bike was originally put together by the team for the Bike Shed event last May who have elevated this once humble R80/7 to a masterpiece on wheels. The gold leaf finish was done by Adam himself; taking inspiration from picture frames and Chinese art he laid the 23.5ct leaf over a red undercoat – a common technique to enhance the colour of leaf, in a few places the undercoat shows through evoking the effect of weathering on ancient Chinese statues. This bike is now Adam’s everyday ride and it’s fair to see now that he’s on a bike you simply can’t miss. This bike is a testament to the craft and quality of Untitled Motorcycles street customs, if you’re interested in riding one of your own then get in touch with them through their website. If this article has inspired you to try using gold leaf in your own projects then just remember this: this project was Adam’s first time gilding and he learned as he went along and as you can see for yourself the results are stunning. If you’ve got your own project that you’d like to add some flair to then we have a range of kits available on our website to help get you started!
A closeup of the gilded headlight. Photos by Damian McFadden
This bike has been rebuilt by the team at Untitled Motorcycles – it was just a standard R80/7 when they got a hold of it! Photos by Damian McFadden
The tank on this street custom has been gilded with genuine gold leaf. Photos by Damian McFadden
Untitled Motorcycles painstaking attention to detail extends even to minor things like this custom bracket for the stop light.