The Germans have their own way of doing things. They revel in mechanical perfection and are willing to go to great lengths to achieve it. Case in point: Hal Wing's outstanding MMS Road Star.
The bike has a look and flow that's as seamless as a bolt of silk. It's not just the look of the bike that makes it so special, it's the execution, technology and subtle detail work that make this custom a Teutonic tour de force.
But let's start at the beginning, shall we? Mr. Wing, who's been riding since 1956, is a well-heeled, self-made man who knows what he wants, and is willing to go to great lengths to get it. One day he walked into the showroom of his local Porsche dealership with the idea of picking up a little something or other to play with. Sitting on the floor was Porsche salesman Bryan Samuels' highly customized Intruder VS1400. The bike had been built by MMS Cycles of Ingolstadt, Germany, a serious player in the European custom market. Wing took an immediate shine to the Intruder, which wasn't for sale, though Samuels did let Wing take it for a ride and enter it in a local custom show. One thing led to another, as they often do in these situations, and Wing decided that what he'd really like to augment his collection of vintage and modern motorcycles, and high-performance automobiles, was his own MMS custom.
Naturally, the first step was acquiring a bike. A lightly scuffed, low-mileage 2001 Yamaha Road Star was soon obtained through the Net. Since the bike was destined to become a radical custom, the fact that it had been surfed down the road was immaterial.
As anyone who's ever commissioned any sort of construction project can tell you, be it remodeling a kitchen, or building a custom motorcycle, honest communication between the contractor and client is the only way to make sure everyone stays on the same page. Although Toni Parak, builder/visionary and owner of MMS Cycles, speaks little or no English (which explains why his shop is not as well known in the United States, as it should be), Wing speaks fluent German. Since Wing has financial interests in Germany, he decided to mix business with pleasure and have a face-to-face meeting with Parak to discuss what he had in mind.
Wing had a definite vision of what he wanted built. Being a direct man, he explained it to Parak in some detail. As Parak had his own vision, he listened patiently, smiled politely and replied, "Trust me." Wing decided to do just that, with the condition that he would pick the bike's paint scheme. Shortly thereafter, the bike was crated and shipped across the pond.
Parak began the project by laying down a few basic parameters. Above all, the bike had to work, both visually and as a motorcycle. Lots of guys can build outstanding eye candy, but often these bits of rolling sculpture work less well as motorcycles. Since Wing rides, and rides hard, Parak knew that any cracks in the bike's character would come to the fore as soon as the clutch was let out. By the way, if you think this is just a bit of smoke meant to puff Wing's ego, you should know that Wing, an avid off-road racer, has offered a $1000 bounty to anyone who can best him and his KTM over his favorite stretch of Utah desert. Since the big Yama-twin has plenty of poke in stock configuration, the engine was left more or less original. The more part being a light touch-up of the heads, a Rebuffini air cleaner and a sweet-looking hand-formed stainless steel exhaust system with SuperTrapp inserts. To accommodate the increased airflow, some judicious rejetting of the stock carburetor was also performed. The less part of the equation applied to the rest of the engine and transmission components, which were left bone stock.
The aptly named "snake" light,...
The aptly named "snake" light, an MMS original, gives the front end a distinctly reptilian, if not downright evil appearance. While I'm not what you'd call a snake fancier, I have to admit that this one doesn't look bad at all.
The stock Yamaha frame also remains, though where Yamaha started and Parak finished is impossible to discern. The swingarm was built by MMS, as was the rear shock, which is air-adjustable on the fly by means of a small, hidden compressor. A button on the right side of the handlebar increases air pressure, while one on the left decreases it. This allows Wing to increase ground clearance when he feels frisky, and soften the ride when he's on cruise control.
Rather than simply replace the front fork with something from a catalog, Parak decided to massage the stock forks into something more to his liking. The end result speaks for itself. The fork legs are clamped by MMS' billet trees, which, along with the frame modifications, give the bike a 36-degree rake.
To further enhance the clean look of the front end, V-Team-SuperBike bars are mounted to a Mono-Riser and feature billet grips. All of the pieces carry the MMS label. Check out that spooky looking headlight, another MMS piece. Formed from stainless steel, it resembles the look of a hooded cobra, doesn't it? Appropriately, Parak calls it the "snake" light.
The polished 17-inch x 4-inch front wheel is a Fischer/MMS mated to the stock, though much modified, Yamaha hub, which carries a 130/60-17 Metzeler Marathon. The front brake consists of an eight-piston Spiegler caliper squeezing an 11.5-inch Braking rotor. That's the kind of front brake that can stop the bike on a dime and return $0.08 change.
The 18-inch x 10-inch rear wheel is also a Fischer/MMS mounted to a modified stock hub. It's held off the pavement by a 250/40 X18 Avon Venom.
Cleaning up the rear end of any custom is always a problem. No matter what, you need some sort of drive system and rear brake, with all of their attendant parts and plumbing. Lots of guys hang the brake on one side, the final drive on the other. Parak wanted a cleaner look, so he mounted a Rick's One Side Brake System with an RST rear caliper and Braking rotor behind the rear drive pulley. I think we can all agree that the resulting look was worth the effort.
Once the running gear was finished, Parak focused his attention on the bodywork. The fenders were hand-formed from steel, the oil tank out of alloy billet. The fuel tank was built in-house from hand-laid fiberglass.
As with any top-shelf custom, it's the detail items that make the difference between best of show and first loser. Check out the Nosh Night turn signals mounted in the handlebar ends; a nice touch, as it keeps the signals from cluttering up the front end. Because both sides of the signals carry a lens, there is no need for any rear turn signals. They remind me of my old '66 BMW R69S, but that's another story. Of them all, my favorite detail item has to be the combination digital speedometer/clock adapted from mountain-bike parts, and the idiot lights mounted in the MMS air-cleaner enclosure--very cool.