death machines of london: up yours copper motorcycle

death machines of london is a bespoke motorcycle workshop. albeit an ominous name, all of its builds are engineered to the highest standards and mechanical safety comes above everything. that said, it isn’t responsible for how you ride; or for how anyone else drives; or walks; or talks on their mobile while listening to music and crossing the road without looking. the safest thing to do is not to ride. but where’s the fun in that?

death machines of london is very clear that the bike wasn’t the easiest to build: newly finished tanks were dropped; drill bits snapped; lathes broken. but, no pain no gain, right? ‘up yours copper’s’ frame is finished in a deep coat of beluga black, it’s been de-lugged; weld cleaned; and extensively modified with an entirely new rear. engine work comprised of a gas flowed cylinder head and remapped fueling to suit the custom exhaust system. the fuel pump and injection system have been remodeled and uprated with the oil cooler being removed as a weight reduction measure. its velocity stacks, designed to assist the remapped fuelling program, feature a brushed outer and mirror polished interior surface with etched brass grills and DMOL logo inlays. the sprocket is protected by a sprocket cage, which also features solid brass grills and an engraved name plate. custom designed and copper coated injection caps together with powder coated engine covers and a copper plated cam cover complete the reconditioned ‘900’.

the bespoke exhaust system features ceramic coated pipes and a carbon fiber muffler terminating through the rear light cluster in a purpose-designed copper-plated nozzle. there is method in this madness: the ceramic pipes expel as much heat as possible before entering the muffler. the nozzle itself then features further heat-shielding and is designed so no parts touch the light cluster. at the point of ejection, sufficient heat has been discarded to be within the heat tolerance levels of the light units plastic housing. it took eleven light units to figure that out.

for the wheels, a front 100/90 x 19 inch was used on a 2.15 mild steel rim, with a 160/60 x 17 inch on a 3.5 mild steel harley davidson-style rim for the rear. both were electroplated in copper, then laced using black anodized spokes and. the front brakes were then stripped and modified with a custom fontana four leading shoe assembly. the front to the fontana brake assembly, and the rear of the original hub, along with the sprocket carrier and sprocket, were powder coated black. on the forks, the front lowers underwent remodeling with re-valved internals uprated with progressive springs. the rear shock absorbers are remodeled, 20 mm over stock, hagon units.

the sweeping bars, which were bent by hand using a custom form, are welded from underneath to a slotted top clamp ensuring they don’t go anywhere. the clamp continues down through the yoke into copper spacers which hold the light cowl assembly in place. on the bars, the right grip conceals an internal throttle assembly, while the left features finger-tip controls for the lighting and horn. both feature machined grips with in-house levers in brushed aluminum. the grips, as well as the foot pegs and copper washers, feature a signature single-spiral knurl pattern, which is then finished smooth. all the cables are also custom made.

for electrics, an in-house designed loom feeds to the main switch, which in this case is a 1940 supermarine spitfire ‘MK1 magneto’. the first magneto sets the bike live, while toggling the second engages the starter motor. the magneto switch is the only item on the entire machine that has been left in its original condition, simply because of the story they tell and to emphasize the astonishing mechanical and fabrication skills of the spitfire engineers. the battery is held in a custom case located between the foot pegs.

solid brass was precision-etched using photolithography, a process more often used in micro-fabrication than in bike building. the brushed aluminum light cowl houses a 7” military-specification LED headlamp, as well as the custom-made speedometer which is created using the aforementioned photolithographed brass. the fuel tank is fitted with an aero style filler which is covered with a brass plate engraved with the hunter s. thompson quote, ‘faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death’. the hand-stitched and tanned leather tank strap is made from the finest saddle hide and is completed with an in-house brushed aluminum strap clamp.

the seat is handcrafted from american walnut by ben heeney at ian dunn woodwork and design, it’s been meticulously constructed out of seventeen parts in order to maintain a consistent grain pattern within the highly complex compound curves of the riders form. it is, despite the appearance, exceptionally comfortable. as the aggressive stance of the machine carries the majority of the weight distribution through the pegs; tank; and bars, the seat itself is primarily there to aid balance. the wood is finished with several coats of danish oil. finally, the paintwork was kept as simple as possible to highlight the beauty of the materials used in the build. the engine is finished in satin and matt black, with a DMOL logo polished out of the fins. the tank carries a satin black finish with gloss hairline delineating it from the hand-brushed aluminum.