We love rat rod motorcycles. Motorcycles look naturally tough. Now strip one down to bare metal with straight pipes, and you have a monster! We especially love to see a powerful, modern motorcycle transformed into a menacing hotrod machine of yesteryear.
This Victory Gunner based rat rod has all the raw appeal of a classic American bobber. At the same time, it's been built for optimal sportbike performance. How did a custom motorcycle builder get his hands on a brand new Victory Gunner? When he's not building mean street machines, Rudy Banny is actually the founder of Tattoo Projects - an ad agency that handles Victory Motorcycles, among other clients.
Equal parts speed, heritage, and attitude; this Victory Gunner is the sickest rat rod motorcycle we've ever seen.
Hotrod Heritage
We love Victory motorcycles: read about why the Magnum was discontinued. We believe the toughest-looking motorcycles have had everything nonessential stripped away. Banny agrees. He recalls that when he got a swing at a Victory Motorcycle, "I took it upon myself to take all of that awesome, bad-ass modern American muscle, and package it up in an old-school bobber-cafe." Read his story on BikeExif.
American bobbers got their name from "bobbed" or shortened fenders and seats. (See our 5 favorite Bobbers). Banny knew he wanted to pay tribute to this timeless look. He took the futuristic Gunner fenders off and downsized the big headlight. Then he modified the bike with a short cafe-style seat by Nitroheads. The folks at Tattoo were able to chop off a bunch of the rear subframe. Then they built aluminum gussets to both support the seat and hide the simplified electronics.
The result of losing the rear frame is a stretched, aggressive-looking swingarm, even though the drivetrain's rear end has been left stock.
Banny knew Victory's spoked wheels had the timeless look he wanted. But up front, he upgraded to a 3.5x16 rim featuring stainless spokes and a two-disc brake. For a vintage look, he wrapped these rims in Firestone Deluxe Champion tires. These fat, zigzag tread tires alone will make any modern bike look like a gnarly classic. Add these to the tracker handlebars, and the custom Gunner calls out to the Harley flat-track racers, popularized decades ago.
Bad Attitude
We believe a bare metal tank and taped exhaust pipes improve the looks of any bike. This Victory Gunner is no exception. Banny says that he "deliberately took a very modern American motorcycle and distressed the hell out of it."
The stock Gunner wears a very wide fuel tank. Victory designed the tank to match the stock seat's curve, giving it a futuristic look. Gunner knew he would need a custom fuel tank for his rat rod motorcycle. Unfortunately, the Victory motorcycle features a split, wishbone-style frame backbone; aftermarket tanks are very difficult to install.
The Tattoo Team shaped the top of the tank you see. They then hired Elite Metal to cut the bottom off the old tank and merge the two. He topped the new tank in a Monza filler cap. We think this ratty bare metal look was worth the trouble.
Speed Demon
The stock Gunner motorcycle creates 97 horsepower. The Tattoo team added a Lloydz Torque Tube intake and custom exhaust headers to increase the power. The motorcycle is also breathing through simplistic, K&N style filters. They also upgraded to an adjustable timing gear and an aftermarket fuel control unit.
The rat rod motorcycle has a long history in the cafe racer scene, with Japanese "brat style" racers evolving into more modern street fighters. Victory's modern style nods at the aggressive motorcycles built across the Pacific. Banny, too would add some of these sportbike elements to his build. Learn about the bike Ducati named the Streetfighter.
The tattoo team finished the Gunner with custom triple trees holding Suzuki GSX-R forks beneath Biltwell Tracker handlebars. A pair of front headlights are a clear, streetfighter call-out. More modern, Arlen Ness teardrop mirrors look almost like they came from the Victory factory. With no room remaining for a driver's console, Gunner chose a MotoScope Mini LED speedometer to clip to the bars.
The team tucked most of the electronics under the cafe seat, but the little Ballistic battery and a few electronic components needed a home. In true rat rod style, Tattoo hired leather specialist Colsen Keane to handmake a pouch to hold the battery. The resulting motorcycle is one hundred pounds lighter than stock.
The finishing touch was a black "Tattoo Moto" logo, featuring a single-piston, on the side of the bare metal tank. The overall effect is perfect.
Conclusion
It's great to see any custom motorcycle getting attention, we're big fans of shops custom such as Keanu Reeve's Arch Motorcycles. This custom might look more vintage with an older frame, or classic engine with round jugs. But that would defeat the entire purpose of a rat rod. A rat rod motorcycle is about stripping down the bike you have, roughing it up, and riding it hard. What is more, this hundred-horsepower Victory Gunner has the American muscle to back up its bruiser looks. Because of its call-outs to classic V-twin bobbers and more modern streetfighters, Tattoo Projects' Victory Gunner is the sickest rat rod motorcycle we've ever seen.
Sources: BikeExif