Photo: Daniel Peter
Building this one-off marvel involved a ton of elbow grease, but it was most certainly worth it, given the cause.
When the late Nicky Hayden got inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018, the association’s museum commissioned two custom projects to commemorate the occasion. Both were given to Analog Motorcycles of Harrison, Tennessee, and the donors have been supplied directly by American Honda. One of them – a CBR1000RR – was to gain the Kentucky Kid’s Repsol livery from MotoGP.
Shop boss Tony Prust had free reign over the other build, though, so he chose to do things a little differently and pay tribute to Hayden’s early flat track racing days. Moreover, Analog’s mastermind would go on to add an AMA Superbike-inspired twist when deciding upon the color scheme, but we’ll get to that later.
After weighing his options, the bike Tony went with ended up being a brand-new 2018 model from Honda’s XR650L range. Analog got rid of its factory bodywork, tweaked the subframe, and undertook the painstaking task of fabricating a complete aluminum outfit from scratch. The fuel tank was the first item to be built, followed by an angular tail section with sizeable number plates on the flanks.
At the back, the tail is equipped with a flush-mounted Denali taillight and LED turn signals, while the foam seat found up top comes courtesy of Dane Utech. Glancing northward, we find a high-mounted front fender and a flat fairing styled as a flat track racing number board.
The latter features discreetly-mounted projector headlights, once again supplied by Denali, as well as blinkers identical to those found out back. In the cockpit, Analog installed a digital Motogadget speedometer and an all-new Magura handlebar, which flaunts premium master cylinders, Oury grips, and underslung mirrors.
As far as the XR650L’s electrical upgrades are concerned, the guys fitted an EarthX lithium-ion battery, Motogadget’s acclaimed m-Unit control module, and fresh wiring all-round. Their customization work was no less extensive when it came to the running gear, and the bike’s suspension is now made up of a high-grade Hyperpro monoshock and the repurposed forks of a KTM 690 Enduro.
Unsprung territory is home to a pair of Sun rims measuring 19 inches in diameter at both ends, along with Buchanan spokes and Dunlop DT3 tires. Moving on to the powertrain department, we’re greeted by a Keihin FCR41 carburetor that breathes through K&N air filtration hardware. There’s a ceramic-coated exhaust system at the other end of the combustion cycle, terminating in a Cone Engineering muffler.
Finishing off the performance mods with a hydraulic clutch from Magura, Analog’s artisans turned their attention to the paintwork. The creature’s color scheme draws inspiration from Nicky Hayden’s 2002 AMA Superbike-winning RC51, and it was seamlessly executed by regular collaborator Artistimo. Needless to say, the end result looks genuinely breathtaking from every angle.
Shop boss Tony Prust had free reign over the other build, though, so he chose to do things a little differently and pay tribute to Hayden’s early flat track racing days. Moreover, Analog’s mastermind would go on to add an AMA Superbike-inspired twist when deciding upon the color scheme, but we’ll get to that later.
After weighing his options, the bike Tony went with ended up being a brand-new 2018 model from Honda’s XR650L range. Analog got rid of its factory bodywork, tweaked the subframe, and undertook the painstaking task of fabricating a complete aluminum outfit from scratch. The fuel tank was the first item to be built, followed by an angular tail section with sizeable number plates on the flanks.
At the back, the tail is equipped with a flush-mounted Denali taillight and LED turn signals, while the foam seat found up top comes courtesy of Dane Utech. Glancing northward, we find a high-mounted front fender and a flat fairing styled as a flat track racing number board.
The latter features discreetly-mounted projector headlights, once again supplied by Denali, as well as blinkers identical to those found out back. In the cockpit, Analog installed a digital Motogadget speedometer and an all-new Magura handlebar, which flaunts premium master cylinders, Oury grips, and underslung mirrors.
As far as the XR650L’s electrical upgrades are concerned, the guys fitted an EarthX lithium-ion battery, Motogadget’s acclaimed m-Unit control module, and fresh wiring all-round. Their customization work was no less extensive when it came to the running gear, and the bike’s suspension is now made up of a high-grade Hyperpro monoshock and the repurposed forks of a KTM 690 Enduro.
Unsprung territory is home to a pair of Sun rims measuring 19 inches in diameter at both ends, along with Buchanan spokes and Dunlop DT3 tires. Moving on to the powertrain department, we’re greeted by a Keihin FCR41 carburetor that breathes through K&N air filtration hardware. There’s a ceramic-coated exhaust system at the other end of the combustion cycle, terminating in a Cone Engineering muffler.
Finishing off the performance mods with a hydraulic clutch from Magura, Analog’s artisans turned their attention to the paintwork. The creature’s color scheme draws inspiration from Nicky Hayden’s 2002 AMA Superbike-winning RC51, and it was seamlessly executed by regular collaborator Artistimo. Needless to say, the end result looks genuinely breathtaking from every angle.
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