Known in the custom bike world as Man and the Machines, Krzysztof Szews isn’t a full-time builder by any stretch of the imagination. His primary occupation has to do with automotive design, as he works for a major German automaker and has a rather fancy job title as Head of Exterior Geometry. However, motorcycling first caught the guy’s interest when he was just 16 years old.
Kris remembers that moment very clearly; he was standing at the traffic lights when a motocross bike rolled by with its front wheel high up in the air. Something clicked right there and then, igniting a passion which would remain with him for life and only grow stronger over time. That being said, it made perfect sense for him to experiment with motorcycling customization sooner or later.
His bike-modding ventures are few and far between, but Man and the Machines is all about quality rather than quantity. Every single project he’s worked on thus far has been an absolute charm, clearly showcasing his design know-how and outstanding attention to detail. We’ve already talked about Krzysztof’s collaboration with Philipp Ludwig, which resulted in a bonkers BMW R 1250 RS drag bike (aka Achilles) built for the Sultans of Sprint.
That was some seriously impressive stuff, for sure, but so was the first ever build revealed publicly in 2018. Whilst on holiday in the Canary Islands, Kris found himself recalling that first time he became interested in motorcycles at 16. The thought inspired him to fire up Photoshop and start playing around with various ideas, which quickly merged together into a coherent concept.
Upon returning home to Bavaria, he picked up a 2005 KTM 640 LC4 Supermoto, dragged it back to his garage, and had it stripped down to the essentials. Each and every bit of factory bodywork got ditched altogether, making way for an assortment of snazzy replacements from various sources. Kris got his hands on a Honda XL250R’s fuel tank and had its underside reshaped to fit the KTM.
Photo: Philipp Wulk
He needed to reposition the radiator, as well, but it all worked out rather nicely in the end. At the back, we find a custom-made subframe designed around the stock airbox, supporting a fiberglass seat pan that’s also been fabricated from scratch. A bespoke saddle with generous padding and black leather upholstery is placed up top, right in front of a laser-cut aluminum luggage rack.
A steel fender adorns the creature’s rearmost portion, too, carrying the license plate bracket and an LED taillight. On the other hand, there is a high-mounted aluminum mudguard at the front, but the nose fairing and side panels are the real stars of the show. To get them built, Kris started by 3D-scanning the 640 LC4 from top to bottom, then he created the parts digitally in CAD software.
The physical bits were ultimately 3D-printed using polyamide and secured in place by way of tailor-made mounting paraphernalia. An aftermarket LED headlight is recessed into the MX-style front fairing, while the motorcycle’s cockpit area houses an LC4 Adventure’s handlebar, round rear-view mirrors, and pale-yellow grips. Aside from the cross-braced handlebar, the same LC4 Adventure also donated its beefy skid plate to Krzysztof’s cause.
Photo: Philipp Wulk
As the LC4 Supermoto came with decent brakes and suspension in stock form, these were all kept in play along with the OEM wheels. The rims have been treated to a chunky pair of Continental TKC 80 knobbies for ample grip on and especially off the asphalt. Kris bought the bike with just 17,000 kilometers (about 10,500 miles) on the odo, so there was no need for a serious engine refurbishment here.
A quick service was enough to make the 625cc single-cylinder mill perform like a charm, and power is now sent to the rear wheel by means of a fresh drive chain and replacement sprockets. The original exhaust system has been deleted, making room for a heat-wrapped setup that runs a two-one-two layout. It ultimately terminates in a pair of Spark silencers on each side of the rear fender.
Custom radiator shrouds also make an appearance, complete with LED turn signals from Motogadget’s catalog. The rear-end blinkers are attached to the subframe tubing, hardly noticeable when turned off but more than bright enough once they’re fired up. Last but not least, Krzysztof Szews had to come up with a suitable livery for his rugged KTM scrambler.
He picked a Keswick Green hue from Land Rover’s palette as the base color, complementing it with a bit of white here and there. Yellow highlights are present in various places, too, and the KTM logos on the fuel tank were hand-drawn by the project’s author. Kris knocked this build straight out of the ballpark, which makes us wonder what he’d achieve if he went into motorcycle customization full-time. Perhaps there will come a day when we will find out.
A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing. Full profile
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