Malarking about
Best known for upgraded ’60s and ’70s Brits, Metal Malarkey Engineering are into all things custom, including an electric project
Metal Malarky re-engineering motorcycles in Shropshire.
REGARDLESS OF STYLE, customs fall roughly into two categories: re-purposed classics and aesthetically improved moderns. But Malcolm Shepherdson and his talented team at Metal Malarkey Engineering manage to offer both, often simultaneously. Arguably they are best known for their ‘21st Century Classics’ – essentially ’60s and ’70s British metal with thoroughly upgraded chassis and engines whose original looks belie their performance. Typically their engines involve 270˚ cranks, appropriate cams and lightened internals to minimise bad vibes and such subtle transformations can also be made to later Hinckley Bonnies including the beauty shown here. Malcolm honed his, very welldeveloped, frame-building skills working for Metisse licensee Pat French until he set-up his own shop in the lovely little Welsh border town of Bishop’s Castle back in 1998. And, in fact, his third project based on a French frame kit was being adapted around a splayed-headed Bonnie engine when I last visited. However, rather more modern machinery was represented by a beautiful, performance-is-all Ducati 900SS and extraordinarily a halfcompleted digger-style Benelli. Thanks to thin-walled T45 chrome-manganese tubing, GIA alloy swingarm and Dymag wheels, the Duke weighs a paltry 150kg wet, and the engine has been considerably hotted up by client, Mike Elson, using 966cc hi-comp pistons, hi-lift cams and valve gear, 41mm Keihin flatslides and a whole lot more. Beautifully finished touches include the pocketed-out yokes which conspire to give a quick-steering 24.5˚ rake and the tank adapted to house a Moto Gadget clock and sculpted to allow a decent lock from the clip-on ’bars. The forks themselves are OEM but re-valved by Maxton who also supplied the rear shock. The Panigale fairing was adapted to take projector headlamps and a 900 SL furnished the substantially modded seat unit. The digger-style bike – a first for try-anything-once Malcolm & Co – has quite a way further to go for client Colin Darlow. An engineer by trade himself, Darlow happened across a 500 Quattro engine at Benelli specialist Selwyn Motorcycles in Suffolk which he felt would make a change from the usual UJM motors (even though it’s a straight rip of Honda’s CB500F), which now sits in a marvelously fashioned ladder frame. A set of Malarkey’s signature girder forks – they supply ’em all over the world and are set to
‘Typically engines involve 270 cranks and lightened internals’
achieve German TUV approval – are heavily raked, but cunning steering head geometry ensures that the trail is still around the 100mm optimum. Spring-less Bullit gas shocks suspend a re-worked Ducati swingarm but almost everything else is or is being made by Malarkey and in particular master metalworker Phil James has fashioned a wonderful alloy tank, matching side panels and seat unit. He’s also adapted the fat Zodiac rear fender to embrace the 17in Takasago wheel and 150/70-70 Avon Roadrider tyre. Phil also does most of the electrics which on bare bones bikes such as the Benelli require considerable ingenuity to conceal and yet remain accessible, ditto scrapping the four original airfilters and channelling the intakes into a custom made airbox which sucks through a single large K & N filter. To get the best results, Malarkey tend to outsource their engine work to people who specialise in whatever motor is elemental to their builds, and the same philosophy applies to paint and upholstery. That said, I was fascinated by a sneaky look at the 3D computer development work they’re doing on a faux V-twin engine enclosure for the lithium batteries and motor of their first all-electric custom, built around the nascent Ev-twin concept announced last year. For more info go to malarkeyengineering.co.uk