Source: Bike Bound
[[{“value”:”A 125cc Desert Sled from BCKustoms, perfect for the Spanish desert…
The quintessential desert sled is a post-war British twin stripped to the barest essentials with a high exhaust, skid plate, metal fenders, fat Bates saddle, and oversize air filter, built to tackle the deserts of Southern California and the Baja Peninsula. These were the machines made famous in Bruce Brown’s On Any Sunday, as riders took off in epic 500-bike starts racing toward distant tire fires burning over the horizon.
What is a Desert Sled? A History and Definition
Lighter motocross-based rally bikes long ago replaced these British heavyweights, though the rise of “Hooligan Enduro” classes has brought back something of the “run-what-ya-brung” mentality, featuring +750cc production-based twins like the Harley Sportster, Ducati Scrambler, Triumph Scrambler, and other “inappropriate” desert racers. We even helped sponsored the Good Times Racing “Bajarley” at the Mint 400.
Harley vs The Desert: Sportsters at the Mint 400!
You might think light weight or big power is needed to tackle the desert, but Greg Gilson (@greggils42) of Small CC Savage has been showing folks what a 125cc bike can do in the right hands. He’s ridden all across Morocco on air-cooled small-displacement bikes, raced his 125cc Honda in motocross and enduro, and even organized the Black Yack 24 Hours — a 24-hour off-road event restricted to 125cc four-strokes.
These small-bike antics, along with a solid handful of his own 125cc client builds, inspired our friend Yann of BCKustoms to build a Suzuki GN125 desert sled:
“I am still convinced: the pleasure of riding is not limited to the size of the engine.”
Amen to that! The build would take inspiration from the best-known desert sled of all time, Steve McQueen’s ’63 Triumph built by racer / tuner / stuntman Bud Ekins, along with one of the first Hooligan Enduro bikes, Biltwell’s “Frijole 883” Sportster built to race the NORRA Mexican 1000 — a bike Yann got to see in person at the 2019 Wheels & Waves Festival.
“Making a fun caricature of these famous projects with the minimum required to make a real desert sled, this was the guideline of this project…which also had to be done quickly and without ruining the budget of the workshop.”
Biltwell “Frijole 883”
Yann decided to keep the original tank, which is large enough for a range of 200+ kilometers of off-road riding, but modified it to allow for a homemade seat inspired by the Bates model on McQueen’s ’63 Triumph and upholstered by NC Design Workshop.
The bike is now running 18-inch spoke wheels with Heidenau K41 rubber, longer rear shocks with relocated mounts, a braced and rebuilt subframe, a high-line custom exhaust, an oversize air filter, a bespoke rear rack, tool-less side covers for fast access to the relocated electronics, chrome tracker bars, and various other accessories meant to echo the ‘sleds of yore.
Of course, such a mini desert sled needs a good nickname, and Yann didn’t have to look far for inspiration.
“There is a common point between a day of off-road motorcycle and the ingestion of a small red pepper: Both hurt your ass the next day!
Thus he christened this GN125 desert sled “El Jalapeño” — a tribute to Biltwell’s Frijole 883 Sportster that “farted on the Baja 1000 whoops in 2018” and to the sore bum that results from a day in the saddle of any real desert sled.
Yann says “El Jalapeño” was great fun (and more than capable) during his extensive test ride on the mixed sand, gravel, and stone trails of Andalusia, and the sore bum is all part of the fun:
“I imagine the comfort of this little beast is relative to that of its illustrious ancestors. The pleasure of riding is mixed with the sacrifice of the rider in terms of the primitive suspension and only the most basic equipment. But, in the end, isn’t that the essence of motorcycling fun, the essential and just that?”
Well said, Yann! Below is our full interview complete with a few more details about the build.
Suzuki GN125 Scrambler / Sled: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
It’s now already 14 years that motorcycles have come back to life in my BCKustoms workshop.
Of the (over) 60 projects already completed, the 125cc bikes have always been a good share. For as long as I can remember and my first TZR, I have always liked to modify these “little cubes” to make them look like their big sisters.
There is also this permanent demand for small machines that are light, easy to maintain, and economical in both consumption and insurance. The challenge now is to keep almost all of their regulatory equipment to satisfy the technical inspection; this government scam without foundation that was set up a few weeks ago for political and economic reasons.
In recent times too, vintage inspiration has grown in the workshop and the Bruce Brown and Steve McQueen effects are visible. Besides a restomod on a DTR and restored old 125 from the 50s, I prepared a DR in Husky MX400 style and a 125 XL in Elsinore trim. I also did some GN125 scramblers keeping the original 18/16 wheels for technical inspection. I then wondered how far such a GN project could go by removing all constraints except street legal.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
The choice of the donor bike was therefore made on a Suzuki GN125. On the one hand because I already had many parts available but also because I had already carried out two projects of the same type on this simple and reliable machine — a bike with low consideration on the sales sites, so at very affordable prices. Here, the notion of a basket case made sense since the bike was dismantled and abandoned for years on a shelf. Luckily, it was almost complete.
• Why was this bike built?
I am still convinced: the pleasure of riding is not limited to the size of the engine.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Greg Gilson (@greggils42), this guy who does wonders with 125 XR/XLS bikes off-road in the dunes of Morocco. His credo via the brand Small CC Savage and his creation of 24 hours event called Black Yack (reserved for 125cc 4-strokes) is to demonstrate what a 125 can do.
In addition, after having test-ridden the first miles on all the 125’s that left the workshop, I got a real taste for them. I was amused by the angry hum of these small engines, their 5-speed gearbox, their agility, and their sufficient top speed. With my 18 kilos lost since last year, I also thought the 13 horses would be more to their advantage to take me to the Spanish trails — the destination of my next promotional rides.
Making a fun caricature of famous projects with the minimum required to make a real desert sled, this was the guideline of this project…which also had to be done quickly and without ruining the budget of the workshop.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
When you look at all the most beautiful desert sleds that have run the historical desert races between California and Mexico, there is undeniably a machine that stands out. This 1963 gem has resurfaced in recent years to change hands via sales at Bonhams and elsewhere. Prepared by Bud Ekins and painted by Kenny “Von Dutch” Howard, Steve McQueen’s machine realizes for me, and for many I think, the reference for this kind of motorcycle. It is therefore naturally that she was a large part of my inspiration.
And then there was this crucial moment in the choice of colors. The plain green was certainly classy but clearly lacked fun.
With this project a little too small for me, it was also not a question of taking myself too seriously — a bit like this big Mexican white bean that farted on the Baja 1000 whoops in 2018. Tribute then to another achievement, the project Frijole 883 of Biltwell based on a Sportster in the colors of the Mexican flag, seen and detailed in 2019 in Biarritz during Wheels and Waves.
The inspiration: Biltwell “Frijole 883”
• What custom work was done to the bike?
There has not been much fantastic work on this machine. It is more or less a completely original GN125 with great attention paid to the line and proportions.
The position of the tank was changed to have the overall shape more in line with the project and also put it in the ideal position to accommodate a homemade saddle inspired by the Bates seat of the ‘63 machine.
In addition to the original tank, the two wheels were swapped to 18 inches using the original front and rear rims from a Yamaha DR. The exhaust is a big signature of this desert sled era, with a typical design that generally differentiates it from the “far left” of the English scramblers. A dB killer even found its place.
The passage of the stainless steel snake of exhaust brought the reorganization of the electrical elements since, on the other side, a huge air filter was installed to echo the one enthroned on the machine prepared by Bud Ekins. Since I was going more for a racing look, the side covers lost their original fasteners for a pivot system with tool-less opening. All the elements of the original frame such as the passenger footrests and the stands, central and lateral, have been removed and the rear loop simplified and closed to stiffen it.
With the rear of the bike going up, thanks to the larger rear wheel and K41 Heidenau tire in anticipation of off-road use, longer shock absorbers were a given. This necessitated, obviously, a modification of the frame to allow the passage of the lower strand of the chain without rubbing.
The next step was to mount a chrome handlebar, a small counter with the same finish, and hide the rest of the approved equipment with smaller and black elements.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
Reflecting on this point, there is a common point between a day of off-road motorcycle and the ingestion of a small red pepper: Both hurt your ass the next day!
I had already imagined the nickname “El Jalapeño” for another baja racer project. However, talking about a little red pepper was more suitable for a small motorcycle so the project found this nickname naturally.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
A big slap in the face!
I knew a 125 was enough to ride the trails after my previous tests. And there, besides the tour around the block in shakedown mode, the real miles were going to be done in real conditions, far from home base and on real tracks mixing stone, sand, and gravel.
I had some props for the photos like my ole Biltwell Bonanza helmet repainted with Ricky Johnson colors, my Mojave jacket from Iron and Resin, as well as the Del Sol blanket, perfect to fill my luggage rack.
Gaz!
The sound, position and overall behavior of the machine are just perfect. Even if the handlebars fall a little too low in a standing position, the whole day of riding was a great moment. The autonomy of the original tank will have made it possible to complete more than 200 km despite the large filter and almost open exhaust.
I imagine the comfort of the beast is relative to that of its illustrious ancestors. The pleasure of riding is mixed with the sacrifice of the rider in terms of the primitive suspension and only the most basic equipment. But, in the end, isn’t that the essence of motorcycle fun, the essential and just that?
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
Apart from the general line that really sticks to the standards of the blessed time of the Desert Sleds, I found the project so simple that I applied myself to add some details of my manufacture such as the bespoke luggage rack and the fork brace, typical of these machines. The bonus was NC Design Workshop‘s manufacture of not only the saddle cover, but the headlight cover that keeps all the street legal equipment while adding a vintage and undeniable racing touch.
A desert sled project would never have been complete without a real engine skidplate worthy of the name. Since this element does not exist for a custom motorcycle at the base, a perforated, bent and welded aluminum plate has come to complete this realization.
Builder Thanks
Special thanks to sponsors:
@moskomoto / Tough gear-Hard travel, Motorcycles luggage
@onealracing / Motorcycle gear and safety equipment
@wd40_france / Motorcycle care products
@motul_france / Motorcycle oil and lubricants
@heidenauer_reifen / German quality tyres
@noline.france / cleaning wipes
Thanks to @cueva_aventura for the Andalusian welcome and @ironandresin for the clothing and accessories.
Special thanks to technical partners:
NC Design Workshop for upholstery (@nc_design_workshop) and Cap Enseignes for all the stickers.
Follow the Builder
Website: www.bckustoms.com
Instagram: @bckustoms
Facebook: facebook.com/breizhcoastkustoms/
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