Source: Bike Bound
#1 Cafe Racer at Kustomfest : Father/Son Duo’s Show-Stopping Custom…
Introduced in 1966, the Suzuki A100 was a 98cc two-stroke single-cylinder commuter with a rotary-valve intake and an output of ~10 horsepower. As bikes this size go, it was one of the best, and performance was surprisingly strong for the displacement.
“The very crisp two stroke delivered strong acceleration and a top speed of 65mph-75mph making this 83kg lightweight ideal for city and out of town commutes. This was one of the finest machines of its type at that time and ran on with styling changes until the late 1970’s.” –CMS
From the United Kingdom to Indonesia, the A100 was popular as a commuter and learner’s bike, but this small-bore vintage two-stroker isn’t often a candidate for a full-on custom transformation — that honor usually goes to larger displacement machines.
However, our new friend Radite Octavanka set out to change that. Radite runs a motorcycle design studio, RAXE97, which creates design concepts for builders in his home country of Indonesia and beyond. Meanwhile his father owns a custom motorcycle and paint workshop called 69NERAKATAU INC — talk about a good combination!
Together, the father/son duo set out to build a radical, futuristic custom for KUSTOMFEST 2024, Indonesia’s largest and most prestigious custom show. Radite wanted to show what could be created from a small-bore donor, and he already had a 1973 Suzuki A100 in the family:
“It was my first motorcycle which my Dad (the builder) bought for himself and gave to me when I was in middle school… I needed an iconic bike that was representative of the way I see motorcycles, and showed what can be achieved by using only small cc bikes, transforming them into showstoppers.” -Radite
This would not be any run of the mill cafe racer, no. Radite was inspired by fabrication and design masters like Maxwell Hazan and Chicara Nagata — builders whose custom creations don’t follow trends, but set them. Radite and his father worked closely to bring the vision to reality, tweaking and adjusting the design throughout the fabrication process.
Only the engine and frame remain from the original bike; everything else is custom. The bike now sits on Yamaha V75 forks and F1ZR wheels, but the real treat here is the metalwork and fabrication. Untold hours went into building and shaping the one-piece tank and tail, front fairing, mono-shock swingarm, handlebars, exhaust, and even the controls, with stainless steel as the main ingredient.
The metalwork on display here is stunning, but then you look closer and see the cockpit. The bike sports a handmade wooden dashboard, and you’ll notice custom woodwork in other areas as well.
The tank, meanwhile, bears a painting of the character Ishtar from Japanese anime, a goddess inspired by the Mesopotamian deity of love, war, and fertility.
The keener-eyed among you will have noticed the bike appears to have a second cylinder. Radite originally hoped to create a 200cc V-twin out of the single-cylinder engine. However, after a lot of design work and ultimately speaking with a friend who’s built a working version, Radite had to abandon the idea, as the second cylinder has to be significantly offset, and then the carburetor locations become a problem. So, at the present time, the upper cylinder serves as a coil housing.
More than a decade ago, the donor had been styled as a more traditional cafe racer, so Radite named the bike “Resurrection” after the song by his favorite Japanese rock band, Pay Money to My Pain, as this incarnation is the bike’s “last resurrection.”
“Resurrection” was an absolute hit at KUSTOMFEST 2024, where it not only took 1st place in the All Cafe Racer class, but received the highly coveted “Cheetah Pick” from special guest judge Toshiyuki “Cheetah” Osawa (@cheetah_4d.studio) of Tokyo’s Cheetah Custom Cycles — one of the world’s most highly regarded builders!
A huge congratulations to Radite and his father for the well-earned recognition. “Resurrection” shows what can be achieved from a humble small-displacement donor, and it’s a testament to the creative vision, fabrication wizardry, and strong working bond between a father and son. As they say in Indonesia, Bagus! (Bravo!)
Suzuki A100 Custom Café: Builder Interview
Below is our full interview with Radite Octavanka about the build.
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Radite Octavanka, I am the owner and designer of this bike. It was my first motorcycle which my Dad (the builder) bought for himself and gave to me when I was in middle school.
I have a motorcycle design studio named RAXE97, which mainly focuses on doing concepts for local and some international builders, drawing the bikes they want to build for clients, and my dad has a custom paint and fabrication workshop named 69NERAKATAU INC, which focuses on building and painting custom motorcycles.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
It’s based on 1973 Suzuki A100.
• Why was this bike built?
It was a personal project for my studio Raxe97 Design Icon. What I was doing was designing a custom motorcycle, and I needed an iconic bike that was representative of the way I see motorcycles, and showed what can be achieved by using only small cc bikes, transforming them into showstoppers.
Lastly, it was built for the biggest custom motorcycle event in Indonesia, KUSTOMFEST 2024, where it got 1st place in the All Cafe Racer class and got picked by Cheetah 4D Studio of Japan, so it’s already achieved more than what we even hoped.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The concept is mainly based on cafe racer styles. It was already built in that style back in 2012, before I decided to make a cafe racer that looks more futuristic and different from what we normally see built here.
It was mainly influenced by some of the builders I saw on Instagram/Pinterest. A few of my favorites were Maxwell Hazan and Chicara Nagata.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
We only kept the engine and frame from the original bike. We swapped the wheels with Yamaha F1ZR aftermarket wheels, changed the front suspension using Yamaha V75 forks, and made custom handlebars, swingarm, handmade bodywork, custom exhaust, custom underbone controls, and a handmade wood dashboard, using stainless steel for all the metal parts.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
It is named Resurrection, which comes from my favorite Japanese band, Pay Money to My Pain, and their song “Resurrection,” which fit perfectly with this bike’s story, as this is the bike’s “Last Resurrection.”
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
It FUN, that’s all I can say. I’m always getting people on the road asking me what bike this is, because it’s strange for them to see an old bike that looks like an alien rocket ship. Here the Suzuki A100 was a cheap bike, and not a lot people consider doing a show build based on one of these bikes.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
When we finished building this bike, we were proud, because of all the things we had to overcome, even the pandemic. For a time I got bored and abandoned it, but in 2023 we finished the build.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Absolutely my dad, because he really helped me a lot to improve what I designed, and gave suggestions about the build to to help it become what we see now.
Follow the Builders
Owner / Designer: @raxe97ninetyseven
Builder: @69nerakatau
