Check out this custom vintage Suzuki FR50 by Mike Dodd

Michelle L.

July 2, 2019

Like vintage bikes? You will like this for sure! Take a look at Mike Dodd’s take on this 70s Suzuki FR50.

If you are into vintage, classic-looking motorcycles, this one might perk up your taste buds. Feast your eyes on this Suzuki FR50, straight from the 1970s. According to Pipeburn, this little custom motorcycle here is the pride and joy of motorcycle builder Mike Dodd.

The Process- Custom Suzuki FR50

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Mike essentially picked up this 1970s Suzuki FR50 and had the idea of turning it into a utility scooter. After testing it out for a couple of weeks, Mike decided that the bike lacked power so he came out with the grinder. He began to cut away the whole underside of the pressed steel frame and mounted a new 125cc pit-bike engine into it.  “I decided to change up the styling a little bit while I was at it to go for a bit of a chopper vibe – the irony!” Mike says according to Pipeburn. “I bent and welded up the lane splitter bars from some leftover tube I had laying around, fabricated up the new rear rack to be just big enough for a 6 pack of beer and fabricated some hard-tail struts to drop the rear guard close to the wheel.” Mike did a lot of work with the fuel tank, rear guard and the exhaust. He also revamped the stainless tubs and bends. Mike admits that he spent hours manually machining the tail light from a piece of scrap aluminium. “I modified the leg shields to fit the new engine setup. Then I eliminated anything unnecessary to get it as light as possible, reassembled all the newly painted parts. Then gave it some new chunkier tyres and used a small fog lamp that I found cheap for a headlight. I rewired the bike from scratch, relocated the ignition to the side cover. Lastly, I adapted a selection of levers and controls to fit and work as intended.” The whole project did not cost much money but the outcome is definitely priceless.