Ryan Maloney’s Kawasaki Flat Tracker will give you a “Nightmare”

Michelle Liew

May 6, 2020

The key to a great custom bike is to surpass everyone’s expectations. Ryan Maloney shows us how it’s done with his custom Kawasaki Flat Tracker.

Ryan Maloney’s custom Kawasaki Flat Tracker “Nightmare” | Photo credits: Pipeburn

When Ryan Maloney was told that building a Grand National Flat Track bike for the street was something impossible, he decided to prove everyone wrong. This only sparked a fire inside him and Maloney got right into work to make the impossible possible. When his doubters told him “in your dreams”, Maloney put together a custom-framed Kawasaki Flat Tracker to cause a “Nightmare”.

Maloney has a day job as an HVAC technician and when his shift is up, he switches on the lights in his basement to build his dreams into reality.

“My whole family races flat track it’s definitely in our blood. I’ve been racing since I was young from dirt track to drag racing cars. I’m obsessed with going fast,” Maloney says to Pipeburn. In creating his next big thing, Maloney thought “about how cool it would be to have a Grand National bike for the street that started the negativity from everyone saying it would be horrible to ride, it won’t work blah blah blah.”

Maloney was not simply going to build a race replica but he wanted to add a unique touch to the remake. He called J&M Racing Products for one of their race-winning custom frames. J&M provides products to suit the highest level of the sport. This includes frames for everything from modern crop engines to the classic singles and twins. For this project, Maloney chose to get the twin0cylinder Kawasaki engine.

Maloney lengthened the wheelbase by extending the swingarm. This would make the bike better for the streets. It comes with a big dollar Penske shock to suit the frame and is fully adjustable. The custom set of triple clamps are also adjustable upfront. It also suspends the beautiful set of Ohlins forks. The right leg loses its brake mount whereas the left comes with a Beringer 6 piston calliper with rotor to match. This is removable if the bike was on dirt tracks and the rear 4 piston unit takes over.

As for the wheels, Maloney equips the bike with a set of Performance Machine engineered forged billet alloy items that are designed exclusively for racing and come with quick-change hubs.

He then paired it up with Dunlop’s AMA winning DT3 rubber. Anthony Cicero from 16W Fabworks made all the CNC parts. These include one-off foot controls with sealed bearings, CNC side plates to cover up the electricals, kickstand, footpegs, rear shock reservoir mount, and shifter and brake arms.

The 2012 Kawasaki 650r engine is a popular unit. It is not only god for the flat track but in road and circuit racing too. It is lightweight, has bulletproof reliability and has high power-making potential. Maloney fits the twin throttle through a large air filter. The custom set of pipes are now under the seat with twin mufflers. The one-off alloy radiator keeps the engine cool and Maloney pins the throttle to the stop.

For the finishing touches, Maloney decides to get the help of Bert’s Graphix for the unique colour scheme. “I had him paint my friend Jessica on the tank and the name of the bike Nightmare. This bike wasn’t built to be babied it was built to be hammered on and abused. Anyone that rides it falls in love and says they need it.”

With his dreams now made into reality, Ryan Maloney shows that he is absolutely capable of anything.