Mitch's Mongrel

Words and Pics by J Stillman

mongrel 
noun

1. a dog of no definable type or breed. "she's a particularly intelligent mongrel with a lot of collie in her" synonyms: cross-bred, mixed-breed, half-breed, hybrid "a mongrel bitch"
2. any animal resulting from the crossing of different breeds or types. synonyms: cross-breed, cross, mixed breed, half-breed, hybrid; More
3. offensive a person of mixed descent. "she was a mongrel, only half French"
4. slang ‘Aussie” A term used to describe a proud, erect penis. “So she winks and next thing you know I’ve got half a mongrel!”

Some of the best dogs are mongrels; I’m sure many would agree. They might not come with papers of legitimacy. They’re not necessarily beautiful by design. They are products of chance and random selection. Not to say that this Scorpio was not imagined into a very specific existence. More so it was birthed from an enthusiastic yet consensual tryst of salt water and grease. I give you the love child of Billy Klujken and Mitch Hogan.

September 2016 and Mitch found himself in a taxi zipping through late afternoon traffic from the airport at Kuta to the less crowded, more cosmopolitan sanctuary of Cangu. Every decade it seems the “informed” Bali regulars get pushed further and further out of the hustling tourist El Dorado that was once Kuta but now includes Legian, Jimbaran, Sanur and now even Seminyak.

Mitch is a keen surfer and this was his annual trip to the surfing Mecca. On this particular trip he was catching up with one of his mates, local surfer Buddy Kidding. Taxi’s to and from the Airport make perfect sense but any Bali regular worth his salt gets around on a bike: Usually in the form of a 125cc Scooter or similar. And this, my friends, is where fate intervenes in this story. A keen bike builder himself, Buddy loaned Mitch his self built 250cc beach tracker and the scales fell from Mitch’s virgin eyes.

Fast-forward to April 2017 and the brawny surfer found himself enthusiastic and ambitious in the garage at Rogue Motorcycles in Wangara. Never one to pass up a good love story, Billy listened to Mitch’s tales of tropical island romance and before long he was set on the path that brings us up to date and into the nitty-gritty.

The base is a 2008 Yamaha Scorpio, a light and funky bike perfect for cruising on the beach. Frame has been de-tapped and cleaned up, then powder coated satin black. The wheels, swing-arm and front end also painted in satin black. Modifications were also performed on the frame to create a rear loop seat frame, a custom battery tray, and an integrated rear fender.

According to Billy “We have a couple of dozen fuel tanks to choose from. After some mucking about, it was decided the Honda CB200 tank, with its natural patina was the perfect fit for this build.”

“It has a story of its own. Some people would want to keep the bike pure to its parentage or at least paint the tank but that’s not how I think”

The tracker seat in brown faux leather is an off the shelve item from the Rogue Motorcycles parts store. A very comfortable seat.

Lighting ; indicators and matching taillight, and a grill on the 5 ¾” headlight were fitted with custom lasercut brackets.

Satin black powdercoated wheels wrapped in new Kenda Claw K270 rubber give the bike some seriously sexy legs.

The header pipe has been modified and a stainless steel LE reversed cone muffler was fitted. The engine breathes more freely due to the BMC pod filter. The engine has been painted in 2-Pack Black Enamel and detailed with stainless steel allen bolts. Aluminium front fender, which are available in various sizes through our store.

Handlebars are fitted with a set of CNC billet aluminium master cylinder and cable clutch with a black anodised finish and a pair of Biltwell grips. Custom designed chainguard in brushed stainless.

The custom ‘made to fit’ surf board rack to give the bike its righteous rep as Beach Tracker.