insured

leavers and kick-start were premier
league purchases, with Karl Russell
doing the chroming and Don
Blocksidge the engraving, but take a
look at the chrome shock trim or Ford
Fiesta tailpipe trim as they were
originally. It’s clever, classy little moves
like this that both keep the cost down
and make the machine really stand out
from the crowd.
The lump’s been de-restricted; the
exhaust is a Leovinci touring pipe,
courtesy of Taffspeed (rechromed by R &
J Hoddesdon) and the carbs have been
up-jetted by Kegra. Phil states that she
tops out at 60mph, but he’s hoping for
more as he now plans to add a 70cc kit
to complete the picture.
The Batman mural was entrusted to
a chap called Anton Ludwig, who Phil
met at the Essex Custom Show 2004.
Anton was the
owner of the LML
custom ‘Soul Seduction’ that was
displayed next to Phil’s burgeoning
Batbike. On enquiring as to who had
applied the murals to the LML, Phil
learned that Anton himself was the man
responsible and quickly enlisted his
talents to be employed on the Batbike.
The image is a mixture of transfer,
airbrushing and lacquer, and certainly
looks the business, especially when
considering the modest amount of
money changing hands.
Among the almost-never-ending list
of items that Phil either adapted or
fashioned himself from scratch are the
floor plates, which Phil fabricated from
ally off-cuts that he picked up for a
couple quid. Even after having them
chromed they still stood him in less than
15 notes, leaving him lots of lovely lolly
to lavish on future projects.
Phil’s choice of Batman for his
Habana custom was an astute one. The
Habana’s modern retro
quality sits perfectly
with the stylistic
synthesis of Batman
where we
see 40s roadsters
and guys in trench
coats seamlessly co-existing
with modern technology. The
endless touches and flourishes that
Phil has bestowed upon his machine
mean that there is very little left that is
in fact standard. Yet, murals and back
excesses aside, like all the best customs
the subtlety and finesse employed
results in a scooter which for just a few
bob more could have been built and
possibly even marketed by the original
manufacturer – in short, she looks right.
But Phil isn’t quite finished just yet;
he’s got a few more tricks up his sleeve.
For instance, he plans to fit Batbars and
a Batrack, as well as a Bat symbol set
in the headlight. At less than a monkey
on top of the purchase price… a pucker
job for peanuts.
“Holy two-stroke smoke ladies and
gentlemen, I give you the Batbike at a
scooter rally near you.”
NOVEMBER 05 47