If MacGuyver were to happen upon the stealthy headquarters of Maxum Machine in Richmond, VA, he would likely crap his pants. There's just too much precision stuff everywhere you look. Between all the contraptions and high-grade materials and the skills of metal ninjas Mike Benini and Bob Kitson, I wonder what machined part could be beyond their capabilities.

I've visited the shop probably 20 times since we started building our quirky fleet of retro-mod mutant machines, but I've never gotten the full tour. So on Tuesday I kidnapped Adam Ewing from his studio and headed across the river to a not-so-scenic stretch of Hull Street for a proper look-see.

Bob had just finished up my custom set of triple trees for Bob Ranew's XV920 build, and agreed to take us back through some of the steps for the benefit of the camera. Mike gave us the rundown on the mind-blowing CNC machine that they evidently purchased from the future. It was all amazing and Adam captured some stunning images behind the curtain. The gallery above doesn't serve as a how-to, but more as magnetic eye-candy. Hope you enjoy.

The Maxum Machine website details the shop's capabilities for small and large runs of parts, but for the purposes of this blog, here's the good stuff: Mike rides a BMW. Bob rides Harleys. They know their stuff AND they're in the family. When I bring them an idea, they listen to what I'm trying to do and figure out the safest, most practical way to do it. And, where another shop might panic at the first mention of "motorcycle", Bob and Mike are levelheaded and objective. If your idea is likely to land you in the infirmary, they'll suggest a better route. But if it's mechanically sound, you're off to the races. For all of us on two wheels, these guys are an amazing find. Check out their site for contact info. (Photos: Adam Ewing)

Now that is more like it. I got the crusty old front end off the Virago today and mocked up the 2009 R6R setup. I'm going out on a limb and saying it's an improvement. Enroute from eBay land is a matching R6(S) rear wheel which I'm optimistic about fitting. Monday, I pay a visit to Maxim Machine to do their magic on the triples. Stay tuned, as this project is on a bit of a fast track.

Today marked the official kick off of the Classified XV920 R6R build. There was excitement in the air, although it was just me. I took a bunch of stuff off the bike and determined the ride height based on the '09 R6R front end. Call me crazy, but these bikes have a great silhouette from a modification point of view. And a chain drive to boot. Based somewhat on Sunny Zhao's Reciprocity XV750, this one is for photographer/art director Bob Ranew of North Carolina. He's already having a blast with this build — using his art direction skills to articulate what he's looking for. I LOVE stuff like this, and love to see people getting psyched about their bikes. We have a long way to go, but I can tell it's going to be a fun ride. 

This is what happens when you get a cool idea and don't really know now to execute it. After cutting my moto teeth on an '81 Kawi KZ550, I moved on to bigger and more neglected things. I bought this one from my mechanic at the time for $400. In hindsight, $250 would have been about right. All I knew was that I wanted to put "those cool gold sportbike forks" on it. Everything else would figure itself out. After some head scratching, a few hours on eBay and a visit to the machine shop, I had all I needed to do the swap — in this case an '05 Yamaha R6-R setup. Some 6K miles later, everything is still in great working order, although I've completely changed my methods for swapping front ends. It should be noted that I built this bike before I learned to weld. Therefore, nary a chop was made. I see some things begging to be lopped off, though. Just you wait. (Photos: Cindy Hicks)