Of all the questions I get about the bikes we've built, it's safe to say half of them are about Sunny's XV750. In fact this late bloomer of a Virago was the motivation behind Bob Ranew's XV920 build — one of Classified Moto's current projects. The odd thing is that suddenly in the Richmond area, Viragos have become scarcer than...than...uh...a mouse at a cat convention? Anyway, the drought appears to be over and there are no less than six suitable Viragos ranging from 535cc to 920cc within a 100-mile radius of the state capital. If you've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these highly malleable '80s gems, now is the time. Search Craigslist and grab one yourself for a great DIY summer project. Of course we'd rather you let us build you something fun, famous and Classified. If you wanna, email john@classifiedmoto.com and we'll release the hounds.

Big news. Classified Moto is now Classified Moto, LLC. Not sure that means a lot to the world at large, but it feels like progress to us. To keep up the buzz, Adam Stockton, owner of our gnarly Yamasaki XS750 is hard at work on some design-o-licious limited run screen printed posters. Some of which will feature photographer Adam Ewing's Classified XS650 and our delightful Bulgarian friend and co-worker Tania Staykova. She arrived at the studio straight from a day of super-intense ad meetings and breezed through a five-hour photo shoot like a pro. Many thanks to Tania and both Adams for pulling it together on short notice. Stay tuned for the goods this spring when we open our online store. Custom bikes, lamps, posters, apparel and other highly Classified items. In the meantime, keep up with us here and on Facebook. (Photos: Adam Ewing)

Chez Classified has been a busy place this holiday weekend. We had a crazy grab bag of stuff going on — visits from fellow gearheads Clay and Erin Rathburn, Ric Bergstrom and Jason Ledford, front end swappage, tank prep, bimmer treasure hunting outside of town with Mr. Ownby, dirtbike tuning and sporadic Nerf gun battles throughout. Cindy even came by to help in the lamp department. We got Adam Stockton's XS750 replacement tank stripped, brushed and ready for nickel plating. I took lots of measurements relating to the XV920's rear end mods. Ruled out more rear tire options for the CM185 and did some more work on Brandon's Virago. And this was kind of fun — we placed a small ad on Chris Hunter's amazing moto blog BikeEXIF. Just doesn't seem right to keep all these Classified Motos and Moto Lamps to ourselves! Overall, a good full weekend. And now, I shall pass out.

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)

Inked Magazine is slated to do a write-up on what's quickly becoming the most buzzed "department" at Classified Moto — lamps, aisle 2. Editor Rocky Rakovic quizzed us on the operation and gave it the thumbs to appear in the April issue if all goes well. We're super excited to get our hands on a copy. No idea what to expect, but I'm thinking, perhaps, an Inked model sporting a tattoo of one of our lamps. While sitting on one of our bikes. That's what I'm talking about.

Also, hitting the newsstand soon is an article on Sunny's "Reciprocity" XV750 in the next issue of Iron Horse Magazine and another piece on the Classified Moto Lamps in British eco lifestyle and fashion magazine Recognise (with an "s" because it's quite bri'ish). March issue.

If you decide to skip all the press you can just pick up a lamp HERE.

The current lineup of Classified Moto projects is getting pretty intense. Two Viragos, a CM185, a Moto Guzzi and finally a gnarly CB750 mono with CRF super moto running gear heading north of the border in late spring. It came together with no trouble on my MacBook, so obviously it'll be smooth sailing in the garage, right?

A couple of days ago I went ahead and started an official Classified Moto Facebook page. Up 'til now I've just been using my personal page for moto-related stuff. For all you Classified Moto regular visitors, feel free to post pictures of your own projects, tell us about events and, of course, tell your friends about us and 'Like" us if they like us. Stay tuned for some more nice additions in the coming months, including a sweet spring event, a new Classified Moto page on Etsy.com (to replace our temporary arrangement) and some great builds.

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 one was plagued by the most gremlins by far. Worth the trouble, though. Commissioned by advertising art director Adam Stockton in the winter, this antique triple has one of the most devilish exhaust notes ever. Jetted with pods and custom 3-into-1 straight pipe, it's got power for days. Technically a Yamasaki, the front end was snagged from an '05 Kawasaki ZX6R (Ninja 636) which dramatically changes the stance and attitude of the beast. Stockton's bike was the first to incorporate the perforated metal side covers that let you get a hint of what's behind them — in this case, not much. Just a tiny battery in a custom welded mount. Above it, the underseat electronics tray that keeps the unpretty stuff from view. Who says shaft drives can't be cool? (Photos: http://www.adamewing.com )

This was one of "The Alexandria Three" that my buddy Greg Ownby and I bought for a good deal up near DC this summer. My long-time friend Devin Bousquet bought one of them from us and it became part of the family. We gave it "the treatment" with an '04 Gixxer 1000 front end and a slimdown. Jetted with pods and a proper 4-into-1 exhaust, this one is silky smooth with plenty of power. Canister shocks from Mike's XS are adjustable and have just the right look. A custom electronics tray under the seat keeps everything looking skeletal and clean. Everyone pitched in — even Devin's mom who made the seat cover on her industrial strength sewing machine. In fact, she'll probably be doing seats for all the bikes soon. (Photos: Adam Ewing).