Montesa Cota

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a customized trials motorcycle before. And they don’t come with a much better pedigree than the Montesa Cota, the machine that won the 1968 Championship in trials-mad Spain. The bike in the images is a 1974 Cota 247 model, but it can trace its lineage back to the first Montesa trials bikes of 1967. More to the point, this bike looks a little different to the machines that rolled off the factory floor in Barcelona. It was restored and customized by the Dutch designers Studio RAAR for their client Buddha to Buddha, a company that’s just released a line of motorcycle helmets and leather gloves. After returning the 37-year-old bike to pristine condition using NOS parts, Studio RAAR had the tank, side panels and seating covered in the same leather used in their client’s product lines. It’s an interesting look: stealthy yet luxurious, with only the exhaust wrap providing relief from the black. An oddball choice for a custom, but I think it works.