Classic Bikes Custom Bikes Individual Racing Bikes AJP AJS Aprilia Ariel Avinton / Wakan Bajaj Benelli Beta Bimota BMW Brough Superior BRP Cam-Am BSA Buell / EBR Bultaco Cagiva Campagna CCM CF Moto Combat Motors Derbi Deus Ducati Excelsior GASGAS Ghezzi Brian Gilera GIMA Harley Davidson Hero Highland Honda Horex Husaberg Husqvarna Hyosung Indian Jawa Kawasaki KTM KYMCO Laverda Lazareth Magni Maico Mash Matchless Mondial Moto Guzzi Moto Morini MV Agusta MZ / MuZ NCR Norton NSU Paton Peugeot Piaggio Revival Cycles Roland Sands Royal Enfield Sachs Sherco Sunbeam Suzuki SWM SYM Triumph TVS Ural Velocette Vespa Victory Vincent VOR Voxan Vyrus Walt Siegl Walz Wrenchmonkees Wunderlich XTR / Radical Yamaha Zero Video Technical
Complete Manufacturer List

Zeppelin Boardtracker

Here's a project that's different, it's the Zeppelin, Harley Davidson WR powered, hub center steering, board track racer. It's the work of Roel van der Heide, a retired Dutch steelworker, who has been building the Chiqane series of motorcycles where he developed his hub center steering design.

After the article announcing that ISR was offering a hub center steering kit, Roel van der Heide left a comment about his hub center design, and then he contacted me about his latest project, called the Zeppelin Boardtracker. His Chiqane motorcyles, built in the late 1990s and early 2000s, were ridden by Alan Cathcart who was very impressed with the latest version and they seem to work quite well.

Jump ahead to the present and Roel is working on this design, powered by a WL 750 engine upgraded to a WR with a Mikuni carburetor and a 4 speed BSA gearbox, a Norton primary shaft and Norton dry clutch plus a home made belt driven primary, home made chassis and components, and all based on the Chiqane system.

Roel is not only working on this bike but is also planning to open Zeppelin Works, where he will be offering this Zeppelin boardtracker as a custom motorcycle with various options for engines, gearboxes and wheels. All, however, will be built with his unique hub center steered front end.

If this boardtracker handles as well as the Chiqane motorcycles evidently do, this could be very interesting, and as a custom motorcycle offering, it's not something you see everyday.

Source Zeppelin Works