CUSTOM BUILD COMPETITION
4 TEAMS | 4 NATIONS | 4 BIKES
1 GOAL
Petrolettes WRENCH OFF is a freestyle customizing competition, created to showcase female wrenching skills.
The mission is to highlight the work of female hobby mechanics in the motorcycle industry, to raise awareness for womxn’s contribution to motorcycle culture and to connect and inspire female riders.
Petrolettes WRENCH OFF celebrates skills, community spirit and the love of two wheels.
THE CHALLENGE
In 2019 we teamed up with ROYAL ENFIELD EUROPE and sought out talented female amateur wrenchers in Europe.
Four teams each received a brand new ROYAL ENFIELD TWIN 650 and be tasked with creating an individual build which embodies their particular expertise and style.
The teams only had 4-5 months to finish their work.
At Petrolettes festival 2019 – Ferropolis (DE) the teams exhibit the bikes in progress.
For the final countdown the completed builds were revealed at GLEMSECK101 – Leonberg (DE), where the teams raced at the 1/8 mile sprint race against each other.
Also, the bikes were shown at Moto Circle Show in September 2019 in Vienna (AT).
O.P.A.A.T
TEAM GERMANY
THE DOT
TEAM SWEDEN
GUNGNIR
Break Fast Club TWIN #1
TEAM ITALY
TEAM AUSTRIA
Original Royal Enfield Twin 650
Royal Enfield Interceptor INT 650 and Royal Enfield Continental GT 650
the teams
Ida discovered her passion for two wheels when she was a still a kid, riding through the southern Swedish countryside on a Puch Dakota and setting up mini dirt tracks with her brother. Although her father had no motorcycle license, his garage was always full of old mopeds, cars and motorcycles. When she got a scooter for her 16th birthday, it was clear, she was never going to stop riding.
The builder Ida Olsson says, »My custom Royal Enfield 650 Twin is retro-looking, rough and ready cafe racer. I wanted to create a bike that looked like an old motorcycle that was a bit rough around the edges. Brushed steel is one of my favourite things, the unfinished surface makes it intriguing to look at.
I have lowered the bike to streamline its stance and customised the wheel covers, side covers and changed the rear end. My Enfield wears the number ”87” which is the year I was born. I also made the seat by hand without a sewing machine.«
Model: Twin 650 Interceptor
I like playing around with ideas and seeing how I can adapt things I’ve seen. That’s the cool thing about customizing – you can build a motorcycle just the way you really want it.
Two rebel hearts who thrive on freedom and the open road, we want to share our passion and do what we love; to be forever inspired and ready for the next adventure. Life is about enjoying the ride.
Mel a talented mechanic, Christie a traveler and philosopher, both with a fierce and abiding infatuation with motorcycles. Their vision centers around technical strength and utility, with simple elegance. Form follows function.
Read: no shiny stuff.
The builders Mel Weier and Christie Sacco say, »At the beginning of the process, Mel found an old Royal Enfield tank from 1926 and we knew right away that we wanted to make it the centerpiece of the build. We love the character that time and use affords objects, and we really wanted to incorporate that into our aesthetic.
The motor has been painted black and the clutch, sprocket, and valve covers have been burnished. To optimize performance, the brake and clutch lever have been replaced with Magura HCT levers, the suspension has been replaced with YSS racing shocks, and the airbox has been replaced with two K&N air filters directly on the throttle body.
The oil cooler has been moved up to the head of the bike, in front of handlebars that were originally made for chopper-style bicycles. The bike also features glassless polished m.view mirrors from Motogadget, as well as keyless ignition and handlebar push buttons. We opted for Heidenau tires, and the fiberglass seat is self-fabricated. We also decided to move the footpegs by LSL, clutch, and brake pedals to to the rear in order to give it the look and feel of a land speeder.«
Sponsors: Magura| YSS | Motogadget | Heidenau | LSL
Model: Twin 650 Interceptor
Lill has been riding for 10 years and has solo-traveled over several continents on two wheels. Her most recent journey brought her to Australia, where she rode a Royal Enfield down the coast from Sydney. For her, one of the most important and inspiring parts of motorcycle culture is meeting other female riders from all over the world.
Living in Vienna, a city embedded in a beautiful mountainous landscape and full of historical buildings and art, Patricia and Lill’s bike will be inspired by the Art Deco and Jugendstil movement.
The builders Patricia Kafka and Lill Bonne DeVille say, »We brought things into our Royal Enfield 650 Twin design that we like without going too mainstream or using clichéd custom trends. We used our own interpretation of a fairing and a very different rear unit to enhance and slim the Enfield’s lines. The bike was also lowered and the air intake opened to match the racing cans from AJS. We like to be square, that’s why we decided to mount a rectangular light sticking out the small round fairing.«
We seize any opportunity to ride. We respect the diversity of the different kinds of motorcycles and how they challenge us, just like people. But it’s easier if you have a thing in common: like the passion for bikes!
From riding, to writing, designing, sketching painting, racing and building, I dedicate my life to all things motorcycling, with endless curiosity and a whole lot of creative sparks flying around.
Bella is an automotive, product and graphic designer, as well as a motorcycle blogger and journalist, based in the Bologna area of Italy. Originally from Israel, she moved to Italy in 2011 in order to pursue her dream of living a life immersed in motorcycle culture. Her impressive career includes work at the Ducati Design Centre, a thesis in collaboration with Energica, work for Italjet, various freelance projects and a final Masters thesis (“best of the class”) sponsored by Suzuki.
Bella is a frequent contributor to blogs and magazines in Italy, Israel and the US. Since 2015 she has been a test rider and columnist for online magazines such as MissBiker, collaborated with Inmoto, Women On Bike magazine, as well as Israel’s Moto-Doogri magazine. Bella writes in English, Italian and Hebrew, helping to bring female motorcycle culture to all corners of the world.
In 2017 Bella placed in the 600cc Stock and Open Crono-Climber divisions at the Italian Hill Climb Championship. She is always exploring new ways of experiencing motorcycling on racetracks, flat track, in the snow, and off-road. Through her growing influence on social media she has been sharing her life’s journey and inspiring other women.
»A customizing project for women is so much needed, and ROYAL ENFIELD as a pioneering brand will be rewarded by supporting female motorcycling culture.«
The builder Bella Litinetski says, »The bike was fitted with old-timer fibreglass fairings. I adapted them to fit the Royal Enfield 650 Twin proportions and mounted them using self-fabricated brackets. The rear suspension has been switched out for one-off, custom race-spec units from YSS. The rear set footpegs are prototypes by Pivanti while HPcorse GP07 silencers have been fitted to ceramic-coated black headers. On the front of the bike, black billet clipons host a quick action throttle and Messner Moto switches.The front and rear mudguards are made by Jadus Motorcycle Parts from raw aluminium. I fabricated the side panels entirely by myself and they carry the names and logos of the partners who provided their invaluable support for this project. Furthermore, a custom racing suit and boots that match the colour scheme have been created by Mithos Sport and TCX boots. My custom Royal Enfield 650 Twin will also feature a Power Tronic ECU unit, Healtech quick shifter and custom 3D printed air filters.«
Sponsors: Pivanti | Messner Moto| Mithos Sport | TCX boots
Model: Twin 650 Continental
TEAM OFFICE
Petrolettes e.V.
Mariannenstr. 31
10999 Berlin
GERMANY
PHOTOGRAPHY
- Lucía de Mosteyrín
- Alice Connew
- Patricia Sevilla Ciordia
- Caylee Hankins
- Alexandra Lier
- Anikka Bauer
- Maja Hitij
- Beate Dodeck
- Stefanie Loos
- Kimberly Laurent Bryant
- Ute Haufe
- Cäthe Pfläging
- Yvonne Balk
- Mihaela Noroc