From the dawn of motorcycling, bikes — even of the competition variety — were what we would today refer to as “naked.” It wouldn’t be until the 1950s that builders really started experimenting with fairings and bodywork, and one extreme form that took hold around this time was the dustbin fairing: an almost streamliner-style of single-piece bodywork inspired by the nosecones of WW2 era aircraft. And while dustbin fairings have long since been replaced by the more contemporary multi-piece GP-style fairings we know today, these iconic bikes are ultimately what served as the inspiration behind GDesign’s latest work: a dustbin-toting Buell XB9.
GDesign has kept the American sport bike’s distinctive fuel-in-frame chassis but paired it with a faux tank and a waspish suspended cafe tail. The crown jewel of the build is undoubtedly its dustbin fairing: an antique unit reshaped to fit on the Buell. The Buell’s stock instrumentation has also been modified and now boasts GDesign branding, and the hand-worked dustbin fairing has been decorated in a hand-painted space and moto-themed livery. The combination of the retro-looking fairing with the modern tail, frame, and perimeter-mounted disc peeking out from under the fairing come together to create a truly unique one-off build.
