The story of the Bultaco brand is about as cool and inspiring as the motorcycles they produced. It started in the mid 1940s, when a road racer named Francisco Bulto co-founded the Montesa Company and began work on a light weight 95cc bike. The small two-stroke had no rear suspension and was far from ground breaking, but its moderate success was enough to spur on the design of a successor that featured a 125cc engine and a semi-enduro suspension for the 1951 International Six Days Enduro race. Unfortunately, by 1957 the company was facing a difficult financial position and made the decision to withdraw from racing. Outraged, Bulto resigned with several other employees, and founded a new company, called Bultaco, in less than 6 months. Named after the Spanish word for whiplash, the Tralla 101 took seven of the first ten places in the Spanish Grand Prix just two months after being released, kicking off the Bultaco legacy and laying the foundation for bikes like this awesomel 1973 Alpina.

There are many reasons not to buy a Moto Guzzi. They’re heavy, unrefined, not particularly reliable, the dealer network is minuscule, the aftermarket support nonexistent, and to add insult to injury, they’re expensive. So, why would anyone own one? There is no simple answer to that question. The Moto Guzzi brand casts a bewitching spell over would be, and desperately want to be Guzzi riders. Maybe it’s the allure of owning a hand crafted Italian machine that is so appealing. It could be the raspy siren song emanating from the exhaust, or the unmistakeable and iconic placement of the cylinder heads. Even the name makes you want to raise your chin when you say it––in your most flamboyant Italian accent. 

It isn't strange that Ural, the Russian sidecar motorcycle manufacturer, and ICON 1000, maker of premium armored motorcycle apparel and helmets have teamed up to produce this one-of-a-kind custom Ural Solo sT, The Quartermaster. After-all, I don't think you could you find a more fitting relationship if you tried; both brands exude durability and functionality with a unique military-esque spin. Over the last seven months ICON has been meticulously designing and building the Quartermaster from their Portland, Oregon offices. The motorcycle, designed for the "end of days", pulls inspiration from rugged Soviet Naval ships (Ural seems to have a thing with ships) and required extensive frame modification to mount the over-sized fuel tank, and hand-formed fenders while still maintaining a high ground clearance. Skid plates, enduro bars and controls, Continental tires, Progressive Suspension rear shocks and a great looking Supertrapp exhaust round out the entire package. 

The results, quite frankly, are incredibly badass, I think it might be the best looking Ural I've ever seen. Check out the images and video below. 

Few things suck more than someone building an ostentatious, ill-handling motorcycle that has been wrapped up in some company's theme. But if you've turned on a television lately, that's what you'll see—bad taste; and that's exactly the problem with most custom motorcycles today. Luckily, James Hammarhead, doesn't have bad taste, in fact, he has exceptional taste—especially when it comes to creating motorcycles.