Yamaha Virago 535 by Old Empire Motorcycles

Not many custom builders have been invited to display their bikes in Harrods and the Saatchi Gallery. But then again, England’s magnificently named Old Empire Motorcycles is not your run-of-the-mill custom shop. They’ve only been operating for a couple of years, but Alec Sharp and his crew have quickly made a name for themselves with a handful of unusual, creatively-styled builds. This is their seventh, a Yamaha Virago 535 called the ‘Bristol Bulldog’—in honor of the stocky 1920s biplane fighter used by the Royal Air Force. “We thought the name was apt for this particular build,” says Alec. “Stockiness was...