The Ulu

Two stylish café racers have landed on Jakarta’s streets.

Australian manufacturer Deus Ex Machina has just launched two additions to the city’s modified bikes collection — the Ulu and the Bare-Foot Executive.

An artsy carving of a Yamaha Scorpio 225, the Ulu was born in a workshop in Bali with travel in mind. A client from the hilly Uluwatu area requested a bike that was strong enough to climb every day.

The Ulu has a special shelf to put a surfboardThe Ulu, the name taken from the area where the client lived, is equipped with an upgraded carburetor and racing piston. Alloy parts are polished and some parts have wrinkle black high temp paint.

It is aided by an extended swing arm, a burly mono shock, rugged upside-down Aprilia front shocks and a pair of trusty dual trek Firestone tires wrapped around 18 and 19 inch rims, making it strong enough for long travels and rough streets.

The front part of Ulu with polished Deus tank and high power engineAll rests upon a Custom Deus tank, seat, fenders and a scrambler exhaust throatier than the cows being passed on the road.

The Bare-Foot Executive, another creation built from the Yamaha Scorpio 225, is among the popular guys. This handsome lad went to market and picked up a big old sack of treats.

Starting off with a custom Deus tank and spray job, ported engine head, KOSO 30 millimeters carburetor, it dresses in a handmade racing cam and an engine block painted in HD stipple finish black with polished fin edges. All sitting on a set of Daytona springs and rounding out the briefing 18 inch rear and 19 inch front swallow tires.

Deus Ex Machina motorcycles advisor, Julian Zielonka, said that more than 30 Deus bikes had been sold since 2010 in Indonesia.

“The Ulu and Bare-Foot Executive are gaining popularity with both Jakartans and foreigners,” he said.

The Bare-Foot Executive
Zielonka added that these motorcycles were works of art and designed to be fun for riders.

“It is all about style with durable quality. Some big motorcycle lovers in Indonesia use this kind of motorbike to upgrade their style,” he said.

The Ulu and Bare-Foot Executive motorbikes have custom color schemes to suit the customers’ needs such as gray, black, white, yellow, red and blue.

The Bare-Foot Executive’s dashboard with stylish speedometerWhen it comes to the price, these bikes are no more expensive than other big motorcycles in Indonesia. Prices start at Rp 35 million (US$3,696) up to Rp 185 million. Customers like these café racers for their tough but stylish rock n’ roll look.

Most of the Deus motorcycles use high-octane fuels. The fuel consumption, Zielonka said, depended on the engine structure and design. Some consume more gasoline than others. The motorbikes can also be equipped with a device to compute the gasoline-per-kilometer ratio.

Concerning the comfort of the ride, Deus uses oversized tires on many of the motorbikes to increase comfort and usability off-road. It has also upgraded the front and rear suspension on many of the builds so that the riders can more easily ride the back roads and do a bit more adventure riding.

Modifying the front and rear suspension has also allowed riders to adjust the bike to fit a rider’s height and weight more appropriately. They also use high quality inject molded seats for comfort on long rides.

Deus Ex Machina Motorcycles was established in Sydney in 2006 and has been in Bali since 2010. It has recently set up another branch at Jl. Raya Kemang 14, South Jakarta.

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post

— Photos courtesy of Deus Ex Machina