Polish Company Produces Steampunk V-Max

Carlex Produces Leather-Fendered Steampunk Yamaha V-Max 1700

Carlex is a Polish company specializing in custom leather interiors for automobiles. They design “unconventional interiors and details, and subsequently their implementation in order to create a cohesive and mature design combined with the highest precision of performance.” The Yamaha V-Max 1700 shown here is an example of their handiwork applied to a motorcycle.

The company had this to say about the design details and execution. “The Yamaha V-Max 1700 is a bold and devilishly powerful queen in the family of motorcycles, made for real enthusiasts, and those who can tame the machine in tough moments on the road.We took great care working on the V-Max 1700, as it is a true legend that has been conquering hearts of motorcycle fans for years. In Carlex Design, there is no space for half measures, so we went for jewelery solutions with a hint of pertness.The bike’s seat and gear shift levers have been trimmed with really thick black leather with rough stitching, which resembles the skin of a wild beast and perfectly corresponds with the character of the motorcycle. In the leather, ‘Carlex Handcrafted’, the official name of our limited series, has been burnt and plated with silver, which alludes to the meticulous finishing of the machine.”

Ahem. While the florid description may well be apt for the overall image of the custom V-Max, some may question the application of steampunk style to a production muscle cruiser. Somehow the “devilishly powerful queen” seems rather more like a butch drag queen in search of his or her real identity. The bodywork with the patina of industrial boilerplate apparently strikes a chord with those entertaining romantic imagery of a steel foundry, and has been a popular styling theme with some builders for the past decade or so. It’s one advantage, as one wag remarked, “If you did happen to crash, it would be hard to find the damage.”

Each to his or her own, of course. And we welcome your comments.