Falcon Motorcycles

"Throughout history, culture and myth, Falcons have symbolized, vision, elegance, speed and power," says Falcon Motorcycles founder Ian barry, who has dedicated his life to producing the perfect motorcycle. Now, he is embarking on a journey that will involve creating 10 Falcon Motorcycles from scratch, sourcing materials from the pre and post-war era (circa 1930-1960). Here, Dazed chats with Barry about the new project, ‘Concept Ten’…

Dazed Digital: What’s been happening?
Ian Barry: I'm about to go get eye glasses – too many nights of squinting at everything and everyone in my shop in less than adequate light, followed by days of thinking that rolled up rugs and tire tread on the side of freeways are dead animals: it's time.

DD: Are you working on a machine today?
Ian Barry: Yes, I'm working on the Kestrel falcon – number two in the collection of custom post-war British motorcycles that we are building. It's going to be an urban Bonneville racer, inspired by the mad-scientist-built bikes that tear down the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah every year breaking land speed records. Except that this one is going to be road ready, built for the roads and traffic of Los Angeles.

DD: What inspired you and your partner Amaryllis Knight to start Falcon Motorcycles?
Ian Barry: I've been building custom British motorcycles for the last decade, it's what I love. Amaryllis grew up loving old cars, planes, bikes, design and she always does everything wholeheartedly and to the fullest... She was about to drive across the world in a car rally from London to Mongolia and was delivering babies when we met. We both talked about how great it would be to build a motorcycle company, make machines without compromise, and do so outside of the current cultural mold. British motorcycles haven't really been given their due in the custom bike world over the past few decades. Falcon Motorcycles started as a mutual dream that we shared: To build motorcycles that will still be meaningful to the people who own them 100 years from now.

DD: Falcon motorcycles are intricately designed, sometimes incorporating non motorcycle related materials and components. By what process do you select these parts and why? Do you source all of your components and materials from Europe and the U.S?
Ian Barry: I'm always looking at objects and metal scrap that can be reclaimed and made new again. Sometimes it's a block of metal that will eventually become a lever or fastener and sometimes its a rare vintage motorcycle part that we've tracked down from some remote corner of the globe. The main thing is to be honest about what pieces fit the design (never allow them to be a part of the build if they don't fit the overall bike, no matter how rare or cool they might be) and to show restraint when it comes to the handcrafted details. There are usually about a hundred hand made pieces on the bike, but I try to make them disappear into to the design letting the entire motorcycle be the focus. Just because you have the skill to make the most ornate pieces, engineer elaborate suspension systems, and design the most intricate paintwork, doesn't mean you should. Most of the time I find beauty in refinement – what is stripped away and honed in, rather than what is added or embellished.

DD: The first Falcon "Bullet" was a board track racer-inspired Triumph motorcycle commissioned by and custom-made for actor, Jason Lee. Josh Homme is also a client of yours, do you think Hollywood is onto you?
Ian Barry: Los Angeles is such a small town and luckily all of our customers hear about us through word of mouth and with only a couple degrees of separation. If there is a "Hollywood Buzz" happening, we wouldn't know it because our focus is on building the nine remaining bikes in the collection, it's completely swallowed up our lives. Who ends up claiming them? It really doesn't matter 'who' they are as long as they truly appreciate motorcycles and the amount of time I put into them, and that they are good people. We've been really blessed that way so far, the people being drawn towards us are awesome.

DD: Why only ten? Can’t you do a hundred?
Ian Barry: I could if I wanted to repeat myself, but that's not really my thing. I want each bike in the Concept Ten collection to be the ultimate bike I can build -–. The ultimate custom Triumph, the ultimate custom Norton, the ultimate custom Vincent... for me, it's only worth doing if I am challenging myself to the hilt, exploring every last possible curve and nuance and doing everything I can to do each part justice.

The concept ten collection will allow me to do things a little differently. Rather than churn out builds or make multiple versions of the same bike, committing to only one of each major marque will allow me to truly go for it, put my all in to each one and make each on into the most thought out and perfect version of that bike that I could possibly build and envision. It is a decision to do everything on the highest level possible so that when each bike is built, I feel that there is nothing else I could do to customise that particular marque and to make it any better or purer.

DD: According to your press release It takes over 900 hours to make a Falcon Motorcycle, clearly you need an assistant? It could work out between us.
Ian Barry: You're late!

DD: Okay great, see you next week then, please send my first-class BA ticket to Flat 31, Stepney Green…
Ian Barry: The reception here is awful...  What was that?... I couldn't quite make out that last part. Well, I think you are first-class too