From 2008: Deus Ex Machina
by Chris Hudson
Monday, December 16, 2024
(Originally published in 2008)
On the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, sits a bike store like no other. "Deus ex Machina" is its name. "Deus" is pronounced "day-us" and is the Greek word for God, but the exact translation of the phrase is not as simple as you might think. What is clear is that referring to this establishment as a mere store is as much an injustice as describing the KR's TZ750 flat tracker as a mildly interesting project.
Chris Hudson
If this pic does nothing for you then you are dead. Real bike pictured is the TW200 Longtracker. The streets of Tokyo are rife with these, but I bet none of the owners know what they were really meant for. Hillclimbing. On the left is the 1945 Indian Scout.
At first glance, you see what looks like a BSA cafe racer with a classic, polished alloy tank. Closer inspection shows that none of fasteners are coated in flat metal-grey oxide and that peeking out from behind the tidy and sparse wiring loom is a shiny black frame with a brand new serial plate bearing the name YAMAHA. Amongst other things, Deus ex Machina builds vintage bikes. Out of new materials.
They build to the spirit of the look, yet allow themselves some artistic license here and there. Instead of a 20-pound wraparound steel front fender, you may find a carbon fiber shorty. True, some of the details may not pass the vintage concourse requirements but, then again, this isn't ballroom dancing, so why not throw a little mod tech at your bike because you can? Flatslides on your twin, sir? Bore that 400 to 440? Why the hell not? We aren't talking about antiques refurbished on a wing and a prayer. What they create for you is a reliable, everyday ride that won't let you down and is capable of handling the ponies that even a mild Stage 1 in-house tweaking can release.
The walls of a large open-plan warehouse space are adorned with awesome posters, racks of classic helmets, and steel signs that only your parents can remember. The shop floor is crammed with the most diverse machinery I've ever seen in one place. There are off-the-shelf retro-model Triumphs, Kawasakis, Yamahas, Deus customs, and a tasteful sprinkling of some heavyweight authentic classics. A couple of Tritons. A 1945 500cc Indian Scout (Army model in civilian colors) boasting no more than 11,000 original miles. A Norton racer. To be precise a late 60's 650cc Dominator engine in a late 50's Manx frame. A TZ350A that allegedly still runs, even though it does not appear to have been touched since the muddy spray from the last race meet coated the cylinder heads. And just to be patriotic...there is a unique ex-Mal Campbell Hunwick Hallam X1R Superbike.
For a change, the owners are not a bunch of Harley fans who watched too much Discovery Channel in 2002. Instead, they consist of a trio of semi-retired uber-achievers whose passion is the motorcycle, particularly machines that were born around the 40's. Shawn, the sales manager from year zero (2005), informed me that their roots are dirt track and speedway-- popular in Oz--which is no surprise, considering that's how Stoner started (his best pal from Curry Curry has a D ex M bike on order). Not to mention, I was able to enjoy a whole hour of speedway on local TV the first night I was in Oz.
Initially, by looking around, you would think that the goal is to design and create bikes that are an homage to the original vintage silhouette. You can have a machine that looks the part, but a mere glance in their direction will start them up, and they'll keep running as long as you can put gas in them.

Chris Hudson
Deus650 SwingBobber: Because it has a swingarm that's why. The favorite of the three people I know who have visited the store.
That alloy tank is not a one-off built by a 20-something-year-old in the midst of a created-for-camera father-son spat, and that is reflected in the price which is quoted in black and white rather than hinted at with the elusive "Call for Pricing" tag. The platform for a lot of their models come directly from Japan in the shape of the retro Kawasakis and Yamahas—in particular, the W650 twin and the SR400 single. Shawn claims they actually worked backwards in an attempt to ensure that whatever they produced would not be abandoned once it left the shop. The Deus bikes are backed up by a plentiful and affordable parts supply. The alloy tank: available. The aftermarket Corbin seat: affordable. Brake pads: plentiful. And deeper...try replacing the swingarm bearings on your Orange County Chopper Spider bike, the polished engine casing from your tragic Arlen-Ness-adorned monstrosity, or replacement bars for your dropped tracker. EBay doesn't have everything.

Chris Hudson
TZ350A or possibly B the sales pitch says. Make: Yamaha. Mileage: Lot's of Racing. Year: 70's Complete and still going. $9,900 AUD. About $6,600 in real money. (In 2008)
The time span from order to delivery depends on how involved you want to get. Shawn again: "About 50% of my customers will buy straight off the floor. Build time depends on the bike. A simple Stage 1 or 2 W650 is two weeks. If you want the Street Tracker then it's more like 6 to 8 weeks. We do everything in-house except paint, so outsourced stuff is the hold up."
And Deus ex Machina has more than bikes.
There is a serious bunch of merchandise to go with it. Think Lucky Brand meets the Boz Bros. One look at the shelves, and you know Ben and Eric will be thinking that this is probably where they would have liked to see their company had they not had to race motorcycles (or tend to a farm??) full-time.
To top it off, there is a full-size coffee shop that produces a cappuccino that must easily rank in the top three outside of Rome. Further down the menu, the food is imaginative and ranges from a plain slice of pizza to slow-cooked beans over sausages (read: brats and beans). It's fresh, simple, tasty, affordable, and more importantly, good enough to entice your better half to get you in there. Perhaps not shockingly, the Sunday brunch clientele (it was packed) looked like they wouldn't know a Honda from a Harley and so proved to me that the cafe is more than an afterthought. But, it is simple enough, and that, coupled with the coffee and ciabatta sandwiches made me fantasize that, if Eraldo Ferracci had a cafe, this is what it would be.
For the moment, the opportunity to witness the Deus ex Machina experience is limited to those who can get to Sydney, Australia. Having said that, I have already met people from three very different parts of the world (Scotland; Germany; Hoboken, NJ) who have seen it and agree that this approach could work elsewhere. I'm thinking SFO or NYC. Whatever—we all know I'm dreaming, but then again...Starbucks had to start somewhere.
A D V E R T I S M E N T
— ends —