DAB Motors Brings The New Age of Custom Motorcycles
DAB Motors is a French custom motorcycle manufacturer that has solved one of the most persistent frustrations in the custom bike world: how to build a fully bespoke motorcycle that is also fully street legal. Based in the Basque Country in southern France, DAB combines digital customization tools with factory-level Euro IV homologation, so every bike that leaves the workshop is insurable, registerable, and ready to ride.
What Makes DAB Motors Different from Other Custom Builders?
Most custom motorcycle builders produce one-off machines that exist in a legal grey zone. Achieving Euro IV certification for a custom build requires extensive testing, documentation, and resources that few small workshops can manage. DAB Motors built its entire business model around solving that problem. Every bike they produce comes homologated straight from the factory, covering both Euro IV certification and type approval for European roads.
The company was founded in Biarritz by Simon Dabadie, who brought in experienced engineers including Pierre Jayet, formerly of Peugeot, to handle the technical architecture of the bikes. The result is a platform that can be extensively personalized without voiding its legal status.
How Does the DAB Online Customizer Work?
DAB Motors offers an online customizer with over one million possible combinations. Customers configure their bike visually before placing an order, selecting colors, materials, and components across the bodywork, wheels, seat, and lighting. The swingarm, engine, and frame remain fixed, but virtually everything else can be changed.
Once an order is confirmed, production and delivery take approximately three months. The bike arrives ready to register and insure, with no additional legal work required from the owner.
Specs and Suspension Options
The DAB LM-S platform is designed as a mix of urban, enduro, and supermoto styles. It weighs 125 kilograms and rides on one of three tire sets selected to match the terrain the customer primarily rides on. Suspension is either an inverted KYB setup or a high-end Ohlins system, both respected choices in the motorcycle world. Starting price is 16,900 euros, which reflects the engineering investment required to deliver a truly homologated custom build.
DAB has since expanded into electric territory as well. According to Bike EXIF, the LM-S was the first Euro 4 certified custom motorcycle available to order, a milestone that underscores just how different DAB's approach is from traditional custom shops.
Discover Custom Motorcycles at TheArsenale
DAB Motors represents a new generation of custom motorcycle building that bridges craft and compliance. If you are drawn to machines built with this same philosophy, explore the TheArsenale motorcycles collection. For a DAB Motors build available now, see the Alter by DAB Motors and the DAB Design LM, both available through TheArsenale.
