A TYNEDALE man’s passion for building custom motorcycles in his shed has paid off after he was awarded best in show at a prestigious bike show.

Paul Robson (42), of Acomb, has been building motorbikes as a hobby for the past 10 years, and earlier this month, he attended the Motorcycle News Scottish Motorcycle Show in Edinburgh where he came away with the top honour of best in show.

He said: “To win best in show was a great feeling.

“It always feels very good when other people appreciate your work and get your view and your take on a custom motorcycle.”

Building the bikes has been a long-lasting labour of love for Mr Robson, who added: “I have been into bikes for the past 20-30 years.

“Building them in my shed is something I do every winter - it keeps me out of the pub. I start to build at the back end of the year and finish in March/April time and then do a few shows.”

The bike he showed in Edinburgh was a modern take on a classic, with USD front end and no visible electrics. All parts were machined from scratch or handmade.

Mr Robson, who is an engineer by trade, made many of these parts himself.

He said: “The donor bike was an eBay special - an XS650 Special - all I wanted was the engine and headstock.

“The frame was a one-off, which I wanted to be different. I really wanted something unique, so went for the curved style, fabricated from stock tube. The front forks are from a 2014 Yamaha R1.”

The finish is a candy apple red on the tanks and frame with a cream panel and gold pin striping.

The exposed steel parts were chromed and all exposed aluminium was hand-polished.

The bike was also finished with a logo of Paul’s surname, in the Norton font, which he now uses to finish many of his custom bikes.

He said the bike rode well and it had travelled around 600 miles so far, with the longest solo trip being 60 miles.

Following the success, Mr Robson plans to show the bike at Birmingham’s Motorcycle Live event in November.