Last time we visited Darren, he was creating incredible machines out of his tiny garage. With barely enough room to swing a cat (another hobby of his), it was time to find a dedicated workshop space, and we promised to return once he did. We’re people of our promise – no foolin’.

Despite making excellent use of the space available in his home garage, the ambitious builds that Darren and his son complete required a step up in their available space and tools available. A 320sqm floor area would now be the home of DnA Custom Cycles, and plenty of breathing room to get chopping and wrenching. “This new space meant I could move all the bikes, parts and machinery out of the house and into a much nicer environment. It also meant I had room to work on multiple bikes at once. We can now take a step back from what we are working on and get the bigger picture of the concept to make sure the style and lines remain true to the build.”

Seeing workshops grow from home-sheds to dedicated spaces with the success from quality work is great thing to witness. It’s hard work, and endless hours, but just by looking at Darren’s work there’s no surprises in this growth. It’s in the family as well, with his Son working alongside who is completing his second year at Tafe to become a qualified mechanic.

Still offering the core work of custom exhausts, CNC parts, and fabrication work, DnA are able to also add more to their growing belt of services. Log book servicing is now available, as well as a brand new Mainline Eddy Current Dyno and soon pink slip inspections. “This means we can get the most out of customers bikes, both in looks and performance, while taking care of all the rest.”

As for the current builds in the works – where to start? “We’ve got a lot on at the moment, with a Yamaha XV920 on the bench that we’ve made a custom top yoke, bar mounts, headlight mount and dash bracket to fit the R1 radial forks to. Nearby is a Suzuki DRZ400SM that we are doing a full chop on with an Ariel 500 tank, a complete new rear frame and seat to turn it into an old school tracker.”

Once the owners of these bikes step into the workshop with their machine and their concept, it’s up to Darren to make it all happen. With the ideas ready, it’s up to the tools to make the rest complete. “The Honda Grom and the Cagiva we’re working on have very specific plans for the final product. The Cagiva owner has sourced all the components he wanted on the build and I’ve been there to guide the purchases so that they suit the bike specs – there are some exciting parts that we get to play with. The Grom is a huge challenge, as we are working with an engineer to get this bike build right from the get-go, so a lot of detailed plans have been submitted and approved for it to meet the certifiers requirements.”

With Darren’s son/apprentice getting into dirt racing, there’s been a steady flow of dirt bikes coming through the shop for valve checks and adjustments, servicing, tunes, fork rebuilds and tyres. “We also service a lot of both old and new bikes, keeping them in good shape. We have been busy with engine rebuilds lately as well, which has added to the variety and fun. Upstairs is a paint shop that does all our work so we can keep everything in house, with the exception being our upholstery which is done by the legend Dave at Badarse Trim Co.”

“We can also take care of any accident quotes and repairs which, for custom bikes is a major plus, as a lot of shops are stuck on how and what is needed to repair a custom build as well as catering for stock bikes.

We also have a limited number of spaces available for bike storage, ranging from a basic hiding place from the other half to a fully minded storage with battery tending and routine runs on the Dyno to keep the bike ticking over without the risk of taking the owners bike on the road, reducing the risk of accident and damage.”

To check out more on Darren and his work, head to www.dnacustomcycles.com.au or check out their facebook HERE