Even if you don’t know Moc Tu’s name, you’ve probably seen his work. He’s the lead mechanical engineer at the Vietnamese startup Nuen Moto, and has been instrumental in bringing their electric motorcycle concept to market. When he’s not doing that, he runs his own custom shop—building outrageous machines like this girder-forked Buell XB9S.
Nicknamed ‘Lisa 22’ after Moc’s daughter, the Buell was built to explore various design and engineering principles. Moc kept the XB9S engine and fuel-bearing frame, but everything else was replaced, upgraded, or built from scratch. Most of the work was done by Moc and his two-man team, but specialist jobs like paint, wiring, and tuning were outsourced to local workshops—including Bike EXIF regulars MFix.
One of Moc’s strongest skills is CNC machining, so it’s only natural that his custom Buell XB9S would showcase this. He started by designing and machining a bespoke girder-style front end, configured for the bike’s weight and equipped with a fully adjustable Öhlins shock.
The headlight was sourced from a Yamaha R1 before being modified and repackaged in a CNC-machined housing. Every last detail was considered—from the brake caliper and headlight brackets, to neatly-mounted clips to route the bike’s hoses and cables.
Cast your eyes to the Buell’s cockpit, and you’ll also notice how neatly the riser and dashboard mounts are integrated with the CNC-machined top yoke. Wide tapered handlebars are fitted with Ariette grips, and Motogadget switches, mirrors, and bar-end turn signals. The digital dash, keyless ignition, and control unit that the bike’s been rewired around, are also Motogadget items.
Also present are Spiegler master cylinders, with an additional thumb brake mounted on the left-hand side. The front brake lever controls a pair of massive eight-piston Spiegler calipers, grabbing custom-made discs. The rear brake system uses a custom-designed six-pot caliper with dual independent hydraulic circuits; one controlled by the thumb brake, and the other by the traditional rear master cylinder.
The Buell’s new hoops are stunning Marchesini units, lifted from a Ducati Multistrada. The single-sided rear swingarm comes from a Triumph Sprint 1050, but it’s been ‘flipped’ to sit on the Buell’s drive side. An adjustable Öhlins shock from a Triumph 675R suspends the rear, connected to a custom-made linkage system.
Since the XB9S traditionally carries oil in its swingarm, the new design called for a new oil reservoir. So Moc designed and machined one—placing it on the swingarm’s open side and covering it with a transparent panel for easy level checks. It mounts directly to the bike’s new CNC-machined foot peg arrangement.
All of the Buell’s original bodywork is gone. The new front fender and faux tank are handmade aluminum pieces, while the subframe and rear fender are CNC-machined parts. A suede-covered seat sits up top.
The overall design is forward-leaning, with finishes that emphasize the bike’s unique chassis. A smorgasbord of blue highlights and a smattering of carbon bits add a modern sports car vibe to the XB9S. Then there’s the exhaust—a burly, asymmetrical titanium system with heavily modified Supertrapp mufflers.
Moc explains that this Buell XB9S “embodies a commitment to precision, functionality, and aesthetics.” It’s easy to see that philosophy at play here. Every part looks like it belongs, working in mechanical harmony to create an unapologetic, one-of-a-kind machine.
Images by Duy Nguyen | With thanks to Gia Nguyen
