OUR
HISTORY
Eval Motorcycle Company operates from Ayres Motor Company’s state-of-the-art facility, situated in Traralgon, Victoria. Founded by owner, Billy Ayres, whose passion for motorcycles has evolved into a thriving enterprise, Eval’s culture has a deep connection to the local area – with the name “Eval” signifying Eastern Valley, symbolising our ties to the Eastern area of Latrobe Valley, where the Eval Motorcycle brand was born and bred.
Nestled amidst the picturesque views of Gippsland, just two hours east of Melbourne and framed by the rolling Strzelecki Ranges, this scenic corner of Latrobe Valley sits as the perfect pit-stop for your next weekend riding adventure.
Under the banner of the Ayres Motor Company, our deep passion for motorcycles has blossomed over the last 60 years to showcase our dedication to high-quality work.
Bringing Gippsland and surrounding areas a fully equipped workshop, specialising in all service-work, maintenance & repairs, insurance work, accessory fitting, electrical and much, much more, for all Harley Davidson, European and Japanese models, as well as a plethora of other popular bike brands.
Pop in-store to discuss our fixed-price servicing options, and check out our renowned feature showroom.
THE
UPHEVAL
STORY
Eval’s first fully custom build from back in 2016. This masterpiece of engineering features a plethora of bespoke parts and never-before seen features.
Billy’s entire vision for this motorcycle sprung to life thanks to a single seat, made by Tom from JunkMotor - Japan, at the Moon Eyes Hot Rod & Motorcycle Show in Yokohama, back in 2015. The seat, made of melted down, repurposed aluminium, became the very first piece in a puzzle of passion.
With inspirations drawn from Burt Munro - of World’s Fastest Indian fame – the build initially commenced with a 1986 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 in a Paughco frame, bored out to 1,000cc and powered by such custom internals as; roller bearings, ceramic coated pistons, shot-peened conrods and Andrews V6 cams. The original four-speed gearbox was utilised, but completely customised to run with a stick-shift selector.
This rolling show-piece features more bespoke parts than any Eval motorcycle at that time, boasting many one-of engine components – custom-made Eval downdraft Weber alloy manifold, fully custom one-piece speedway-styled header unit with brass trimmings and fixings all throughout.
The Paughco frame received extensive in-house modification, with over 50 individually cut and crafted brackets produced to create the elegant framework, along with modifications to suit a telescopic seat post and axle sliders.
A noteworthy addition being the girder springer system, which was completely customised. Based on compression and rebound springs from a 1951 Ariel 500, but with close to 150 additional, hand-made pieces created for its construction.
Heavy modifications to an Ariel fuel tank birthed the sleek, stylish unit that adorns the top of the frame, with polished copper lines partnering with polished brass fixings to demand your eyes every attention, with the front-mounted oil tank also adorned in polished brass and copper.
A 1949 AJS 500 found itself a willing donor for such parts as the rear mudguard and dual-set toolboxes, providing a further touch from the past, brought to life with a completely unique tailoring.
Lighting found it’s inspiration in the roaring 1920’s, with a time-period, nautical light being repurposed for the headlight, and an American car’s taillight from the same era finding it’s new forever home, mounted at the rearmost section of the frame.
Once housed as the functional centrepiece of the Eval showroom, Upheval now resides in Billy’s personal collection, awaiting the day that this striking, modern-day masterpiece can grace the spotlights of display once again.
