Corse Customs Sandton: Where Nothing Leaves Standard

I’ve been to a fair number of motorcycle dealerships, workshops and custom shops over the years. Most aren’t particularly difficult to find. You see the signage, walk through the door and there it is: motorcycles lined up neatly, some accessories hanging on the walls, a service department somewhere in the back and, usually, somebody ready to tell you why you should buy whatever happens to be standing closest to you.

Corse Customs in Sandton seems to take a different approach.

For starters, you have to bloody well find the place. It’s tucked away in a parking complex at the corner of Rivonia and South Road, opposite BMW Sandton. You drive into the Engen complex, find the parking structure, head up to P2 and follow the signs. Then you walk through the door…..

That’s when things get interesting. There are motorcycles everywhere, and very few of them look like they’ve just rolled out of a manufacturer’s warehouse.

Corse Customs Doesn’t Do “Standard”

Their philosophy is simple and consistent: nothing leaves the doors completely standard. That doesn’t mean hacking into and turning every motorcycle into an unrecognisable custom creation. Quite a lot of what they do is relatively subtle, a different exhaust, some carbon fibre, new mirrors, better looking indicators, a tail tidy, different levers, a change of paint, or a few parts that make you wonder why the factory didn’t fit them in the first place.

Occasionally things do get considerably more serious. The important point is that the original bike remains recognisable, but gains a bit of personality. The idea is to choose the bits you like and build your bike around your own taste and budget.

The Ducati influence is obvious, but what really caught my attention was the work they’re doing with QJMotor. Corse Customs is an authorised QJMotor dealer, and instead of simply selling the bikes as they arrive, the team treats them as a blank canvas. They’re effectively trailblazing QJMotor customisation in South Africa. That says a lot about both brands, QJ Motor is a credible platform to customise, and Corse Customs aren’t afraid of trying new things.

Making QJMotor Stand Out

The QJMotor SU 9 on the floor is a clear example. It’s still recognisably an SU9, but the less than sexy standard round indicators have been replaced with tiny fork mounted units, the big factory mirrors have been ditched for more sexy and purposeful alternatives, the rear end has been cleaned up and the bike has received a slicker paint job and other cosmetic touches. The result looks far more exotic than a bog standard example, close enough to an MV Agusta Super Veloce that you do a double take if you don’t spot the badge.

Nearby, the QJMotor SRK 800RR has received similar treatment. Passenger pegs have gone, the bulky factory number plate arrangement (the “scaffolding,” as they call it) has been tidied, indicators are tucked away, and details such as brake lever protectors with built in stealth mirrors give it a sharper, more purposeful stance. Seat cowls are inbound for both bikes, turning them into single seaters. Tire lettering is another favourite touch, it turns the bike into a moving billboard while looking properly sorted.

You don’t have to go completely nuts. The approach is modular. Point at the bits you like and the team will build around that.

The Boss’s Scrambler and the Award Winning SuperSport

One bike that immediately grabbed attention was a Ducati Scrambler 1100 Pro S. It’s one of the directors’ personal machines, and getting him to part with it is proving difficult. I can see why. It carries Öhlins suspension, plenty of carbon fibre, Ducati performance parts, an MBS exhaust and a collection of other modifications. Corse Customs is now the importer of Ducabike parts in South Africa, and many of those components appear on this machine. It functions as a rolling demonstration: customers can point and say “I want that bit” without having to take the entire package. Although, as anyone who’s started with “just the exhaust” knows, things can escalate.

Here’s where the story gets more serious. Corse Customs has taken Best Sports Bike at IDLE (Montecasino) for four consecutive years with Ash’s personal Ducati 950 SuperSport taking the 2026 title. Seeing the bike in the flesh, I can understand why. This is not a case of sticking carbon panels on and calling it done. The SuperSport has been comprehensively worked over with carbon components, Ducabike parts, exhaust, controls, mirrors, screen, quickshifter, swingarm protection and more. One particularly neat detail is the illuminated clear clutch cover: the LED stays on while the engine is running, so you can watch the oil circulating behind the clear clutch cover, and highlighted with LED’s for that extra…. Shine. It’s the kind of bike where you keep spotting another detail every time you walk around it.

There’s also a Ducati S4R wearing a carbon kit that, according to the team, exists on only two motorcycles in the world, one on their showroom floor and one in Las Vegas.

They Actually Built a Bike at the Idle Expo

One of the more entertaining stories is the live build at IDLE. They took a 2007 Ducati S2R that had only around 7,500 kilometres on the clock, decided the good original condition wasn’t enough, and chopped it up. A kit from Palotech in Italy supplied the headlight, side fairings, tailpiece and carbon fibre panels. The engine was rebuilt, the frame redone, hoses replaced and the exhaust changed to a neat side pipe rather than the original under seat arrangement that ran too close to the rear shock, which could have heated the rear shock up too much and affected the handling.

Much of the preparation had been done beforehand, but the bike was dismantled at the show and put back together during the event…. With one small problem? The team thought they had two relaxed days. Then they discovered the judges were judging that night. Suddenly it wasn’t the leisurely demonstration they had imagined. The S2R wasn’t entered into the competition, it was there to show what Corse Customs could do, but it makes a strong argument for the workshop’s capabilities. And it looked fantastic when finished.

Beyond Ducati: BMWs and Real Workshop Work

The Ducati focus doesn’t mean everything else is ignored. A 2020 BMW S1000RR on the floor has been converted with a 2025 body kit, then further upgraded with carbon fibre, Rotobox wheels, an aftermarket exhaust and GP style switchgear. There’s also an S1000R naked wearing plenty of M related kit and carbon. Both prove the workshop is comfortable working across brands.

Walk through into the workshop and the picture becomes clearer. This isn’t only about making motorcycles look special. Real mechanical work is happening. A second hand Yamaha R6 arrived after a previous workshop reassembled like their arses and has cracked casing, head gasket issues and more. Corse Customs is sorting it out. A Cagiva Mito 125 is receiving the TLC it needs (swingarm, paint, top end) with the aim of keeping it as original as parts availability allows before it returns to the floor. And a 1997 Ducati M900 is being transformed according to the owner’s brief to make it resemble a skeleton watch, exposing mechanical components so you can see the workings. Perspex covers and similar details are already taking shape. It’s exactly the sort of project that makes them tick, somebody arrives with an idea, and the team figures out how to turn it into a sexy bike, provided the canvas is suitable and works out a budget that makes sense.

They will work on Japanese bikes too. The attitude is straightforward, if the owner takes care and pride in the machine, the workshop will do the same. Adventure bikes are welcome. Lifestyle comes first.

So What Is Corse Customs Actually About?

After walking around and looking at everything from the award winning Ducatis to the customised QJMotors and the projects in the workshop, the answer is simple. It’s about making motorcycles different. Not necessarily louder. Not necessarily faster. Not necessarily covered in carbon from front to rear. Just different…. and personal.

If you’re perfectly happy with a completely standard motorcycle, there’s nothing wrong with that. Manufacturers spend millions developing them. But if you’ve ever looked at your bike and thought, “Flippen’ hell, that would look better if they’d just changed that…”, you’ll understand the attraction of this place pretty quickly. The team is willing to work with an idea when the motorcycle and the concept make sense, and refreshingly they’re realistic that custom work can get expensive very quickly.

It isn’t for everyone. It doesn’t need to be.

Finding Corse Customs in Sandton

Corse Customs sits at the corner of Rivonia and South Road in Sandton, opposite BMW Sandton. Drive into the Engen complex, head into the parking structure and follow the signs up to P2. It’s a little hidden, which is probably why it feels more like something you’ve discovered than somewhere you’ve simply arrived at.

Once you’re inside, give yourself time. Between the four time IDLE Best Sports Bike awards, the rare carbon S4R, the live build S2R, the Boss’s “Do Not Sell” Scrambler, the transformed QJMotors, the body kitted S1000RR and the various projects taking shape in the workshop, there’s a moer of a lot to look at.

And yes, they make a decent cup of coffee too.

For a motorcycle workshop hidden upstairs in a Sandton parking structure, Corse Customs has managed to make itself rather difficult to ignore.

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