Goodhal Garage

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Micah Vince’s 1974 Honda CB360

Fashion comes at a high price, so it is said, and that statement applies to custom motorcycles. The chopper is a prime example, with practicality almost completely abandoned at the altar of high style. The look is outrageous, but chopper perform far worse than a stock bike. It’s a war between the mundane and the majestic, the heart and the mind, and you have to decide how far you’re willing to go to achieve the “perfect” build.

This 1974 Honda CB360 from Micah Vince of Detroit, MI, is a great example of the compromises required to reach the look and style he was after. I find the bike extremely attractive, with a wonderful, muted color scheme and aggressive stance. She’s a joy to behold, and I would be willing to wager she receives admiring glances wherever she roams.

It’s the going part that troubles me. First off is a complete lack of turn signals and mirrors, with a brake light mounted so low as to be very ineffective. This produces a sleek appearance, but increases the danger level beyond acceptable. It’s hard enough to be seen while riding, why make that task even more difficult? The riveted leather slab that comprises the seat surely evokes tha charm and simplicity of yesteryear, but it’s almost completely useless on any ride that involves more than a trip around the block. She’s a great around-town and show bike, but the limitations built in allow her to only be that.

In the battle between heart and mind, all show and no go may initially look perfect, but in the long run it’s a losing proposition. The bike as art is an interesting concept, but ultimately defeats a motorcycles’ raison d'être- to ride.

She sure does look nice, though!

Source: Moto-Mucci

Road 076

Garage 074

WTF 058

Friday, March 21, 2014

Cannibal By Steel Bent Customs

The Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) was a staple of motorcycling in the 1970’s. You saw them everywhere, and there was little difference between a Honda and a Kawasaki, or a Suzuki and a Yamaha. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that more specialized machines started to take over the market, and the UJM’s became an endangered species, relegated to a few short, unsuccessful comebacks (Kawasaki Zephyr, Honda 750 Nighthawk for examples).

For some reason, once a UJM is taken in hand for conversion to a cafe racer, the unique DNA of each brand tends to assert itself on the design, and this 1971 Honda CB500 from Steel Bent Customs is a perfect example of why that is a good thing. Just with a quick glance, you know this bike is a Honda, even without seeing the wing emblem. Stripped down to the bare essentials, like all great cafe racers, the character and soul of the machine is laid bare. If you’re guided by the machine, as Steel Bent Customs was, there will be a flow to the design that only works on that specific brand. Take the tank and tail section of “Cannibal” and try to mount it on a Kawasaki or Suzuki and the result will be mediocre at best.

Steel Bent Customs understands the soul and nature of the beast, and that’s why this is a great build!