Who forgot to call Savage Custom when Honda was holding their Fury focus groups? If you ask me, this is what the “Furby” should have looked like, not some clueless plastic toy knock-off of a chopper. If Mel Gibson’s Mad Max character had chosen a motorcycle for his steed, rather than a supercharged ’73 Ford Falcon V8, I’m pretty sure that it would have looked a lot like this wild ride cobbled together by 28-year-old Travis Johnson. His mashup of primitive components from a 30-year-old CM400 hashed together with state of the art auto racing elements compels your mind to conjure bizarro back stories replete with desperately needed parts pried from dead clammy hands, and hillbilly hell ride hill climbs with hordes of drooling mutants in hot pursuit. While truth is often stranger than fiction, in this case, thankfully, it’s a bit more tame. Travis explains, “This particular motorcycle had just been getting in my way for the longest time. A friend of mine had brought this Honda in and thought maybe we could do something with it, but it just got pushed around the shop for awhile. I typically build British bikes and Harley-Davidsons, but I eventually decided I was gonna put it on the lift and start doing something with it.”

Once Travis turned his attention to the lonely Honda though, he began to see some intriguing possibilities. “That light-weight, high-performance, aluminum girder front end has sort of always been in the back of my brain as something I wanted to do, but it needed a light-weight motorcycle to go with it, so it just all sort of worked together. I built that first, and once I put it on, the rest of the bike started coming together.”

The raw and ready purpose-built aesthetic of the bike was no accident either. According to Travis, “My background is in race cars. Ever since I was a little kid, I grew up racing midgets and sprint cars, and eventually went to work for a couple of people building them. I went on and built top fuel dragsters and funny cars and got to work for a lot of people big in the motorsports industry. So particularly for this bike with all the bare metal, and the lightweight aluminum components, and the way everything’s machined, it all kind of comes from that race car world. Once I put the fuel tank on and it looked real nice, that’s what drove me to do all the rest of the components that way. I just kind of stood back and let the bike tell me what it wants. Originally I planned to have this bike painted. It’s for sale (Travis can be reached at t7613@comcast.net), so if somebody wanted us to we could paint it for them. I like nice paint, it just isn’t the first thing I think about when I build a bike.”

While you may not, “meet the nicest people”, on this Honda, Travis swears that it loves to get up and get out in the world. “It’s loud, obnoxious, and you can ride it balls to the wall. It’s less than 400 lbs and that shock that I used is right off the suspension of a high performance quarter midget race car. It’s probably the best suspension money can buy as far as shock valving and technology and stuff. I knew from experience how well a girder could handle if it’s set up right, but this bike just really blows me away with how well it performs and reacts so fast to your movements. It’s super maneuverable, and it’s fun to ride. I rode it all the way to Born Free 3 and back (between Tacoma and L.A.).”

When I asked Travis how many pairs of jeans he had stacked up on the unfinished seat pan in order to make that giant journey, he copped to having rolled up a sweatshirt or two, but added that he’d gladly add a finished leather pad for a buyer who wanted one. See, now that’s customer service for ya’! So there you have it. Insane looks, race-bred performance, and it even comes with paint and a seat as options. Hey, what more could you ask for? Plastic parts, tribal graphics and a warrantee?!

 

SPECIFICATIONS
Name of bike: Currently For Sale Owner: Travis Johnson Year/Make: 1981 Honda CM 400 Fabrication: Travis Johnson at Savage Custom Assembly: Savage Custom Build time: 4-months Engine: Stock Honda CM 400 Carb: Handmade aluminum intake manifolds with Mikuini carbs Pipes: stainless steel, tuned exhaust built by Savage Custom Air Cleaner: None Transmission: Honda 5-speed Frame: One of a kind built by Savage Custom Rake: 32-degrees Stretch: 5″ Forks: Aluminum girder built by Savage Custom Fork length (+ or -): 28 total length Additional rake in trees: None Front wheel: 19″ Rear wheel: 16″ aluminum Front Tire (size and make): Goodyear sport rib MM90-19T		Rear Tire (size and make): 130/90-16 Front Brake: Honda caliper smoothed and lightened, custom made rotor, Honda master cylinder with hand made aluminum resevoir Rear Brake: Honda drum brake Fuel Tank: Aluminum, built by Savage Custom Oil Tank: Fenders: Custom made by Savage Custom Handlebars: Built by Savage Custom Risers: Built-in Sissy bar: Custom made by Savage Custom Headlight: Fog light out of my parts stash Taillight: Custom made by Savage Custom Hand Controls: Grips: Hippy Killer Motorcycle Foot Controls: Custom made by Savage Custom Pegs: Aluminum, hand machined by Savage Custom Electrical: Savage Custom Color: Bare metal and aluminum Graphics: Black Sharpie Polishing: No Seat: Aluminum seat pan by Savage Custom Any special features of the bike not listed in spec sheet that should be pointed out: Super lightweight bike that is fun to ride and handles great. Loud! And obnoxious! Stands out in the crowd. Ride it hard like a race bike or just cruise it around town. Special thanks to: My dad!! for the knowledge, and the SCB crew.