Starting with a rigid frame built by Rolling Thunder, Bastard Son began with a standard length backbone and down tubes shortened four-inches. Then Yoshi modified the top of the down tubes, backbone, and neck to form a gooseneck steering head raked to 36-degrees. Instead of bolting an old springer to the neck, he felt the bike would handle better and look more like a race bike if he used something more modern. As a contrast to the rigid rear section and lack of suspension, Yoshi used a ‘06 GSX-R inverted front end, a proven set of forks that are guaranteed to enhance the handling characteristics of the bike.
Choosing to work primarily on early ‘80s bikes and motors, Yoshi doesn’t mind compromising a little when he works with reproduction motors like S&S’ SH-Series. The S&S motor resembles a motor built mostly during the ‘70s, but features improvements over the original. A reasonably powerful motor right from the factory, S&S claims the 86” produces higher torque and horsepower numbers, plus improved oiling systems, over the motor built more than 30 years ago. Yoshi employed other S&S components like a Super E carburetor, and their single fire ignition. In line with his love of the antique, he fashioned an early-style air-cleaner cover to fit the modern carb and built a set of custom exhaust pipes covered by black, heat-insulating header wrap like the racers of the past. A Primo 3” open primary was secured to the motor with a custom fabbed belt guard, powder coated gray, with holes drilled on one side to keep its weight down. A RevTech 5-speed transmission, built with a sprocket for the chain drive final, transfers power to the rear wheel. Mounted on the tail end of the trans and underneath the starter is a custom made bracket and stash tube that’s just big enough to hold registration papers.
Motorcycles have been built with spoked wheels from the beginning and have been used in racing for more than 100 years. With a timeless design, it’s no wonder that Yoshi incorporates spokes on so many of his builds. Bastard Son’s rear rim is a fatty 18×8.5,” and the front is a 21×2.25” each built with sixty Buchanan stainless steel spokes, assembled by Garage Company, with rims and hubs powdecoated gray to match the natural cast finish of the motor’s cases and heads. Next, he shoehorned a meaty 250/55×18 Avon tire between the frame tubes in the rear and decided on a narrow Avon MT90-21 tire for the front end to give the bike more of a drag racing look.
Great brakes are a must for a bike designed for speed. From his racing background, Yoshi doesn’t want his customers hurtling out of control because of inadequate braking and uses the best deceleration devices on his custom builds (but still applies period correct braking systems on restorations). In this case he used a rear mounted 4-piston P.M. caliper to clamp down on a Russell 11.5” floating rotor to put a stop to the rotation of the big back tire. The front brakes are a pair of Nissin GSX-R calipers working with a pair of Brembo floating rotors, both manufactured to effectively handle and reduce inertia created by racing speeds.
Superfluous metal is the equivalent of a lead anchor on a bike designed with any kind of racing in mind, so sheet metal on a Garage Company built machine is minimal, consisting of only the essentials. Yoshi modified a Sportster King gas tank by cutting out and indenting the sides of the tank so it won’t interfere with the handlebars during a hard turn. “I think the tank’s shape looks like a shark, an animal designed for speed. It helps make the bike look fast and the indentations are functional, it’s not modified just for looks,” Yoshi said. The other sheet metal necessities consisted of a CCI barrel-style oil tank, and a modified MGS rear fender that acts as little more than a splashguard for the transmission.
Coloring for the bike was also no-nonsense. It was painted flat and gloss black by Mar’s Paint Shop. The anodized gold legs of the GSX-R front end set a precedent for the accent color of the bike. Yoshi used gold and brass accents throughout, keeping the original color of the Nissin calipers in the front, and using gold colored plug wires, cool billet brass exhaust tips that appear a gold color if kept polished, and gold colored links on the chain final drive. Yoshi also made a brass bezel for the custom taillight and solid brass accent pieces beaten and molded to form perfectly to the front of the gas tank and the edge of the rear fender.
Though many of the accessories used on the bike are not exactly intended for racing, they do make city riding more comfortable and keep the bike legal. Garage Company welded up a set of handlebars with built-in risers and a curved license mount attached to the rear of the primary backing plate. Arlen Ness hand controls were secured to the handlebars and a flush mount Ness gas cap maintains the tank’s low profile. MID-USA foot controls and foot pegs were bolted to the frame and a four-inch halogen headlight from the Custom Chrome catalog sits on the lower triple tree. The Garage Company seat pan is cushioned by a hidden air shock with air-pressure controlled by an air-compressor stashed underneath the trans. Once the seat pan and suspension were configured it was covered in black leather and engraved with the bike’s name, Bastard Son, by a leather worker named Buck Dobbs.
The final result was a Garage Company thoroughbred featuring a number of Yoshi’s custom hallmarks. It’s a bike that looks as though it would be just as comfortable on a drag strip as it is cruising the streets of L.A. Bastard Son is a fitting name — Yoshi built this bike every bit as mean as its name implies.
Builder: Yoshi Kosaka
Garage Company
As the owner of Garage Company in Los Angeles, California, Yoshi derives most of his inspiration for his minimalist custom builds from racing. Though he may work on and incorporate many motors into his custom builds that aren’t usually considered for any kind of racing, it is quite obvious that when he builds a bike he uses the customer’s requirements to create his version of a race bike within the customer’s budget and using their required components. For instance, Bastard Son uses an S&S SH 86” motor aesthetically designed in the early ‘60s and a contemporary high-performance inverted GSX-R front end built in the twenty-first century. “I like bobbers and dragster style bikes with racing style. I think a bike should be simple, I’m not into choppers or chrome decorations,” Yoshi said.
He’s always thinking about racing and he actually races whenever he has the time. “I hope to race in New Mexico this September and then at Willow Springs during the last week of April.” He primarily participates in vintage road racing and is the head sponsor of the Willow Springs Corsa Moto Classica featuring vintage racing, a bike show and swap meet. Of course, Yoshi rides vintage iron in the event, “I race with a ’68 Harley-Davidson KR and my national vintage road race number is 22. The KR is a great bike to race and it’s one of my favorite bikes of all time,” Yoshi said. He’s been racing for years and when he wasn’t quite as busy with his shop, he used to race once a month. He actively watched and participated in the national events and won the national championship in 1993. “I’m getting old, but I’ll race as long as my body lets me,” he said.
For more information about Garage Company and vintage racing, call 310-821-1793 or visit www.garagecompany.com.
This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #59, December 2007.
SPECIFICATIONS | |
---|---|
Owner: | Todd Terry |
Year / Make: | ’06 Garage Company |
Fabrication: | Garage Company |
Assembly: | Garage Company |
Build time: | three months |
Engine: | S&S 86″ SH-Series |
Cases: | S&S |
Flywheels: | S&S |
Rods: | S&S |
Pistons: | S&S |
Cylinders: | S&S |
Heads: | S&S |
Cam: | S&S |
Ignition: | S&S |
Carb: | S&S Super E |
Pipes: | Garage Company |
Air Cleaner: | Early style |
Transmission: | RevTech 5-speed |
Primary: | Primo 3″ open |
Clutch: | Primo |
Frame: | Rolling Thunder/ Garage Company |
Rake: | 36-degrees |
Stretch: | 4″ under |
Forks: | ’06 GSX-R |
Front Wheel: | 21″ Buchanan |
Rear Wheel: | 18×8.5″ Buchanan |
Front Tire: | MT90x21 Avon |
Rear Tire: | 250/55×18 Avon |
Front Brakes: | Dual Nissin 4-piston calipers |
Rear Brakes: | P.M. 4-piston |
Fuel Tank: | H-D/Garage Company |
Oil Tank: | CCI |
Fender: | Garage Company |
Handlebars: | Garage Company |
Risers: | Garage Company |
Headlight: | CCI |
Taillight: | Garage Company |
Hand Controls: | Arlen Ness |
Foot Controls: | MID-USA |
Electrical: | Garage Company |
Chroming: | Supreme Plating |
Painter: | Mar’s Paint Shop |
Color: | Flat and Gloss Black |
Polishing: | Supreme Plating |
Seat: | Garage Company/Buck Dobbs |