If you hadn’t before, by now you’ve probably noticed that this bike named El Vendetta is not a Harley or even one of the many Motor Company clones. But, it is the closest thing to a Harley-Davidson ever produced by a company from The Land of the Rising Sun. Technically it’s a Star motorcycle I think, but we all know it’s really a Yamaha. I’m still having trouble referring to Yamaha cruisers as the Star brand, but I guess that’s what it is now even though this was usually referred to as a Yamaha in 2008 (Attn. Yamaha – Just be Yamaha not some mysterious silly Star brand whatever the hell that is.). Hey Star, I’m sticking with Yamaha, sorry.

 

  Anyway, H. Gio began with a 2008 Roadliner that he worked over from the heart out and in this case it was a 113-inch heart (counterbalanced like a Twin Cam B) stroked to 120-inches with Blacksmith’s Gundam turbo kit hanging off it plus an additional supplement of Nitrous Oxide on hand in case a rider needs to go to eleven. According to H. Gio, there’s a claimed 200+ horses at the rear wheel which should be just about enough to catapult you back in time at the twist of the grip. The air-cooled it sounds pretty good too through its rather different CCS Choppers tube fest (I can’t just call that complex thing an exhaust) in chorus with the whistling turbo as this short video will attest.

 

  Also by now you’ve probably guessed this is a custom bagger with a lot of bolt-on stuff on it. Normally, that might not be too interesting, but in this case, it is. Blacksmith Motoring Company makes and sells these original bolt-on parts. Oh, you know, little things like their 26” wheel Phantom conversion kit that H. Gio swears by will not affect your handling compared to stock. He even made this video showing the agility of his bike versus a stocker to help prove his point. Personally, I don’t know jack about how a really big wheel dresser handles, but he sure slalomed around like it was no big deal. I can tell you for a fact that this could not be done on the fairly recent, but now passé custom trend of 360mm rear wheels, that’s for sure, so maybe these big front wheels aren’t as bad as I’d envisioned them.

 

   What aftermarket pieces H. Gio does use are from companies like Renegade Wheels and Hawg Halters Inc brakes and it’s good when a designer realizes he can’t reinvent everything especially when there’re products from companies like these. I mean, how can you not appreciate it when a company like HHI makes a set of triple trees that allows you to install a big 26” wheel and not have to modify the frame while retaining stock steering numbers? Where he does his own thing is stuff like the Blacksmith Bandito Air Ride system which is claimed to lift up the bike in one second. And, yes, this is one of those bolt-on parts I mentioned earlier that will fit a broad range of similar Yamaha models. There are also other Blacksmith bolt-on parts like those Gunrunner two-piece floorboards that win the size prize from what I’ve seen and you can’t forget that heel and toe shifter that finally answers the late Clara Peller’s famous question of “Where’s the beef?” It’s right here in this shifter you’ll never mistake for someone else’s. 

 

   There are tons of other cool parts and pieces, but if you took the time to check out Jack’s photo gallery like I suggested you’d notice something else pretty special all over this bike. No, it’s not the paint I’m referring too which is actually pretty damn Day of the Dead cool, but the engraving on the engine, wheels, forks, especially the hand controls, and wherever else I missed. This is what H. Gio refers to as “engraved powdercoating” and you gotta admit it’s an eye catcher. This is one of the many in-house services Blacksmith provides along with stunning paint and leather work. I’ve always admired great engraving, but I certainly hate mediocre stuff and even though there’s tons of it, it’s neither boringly repetitious nor mediocre. It’s just kinda fun and playful. Blacksmith’s leather services whipped up the alligator that creepily looks like an alligator is crawling across the bike. It’s a great job, but maybe I’m just a distressed leather guy and not into reptile skin. Anyway, they do lots of other beautiful stuff in hides so check it out. 

 

  All in all, I was way more than pleasantly surprised to spend time poring over photos and seeing what Mr. Giovanni has been up to. Just in case I did a crappy job of explaining what’s up with El Vendetta, here’s a comprehensive video by H. Gio himself telling you what’s up with his bagger. If that video or even my story piqued your interest, you better be sure to check out Blacksmith’s website www.blacksmithmotoring.com or their Facebook page for more info.