And Then There Were Three
The orange tribal beast wasn't the only machine destined for the Tokyo Show. Since Honda had two 750 A.C.E. frames shipped to Benson and Stryker, they came through with vastly different interpretations of the directive.
The preceding tribal-themed orange conglomeration was a wild, decidedly darker exploration of the Shadow's possibilities, so a starker version was dressed up to highlight less involved custom processes. The cleaner, greener version is striking in its own manner, radiating an almost minimalist elegance.
While the bike was lowered slightly by moving the shock mounts and installing Koni shocks, the forks remained stock; only a bit of chrome was applied to freshen them up. Most people will do a double take when they see the S&S air cleaner residing over the engine bay. In a fit of inspiration, Doran Benson modified the incompatible bracketry to fit the Honda. Stock tires and rims serve this more subtle Shadow well. John Rossi of Capital Auto Body applied House of Kolor candy-green paint. The drag-style bar from Flanders was mounted on Drag Specialties risers. The seat came from Corbin, headlight from Headwinds and footrests from Jaybrake. The custom fuel tank was Benson's design.
As a final punctuation mark to their crash course in metric customizing, Benson and Stryker also cooked up a clean, starker, redder manifestation of a Honda Shadow 1100. Storz forks are linked to RC Components wheels, and the unexpected appearance of Edelbrock dual carbs on this metric cruiser jazzes up the engine bay appreciably.
A unique 2-into-2 upswept exhaust system emphasizes the bike's horizontal design and further cleans up the lines. An application of House of Kolor bright red paint provides a stunning focal point and contrasts nicely with the lighter chrome bits.
The lesson brought to us by Honda R&D? You don't have to be black and orange to turn heads. Sometimes cool green or spicy red will do the trick.
Although you can't fire up these show bikes' engines, and much of the accessories and bodywork were born of superhuman muscle and imagination, we're impressed by the creative possibilities exemplified by these Honda Shadows. Now, if only we could get one of these bad boys to run...
Jaybrake Enterprises
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