Touched By An Angel
When Ricardo Chique's father, Chico, passed away at the age of 90 in 2004, Chique knew there was only one thing he could do to honor his father's memory-build up a custom sportbike that would serve as a rolling tribute to the man who had been an inspiration to him for his entire life. After all, it was his father who incited his lifelong passion for motorcycles way back when he was just 13 years old and growing up in New Jersey (Chique now lives in Huntington Beach, California, where he operate R-Cal Racing). And since one of the greatest passions the father-son duo shared in recent years was watching Anaheim Angels ball games together, when it came time to come up with a theme the Angels motif made perfect sense. Starting with an unwanted '93 Kawasaki ZX-11 that was sitting around the shop, Chique attacked the motor first. If his father loved speed, this bike certainly is the perfect tribute: 1mm-over JE pistons, balanced and lightened crank, Carrillo Rods, Kibblewhite titanium valves, Web cams, flat-slide carbs, a Yosh RS-3 full exhaust and an NOS kit from Mike "Go-Go" Golightly and Mike Flynn at Nitrous Supply are just the beginning of the engine mods Chique made, enough for 150 all-motor hp and 205 on the bottle. The Race Tech fettled-suspension front and rear sorts the chassis, Galfer Wave-cut rotors and custom-braided lines slow things down. But of course, it's the appearance that really sets this bike apart-the frame, swingarm and forks have been powdercoated black by Norman Harboldt, the remaining hard parts were either chromed or polished (including the wheels) by Steve Jones of California Polishing and the Angels-themed paintwork was applied by Mike Vu of MV Designz in Santa Ana. The execution, as you can see from these photos, is absolutely flawless and we can't think of a better tribute to the angels in Chique's life (ball playing or otherwise) than this bike.
 Even the nitrous bottle got...  Even the nitrous bottle got the Angels treatment on Chique's Kawasaki. The Nitrous Express system helps boost output to 205 hp at the wheel. The Angels chainguard is a one-off piece. |  The lower fairing on Chique's...  The lower fairing on Chique's ZX-11 was trimmed away slightly to show off a bit more of the motor. Polished wheels (fitted with Galfer Wave rotors up front) contrast nicely with the black-out frame and swingarm. |  A Scotts rotary steering damper...  A Scotts rotary steering damper keeps the front end tracking straight at speed. Ink stain-black powdercoating on the upper triple, clip-ons and levers was done by Norman Harboldt. Custom Angels-themed master cylinder caps are a nice touch. |
Christopher Simms shows us...
Christopher Simms shows us a fresh take on the traditional flame paint job by choosing some very unconventional (and eye-grabbing) colors: neon green and yellow licks laid over a bright-orange basecoat. This bike attracts attention, yo!
A Hayabusa With A-Lure
As any fisherman knows, all it takes to attract attention is something very bright and very shiny. Good custom bike builders abide by this same rule, and, as you can tell from the retina-searing neon licks on the side of this Hayabusa, Christopher Simms of C&S Insane Custom Cycles in Waldorf, Maryland (just outside of Washington D.C.), is one of these. Simms' operation is a one-man show, and he handles all aspects of custom bike construction, including paint. His personal bike (photographed here) shows off his skills in that department in the form of a safety-orange basecoat covered with tasty neon lime and lemon yellow flameage on the flanks. Setting off this eye-blistering paint is plenty of bling, also done in-house by Simms. That's right, most everything that shines on this bike is hand-polished aluminum, not chrome, though a close inspection of his polished parts show them to be so smooth and lustrous that you'd never tell the difference. Save for the paint and polishing, the rest of this bike is mostly bolt-on mods, including Performance Machine Roulette wheels, Wave rotors, an undertail to clean up the rear end, billet grips and a tight-looking shorty exhaust with a scalloped tip also done by Simms. All and all, it is a very clean bike that has been helping Simms and C&S Insane Custom Cycles to make a mark on the Northeast show scene, including sweeping first through fourth places at the 2005 Washington D.C. World of Wheels and a handful of firsts at other local shows in the area over this past summer.
 |  A look at Simm's 'Busa from...  A look at Simm's 'Busa from the front and the back: ST Machine "Pig Spotter" mirrors clean up the fairing, while an enclosed undertail smooths out the back nicely. |  Simms does all of the customizing...  Simms does all of the customizing at C&S Insane Custom Cycles himself, including painting and polishing. His polishing skills are on display in the cockpit, on the triples, bars, levers, master cylinders and other shined-up pieces. |