Spider-Man's nemesis the Green Goblin experimented with chemistry in a vain attempt to increase both his intelligence and strength-instead, his experiments just drove him insane. We think that Tony Sesto of Sesto Customs in Long Beach, California, might be partially insane too for choosing a Honda CBR600RR-a bike with very little off-the-shelf aftermarket custom parts available-as the basis for his super streetbike. "When thinking about what kind of bike to build, I realized that nobody has built a custom 600 to the standards that most modern customs are built to," Sesto explains. First on his list was the single-sided swingarm with a 240 tire, fabricated in collaboration by Aaron Land from Bike Buddy Pro and the team of Eddie McCoy and Ron Roth at Eye Candy Cycle Designs. The front half of the swingarm is from the original Honda Unit Pro-Link arm, hacked off and welded to the extension and hub unit from a 2005 Triumph Speed Triple, stretching out the CBR's wheelbase six inches in the process. Eye Candy Cycle Designs then fabricated the upper fork covers and sliders, triple tree cover, rear wheel center cap, swingarm pivot cover, and the dummy rotor up front, in addition to taking care of all the chroming. The wheels are one-offs by Paul Deneen of Deneen Designs, while a Performance Machine front master cylinder and bar switches (originally designed for Harley-Davidsons) were modified to fit the Honda bars set off with RIS Designs grips. Finishing the chassis off is a Hi-Lo Rider air suspension from Bike Buddy Pro that lets Sesto raise and lower the ass end of the bike six inches at the push of a remote-control button. Killer paint is the work of Cory St. Clair of 3rd Element Designs, a name well known in custom car circles who is now introducing his talents to the world of custom bikes. The basecoat is a candy green color-shifting paint with a water drop effect and murals of what Sesto calls "orks" covering the windscreen and fuel tank, along with realistic flames mixed with a glow-in-the-dark additive for an unmatched after-dark effect. Like the namesake Green Goblin, Sesto has created one hawt Honda that walks the line between genius and insanity.
Anger Management
A few months back in our November 2006 issue ("Hell's Tailgunner," page 66), we featured a pair of wild streetfighters from Wisconsin built by Jim Haucke of Angry Guy Streetfighters (www.angryguysf.com) and Dave Begotka of Motocyco (www.begotka.com). Turns out that those two weren't the only wild ones that Haucke and Begotka had up their sleeves, as evidenced by this nicely turned out trio they were showing off at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, during this past summer's AMA Superbike National. The flamed GSX-R1000 is Begotka's personal ride, named "The Dragon." Cool stuff includes the "Psycho" tailsection made by Begotka (andavailable for sale through his Web site) that utilizes the stock GSX-R taillight turned upside down, a one-off front fender mounted motocross-style to the lower triple clamp and bunches of funky, Begotka-built bits like frame sliders, frame-mounted turn signals, axle sliders, handguards and the headlight mount carrying twin projection-beam fog lamps. Crazy paint, incorporating realistic flames and a dragon mural on the tank, is the work of Begotka's talented wife, Sandra. Speaking of crazy paint, the first thing you notice on Haucke's '94 Honda CBR900RR streetfighter is the sick eyeball-motif graphics covering the powdercoated frame and custom bodywork consisting of a stock tank and radically upswept "Cop Killer" tailsection (complete with custom underseat exhaust by Haucke and "punishing" saddle) that was sourced from Bimbo's Fighters in Germany. Said wild paint is the work of Bjorn Hansen at Kuma Auto Art in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, who also laid down the color on Haucke's other CBR900RR, a 1993 model with a Scorpion mural on the tank. The tank is actually the only piece of stock bodywork that remains on the '93 bike-the rest is just more German goodness from Bimbo's (and now available in the U.S. through Angry Guy), including the "Execute" tailsection, "Formicula" headlight surround, "666 Special" front fender and "Zorn" bellypan.
Tripod Ninja
"Catalog customs are not-and will not ever be-a part of my business plan. If it's not hand-built, it's not custom." So says Geo from Geo's Custom Cycles in Monmouth County, New Jersey (www.geos-cc.com), the builder behind this outrageous trike based on a 1998 Kawasaki ZX-6R. Far from a bolt-on creation, this trike required that Geo custom fabricate the rear swingarm/axle using the front half of the ZX-6R swingarm mated with a rear section amputated from a Kawasaki KFX400 quad. Once the swingarm was fabbed up, Geo had to design and build the adapter plate that allowed him to fuse the KFX400 hubs with new studs with the proper spacing to accommodate the 17-inch Foose rims and tires that put the power to the ground. But that doesn't look like a 1998 Ninja, you might be saying to yourself, and you would be right. The upper fairing is actually off of a 2005 Kawasaki ZZR600, and the blinker holes were plastic welded shut for that clean, smooth look. Underneath the fairing, the motor features a milled cylinder head, competition valve job, adjustable cam sprockets, degreed cams, undercut transmission and a shift kit-all to help break the two car tires loose. On the exhaust end, Hindle head pipes and a custom, flame-shaped outlet exit spent gases, while the paint is a mix of House of Kolor pearls, candies and clear to make the bike shine as bright as the sun. "I chose to build a bike that nothing is made for," Geo says. "That's the test for a 'true' custom bike builder." We give Geo a passing grade. "
The Hulk!
Is this what happens when you make a 2000 Kawasaki ZX-9R angry? Inspired by his favorite childhood hero, The Incredible Hulk, Clint Grolla reworked his 2000 Kawasaki ZX-9R into this sweet custom that can be appreciated by young and old alike in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. The lifelike depiction of the green meanie is the creation of Lucy's Airbrush in Decatur, Illinois, and cleverly incorporates the Ninja's original green and purple hues that are also Kawi's corporate colors, including the purple powdercoated engine case covers and purple anodized Pro Bolt bolt kit from Tastynuts.com. Speaking of hulking, Grolla's ride rolls on a 300mm Metzeler ME 880 rear tire mounted on an RC Components Gladiator rim pinched by a McIntosh 11-inch-over extended swingarm that was installed by EPC Racing in Dayton, Ohio. Beneath the bodywork is a mostly stock 134-hp ZX-9R motor with a Leo Vince high-mount carbon-fiber exhaust and, for when 134 hp isn't enough, a nitrous system with a green-painted bottle buried in the swingarm. "I love to see the kids' reactions when they see it and ask to have their pictures taken next to it at bike shows." Grolla adds.