Diversity is the name of the custom-sportbike-building game these days, and if it's not unique, it's not gonna cut it. New Hampshire-based Rick's Motorcycles has been banging out slick custom rides consistently, yet they're always dramatically different. BJ and John Basnett's latest creation shocked us but also inspired a bit of curiosity. [Isn't that what got J-Lo's big butt bit up in Anaconda? -Ed.]
The challenge was to be different this time around-different and better. The brothers Basnett decided to avoid lots of power mods on the bike and instead concentrated on simplicity, clean lines and good looks.
This means that when you look at the big Kwak, the most noticeable difference is in the bodywork. They cut, sectioned and filled the upperfairing-turning it into a one-piece panel. The painted windscreen visually became part of the upper bodywork, giving it a seriously distinctive look as well. Next, the guys reworked the appearance of the headlights, but they wanted to keep the unique Kawasaki look. Instead of just dropping in a borrowed upper fairing from a different model, they put in the time and effort to makebthe existing one special. The end result uses the original headlight, looks 100 percent Kawasaki and yet it's still different from any other Kwacker out there.
In back, the bike received similar treatment. The tail was cut and sectioned until it was a one-piece unit that's wider by about an inch on each side (to cover that huge 360 tire). The rest of the bodywork was reworked pretty extensively, too, as you can see. By the time they'd finished the body, the bike started looking like a giant snake ready to spring, which helped make the decision regarding paint options a no-brainer.
To match the serpent-styled paint scheme (applied in-house), the seat, hoses and cables were sent off to All-Nu to be covered in real python skin.
The snake needed to slither on some pretty special rims, and if you check out the rear you'll see it's not only enormous, it's massively offset. They had a special one-off pair of wheels made by RC Components, and the rear is 14 inches wide with a 9-inch offset to the right side, which gives it a style that almost resembles a single-sided swingarm's arrangement. Obviously, it's actually a standard double-sided swingarm made by C&S Custom Cycles-but what a cool look.
The cutouts they gave the bodywork revealed a lot more engine than a standard bike, so everything visible was polished. Also polished were the handlebars and the one-off billet instrument housing, made in-house after a lengthy caffeine binge.
As with any true custom, there's an almost infinite amount of small touches-a Matt Hotch-supplied pop-up gas cap, a Pingel electric air shifter that changes down as well as up and a host of other details-simply too many to list.
Rick's Motorcycles has given us another example of the forward thinking and natural design abilities that make us so proud of our scene. How long is it going to be before the collectors who buy some of the landmark chopper builds start investing in the new wave of bikes being created by the new masters?
Getting caught up in a debate about plastic versus metal or V-twins versus in-line fours is completely missing the point. That stuff is secondary when there are snake-themed stalkers staging at the lights.
The Buyer's Box
2005 Kawasaki ZX-10R
Front end: Original forks cut down 3 inches, RIS Design rotors, one-off RC Components wheel, CRG levers, in-house braided brake lines
Rear end: C&S Custom Cycles 10-inch-over 360 swingarm kit, one-off RC Components 14-inch-wide wheel with 9-inch offset, custom sprocket, caliper and caliper mount
Motor: Standard with polished cases and python-skin hose covers, GP-style modified laser exhaust
Paint: PPG candy green with a gold base appliedin-house by Eric Chase
Polish/chrome: Polishing done in-house at Rick's, rims chromed by RC Components
Bodywork: One-piece ram-air design upper fairing, custom one-piece tailsection, cut, welded and raised gas tank, Matt Hotch pop-up flush mount gas cap, all bodywork slash cut and molded
Accessories: Hyper Pro top mounted steering damper, Pingel electric air shifter
Other: Custom billet instrument housing, Gilles rearsets, Yaffe license plate bracket and taillight, billet brake master cylinder, gold series 530 chain
Owner/builder: Rick's Motorcycles
www.ricksmotorcycles.com