From a backyard bolt-on to a wild one-off build, there are different levels of custom bike building. While many are content with slapping on a fancy paint job and a handful of purchased parts, others start with a basic concept and then create every mod from scratch.
The latter applies to Carlos Navarro, who has been pumping out custom sportbikes in Southern California for years. His latest creation pushes the custom bike bar a notch higher while still maintaining his signature West Coast style. He explained how the bike was born: "The owner talked to me about building him a masterpiece: super clean looking with a lot of detail. The project took a while because we went through multiple swingarms, sets of custom wheels, seats and custom exhaust systems."
There aren't many parts on a typical custom sportbike that haven't been replaced, polished or otherwise modified, but there is one component that's usually left alone-the engine cases. While chopper builders use the motor as a showpiece, traditionally custom sportbike tuners haven't given it a lot of attention, presumably because it's hidden behind bodywork.
Despite its full fairing, Navarro decided to take the bling appeal a notch higher by polishing the engine block and every piece on the motor. "It took a month to polish the motor with hand tools. It took almost two weeks to get it smooth, and then another two weeks to polish it!"
He was far from finished with just that single shiny trick though. A Gregg's Custom Sidearm is a work of art in its own right, but that wasn't good enough for Navarro. He added laser cut accents to the rear bracing for that extra bit of customization. A radiator cover, exhaust shield and subframe insert also received his holy treatment for that smooth lowrider look. Even the Vortex rearsets received an extra somethin' in the form of custom pegs courtesy of Eye Candy.
Hiding an open wheel with a bulky exhaust is like putting Ice T's well-assembled wife, Coco, in a pair of granny panties. To keep the behind in clear sight, a custom pipe was extended off a Tsukigi header, and it sounds as mean as it looks. Further finishing touches are found from front to back, and it's the sum off all these tweaked parts that elevates Navarro's art beyond standard showbike status.