Those who've been bitten by the custom bug will always find new and creative ways to make their machines stand out, even when it seems like everything's already been done before. Lately the glitz and glam of billet and bling has been pushed past the limits of good taste and it's prompted some builders to take a different direction. Hardcore enthusiasts have reclaimed their roots by trading in computer assisted, CNC-machined parts for hand tools and some good old backyard ingenuity.
Up and coming builder, Kory Souza, opted to disregard the status quo and instead adopted a rat-rod style that infuses traditional lowrider car design with tattoo inspired art. Souza explained the roots of his style: "I've always had cool cars growing up, and I have a '63 Impala I'm working on now. I also like to incorporate a lot of Harley Davidson influences into my bikes. I think the custom sportbike world needs a little twist because everything is starting to look the same."
With his middle finger pointed at the notion of chrome, Souza put his steel wool to metal and created a brushed aluminum finish on the frame and swingarm for a more aged vintage look. The dull, harsh finish was followed in the paint with a satin brown base coat offset with a traditional gold leaf stripe.
Too much flat paint gets a little tedious, and to contrast its understated look are airbrushed graphics that combine traditional Mexican art with tattoo designs. Souza then took the inked theme one step further to even include a "sleeve" on one side of the Tricky Air Ride forks. He explained his unique inspiration: "Everybody does vibrant candy paint jobs so I painted mine chocolate rat rod brown. I also went the extra mile to do the panels because I knew no one else would. A lot of the paint is exploded work of my own artwork and I transferred my personal tattoos onto the bike."
Other mods that clue into the hot rod roots include brake lines wrapped in a fabric to resemble early style spark plug wires and a rebadged exhaust with a Peterbuilt truck logo. To further mix it up a Crime Scene gas cap is borrowed straight from the pages of a chopper-building handbook. But having the look of an old schooler doesn't mean it needs to run like one. For that Souza infused modern machinery with Driven rearsets, Performance Machine wheels, calipers and controls and Myrtle West triple trees to retain the functionality and performance.
Even though the belts have tightened lately, the custom scene will never disappear. It just tends to transform from those that "buy their cool" to those that find ways to make it cool. Keep an eye out for builders like Souza to reclaim the custom world and remind us that trends may come and go, but style lives on forever.