Hosted annually by Mooneyes, the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show is where you’ll find many of Japan’s most prestigious builders. It’s a hotbed of two-wheeled artwork admired by custom bike aficionados across the globe, and Takuya Aikawa has long been one of the show’s regulars. He operates as Sureshot along with a small but highly proficient team of customization gurus, not far from the bustling capital city of Tokyo.
At their workshop in Chiba, Aikawa-san and his helpers have modified countless American V-twins over the years, with Harley-Davidson being their marque of choice. The stunning bobber we’re about to look at goes by the name of Cyanos, and it had won the Best Motorcycle American award at Mooneyes in December 2023. Sureshot clearly knocked this project out of the park, leaving no stone unturned along the way.
The whole affair started with a Harley FL from 1968, commissioned by a client who had a few simple requests for master Takuya. He wanted the bike to be a hardtail and benefit from an electric starter, but without getting the typical suicide shifter you’ll often see on these sorts of builds. Otherwise, Sureshot’s specialists were free to modify the old Shovelhead as they pleased.
Aside from its V-twin engine and main framework, all the factory hardware once worn by this machine got taken out of the equation. Then, its rear end got fitted with a rigid tubular structure that’s been fabricated from scratch, promptly ticking one of the customer’s wishes off the list. As for the unusual forks installed at the front, they‘ve been transplanted from an Auto Race motorcycle and adapted to suit the FL.
For those who don’t know, Auto Race is a type of speedway racing invented in Japan, with riders competing on tarmac rather than dirt. The forks are held in place via custom triple clamps and embellished with decorative vertical braces. Sureshot went to town is the unsprung sector, too, sourcing a fresh pair of lenticular hoops made of billet aluminum.
Photo: Makoto Morichika
These bad boys measure 21 inches in diameter up north and 18 inches down south, but their inner sections have been neatly carved out and replaced with stainless-steel spokes. Turnbuckle tensioners are equipped onto the latter bits, and the whole ordeal connects to traditional drum brakes on both ends. At twelve o’clock, you’ll find a vented, twin leading shoe unit taken from a Suzuki ST400 Tempter.
On the other hand, rear-end stopping power is the product of a hydraulic drum linked to a Brembo master cylinder. Even though the Shovelhead mill is still present, it’s been fully rebuilt with premium goodies like Kibblewhite valves, new pistons, and an Andrews cam. Induction takes place via a top-shelf S&S carburetor, while a potent spark is made possible by a modern Dynatek ignition system.
Sureshot went so far as to reposition the motorcycle’s gearbox, moving it closer to the engine with the aim of centralizing mass. The transmission is coupled with a hydraulic clutch and a chain final drive, but the Japanese experts also fashioned some new exhaust pipework to bring everything full circle. Short headers are packed nice and close to the powerplant, ultimately terminating in dual stainless-steel mufflers right below the gearbox.
Photo: Makoto Morichika
With the engine and chassis pieced together, it was time for Cyanos to don its new bobber attire. Each and every bodywork component you see here was manufactured in-house using aluminum, from the slender fuel tank to the unobtrusive rear fender. In between them lies a polished seat pan topped with comfy padding and horse hide upholstery, all flanked by alloy battery and oil tank covers.
All these downsized garments bring the powertrain componentry to the forefront visually, but there’s even more custom wizardry going on in the cockpit. Steering is done by way of bespoke handlebars with black rubber grips and retro-style control levers. Not wanting to add a clutch fluid reservoir in that area, the guys made a cable-operated extension to the hydraulic paraphernalia. There are, of course, no dials or switches to speak of.
A vintage-looking headlamp is the only bit of lighting equipment you’ll see on Cyanos, and the handlebars are complemented by mid-mounted Tarozzi foot controls. For the final touches, Sureshot enrolled the help of some local collaborators to ensure the best possible results. Rods Design wrapped the fuel tank and rear fender in a dark shade of blue metal flake, while Rio Studio took care of the detailing.
The seat fabrication had been outsourced, as well, confidently entrusted to the leather experts at Manabu Yamaguchi Art Craft. All things considered, Takuya Aikawa and his teammates most certainly deserved their win at last year’s Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show! We’re aching to see what they’ll come up with for the 2024 edition, as we have every reason to believe it will be sensational.
A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing. Full profile
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