Custom Suzuki GN250 Cubus Took Four Years to Build, Looks Utterly Intoxicating

Although he’s a brand director for an advertising agency by trade, Slavo Danko dedicates his Thursdays and Fridays to something quite different – motorcycle customization. The Slovakian began tinkering with motorcycles back in the eighties when he would regularly partake in local motocross competitions. “At that time, I made my first fiberglass custom tank and sewed my first seat on my grandmother’s vintage sewing machine,” Slavo tells us.

The man’s attention shifted towards his professional career in the years that followed, but he later decided to also try his hand at restyling two-wheelers when the schedule allowed. Operating as Free Spirit Motorcycles right outside the capital city of Bratislava, Danko builds custom bikes at his very own pace and with no client brief to abide by.

Consequently, FSM’s exploits can stretch out over several years, and what we’re about to look at is only the second project completed by this one-man outfit. I’ll be damned if it isn’t the raddest thing I’ve seen all day, however, so just imagine what Slavo will be pulling off on, say, his tenth or fifteenth build!

Starting with a humble Suzuki GN250, he spent four years and countless hours transforming it into the otherworldly masterpiece shown before your eyes. This bespoke head-turner was nicknamed Cubus for very obvious reasons, and it bears little to no resemblance to the stock machine it had once been. The GN250’s engine, main framework, and part of its front-end running gear are still in play, but everything else landed in the parts bin.

After a complete teardown, Danko deemed it necessary to swap the OEM rims with a DR-Z400's 17-inch units, which were cloaked in Dunlop Mutant tires at both ends. Custom stainless-steel spokes link these hoops to the factory wheel hub up front and a retrofitted setup from an unidentified Italian bike at the rear.

The GN250’s standard swingarm and dual-shock suspension were a far cry from the decluttered aesthetic Slavo had envisioned, so he promptly removed the whole arrangement. In its stead, we now find a progressive aftermarket monoshock mated to the longer swingarm of a Husqvarna SM 125. Fabricating the new subframe required a bit of trial and error, but the end result looks absolutely seductive in its simplicity.

It houses the donor’s electrical goodies, along with a lithium-ion battery and Motogadget’s mo.unit control module. We bet the angular bodywork is what really caught your attention, though, so let’s see how FSM’s mastermind went about crafting such a gorgeous attire. Even though it appears to be a monocoque structure, the aluminum attire is, in fact, comprised of multiple parts.

When all these pieces had been put together, the welds were meticulously ground away to achieve that flawless appearance. You’ll find a rectangular saddle upholstered in synthetic leather, and it extends from the tail all the way up to the cockpit area. There we see a CNC-machined dash hosting digital Motogadget instrumentation, as well as tailor-made handlebars equipped with aftermarket grips, switches, and bar-end blinkers.

Lighting comes from bespoke LED assemblies at both poles, and Cubus’ unique exhaust system terminates in a silencer whose design complements that of the fuel tank. To fabricate the tiny fender found in between the forks, Slavo used nothing but an English wheel, a sandbag, and a hammer – it really doesn’t get any more traditional than this.

Following a full rebuild, the GN250’s 249cc single-cylinder power source received a fresh Mikuni carburetor and a custom oil filter cover, along with a modern hydraulic clutch mechanism. Finally, the powertrain and chassis components were wrapped in a mixture of satin- and matte-black, while the bodywork got treated to a clear layer of Cerakote.