Photo: Slipstream Creations
The custom Hondas put together by James Fawcett of Slipstream Creations never disappoint, and he probably couldn’t build an ugly bike if his life depended on it. James is what you might call a one-man army, handling almost everything in-house at his workshop in St. Louis, Missouri. Given the quality of Slipstream’s projects, that’s a pretty mountainous feat to say the least!
What you’re looking at here is a scrambled 1974 MY Honda CB360 he’d worked on a few years back. The client who’d commissioned this build was happy to let James do whatever he wanted for the most part, but he wanted something suitable for urban riding and light off-roading alike. As always, Slipstream’s mastermind really went to town.
After taking the CB360 apart, he started by performing some frame surgery out back, where we now spot a looped skeleton keeping proportions nice and tight. Right atop the modified subframe, James fitted a bespoke seat pan and the only custom part on this machine which hadn’t been built in-house. Namely, we’re talking about an elegant, scrambler-style saddle that comes courtesy of Rich Phillips Leather.
There’s a handmade electronics tray mounted underneath the seat, along with a discreet rear fender built from scratch. A circular LED taillight and aftermarket blinkers comprise the motorcycle’s lighting package at six o’clock, but we’re not entirely sure where the license plate is meant to go. Up north, you’ll see a retro-looking headlamp flanked by new turn signals like those found on the opposite end.
James ditched the original front fender, as well, replacing it with a more compact module made in-house. Down in the unsprung sector, he powder-coated the wheel hubs, laced them to a wider pair of aftermarket rims, and topped things off with dual-purpose knobbies from Kenda. Then there’s the cockpit area, carrying a fresh handlebar, brown grips color-matched to the saddle upholstery, and a tiny speedometer.
Further back, we still find the stock fuel tank, but it’s been repainted in a handsome layer of gunmetal-grey with stenciled graphics depicting Honda’s vintage logo. Although James didn’t mention what he did to the forks, you’ll notice modern progressive shocks replacing the CB360’s factory units at the rear. The mods we’ve mentioned thus far are nothing to sneeze at, and there’s a whole lot going on in the powertrain department, too.
Slipstream performed an extensive refurbishment of the air-cooled 357cc parallel-twin and its Keihin carburetors, treating the latter to premium pod filters for ample airflow. On the exhaust side of things, we see custom-made pipework with heat-wrapped headers and twin Biltwell mufflers. The bike’s electrics haven’t been neglected, either, with a Charlie’s Place electronic ignition and youthful coils being the most significant upgrades. When all these goodies were in place, Sir Fawcett was happy to call it a day.
After taking the CB360 apart, he started by performing some frame surgery out back, where we now spot a looped skeleton keeping proportions nice and tight. Right atop the modified subframe, James fitted a bespoke seat pan and the only custom part on this machine which hadn’t been built in-house. Namely, we’re talking about an elegant, scrambler-style saddle that comes courtesy of Rich Phillips Leather.
There’s a handmade electronics tray mounted underneath the seat, along with a discreet rear fender built from scratch. A circular LED taillight and aftermarket blinkers comprise the motorcycle’s lighting package at six o’clock, but we’re not entirely sure where the license plate is meant to go. Up north, you’ll see a retro-looking headlamp flanked by new turn signals like those found on the opposite end.
James ditched the original front fender, as well, replacing it with a more compact module made in-house. Down in the unsprung sector, he powder-coated the wheel hubs, laced them to a wider pair of aftermarket rims, and topped things off with dual-purpose knobbies from Kenda. Then there’s the cockpit area, carrying a fresh handlebar, brown grips color-matched to the saddle upholstery, and a tiny speedometer.
Further back, we still find the stock fuel tank, but it’s been repainted in a handsome layer of gunmetal-grey with stenciled graphics depicting Honda’s vintage logo. Although James didn’t mention what he did to the forks, you’ll notice modern progressive shocks replacing the CB360’s factory units at the rear. The mods we’ve mentioned thus far are nothing to sneeze at, and there’s a whole lot going on in the powertrain department, too.
Slipstream performed an extensive refurbishment of the air-cooled 357cc parallel-twin and its Keihin carburetors, treating the latter to premium pod filters for ample airflow. On the exhaust side of things, we see custom-made pipework with heat-wrapped headers and twin Biltwell mufflers. The bike’s electrics haven’t been neglected, either, with a Charlie’s Place electronic ignition and youthful coils being the most significant upgrades. When all these goodies were in place, Sir Fawcett was happy to call it a day.
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