Yuichi Yoshizawa is a uncommon customized builder that may conquer a number of kinds, whereas nonetheless giving every construct an natural and instantly recognizable really feel. Collectively together with his right-hand man, Yoshikazu Ueda, he runs the Customized Works Zon workshop in Japan’s Shiga Prefecture. Their work is clear, practical and creative—highlighting the bottom of every machine, but additionally reworking it into one thing utterly new.
This Harley-Davidson shovelhead simply gained the ‘Better of Present’ award on the latest ‘Mooneyes‘ Yokohama Scorching Rod Customized Present. It’s an ideal instance of how wildly completely different and inventive the bikes from CW Zon may be, whereas nonetheless sustaining requirements excessive sufficient to win gold in one of many world’s best customized exhibits.
The satan really is within the particulars, however an excessive amount of consideration to element can muddy the general kind and preliminary affect of a construct. That’s not the case right here.
The bike’s body is made fully of 7N01 aluminum, an alloy developed in Japan and recognized for its mild weight and hight tensile power, typically present in plane building. In actual fact, nearly all of this bike, spare the engine and apparent items just like the tires, had been all handmade in Zon’s store.
One of the crucial gorgeous particulars on this shovelhead is the seat and tail part, which additionally doubles because the bike’s oil tank, with braided chrome steel strains main right down to the engine. After all, this tail part, just like the fuel tank and Zon’s signature-style girder fork, had been all made by hand out of aluminum too.
The fuel tank is cut up by the body and top-mounted on to it. Like a lot of the bike, hand engraving by Silver Smith Fin provides a burst of character to this part of the body and the fuel tank. On show are a winged tiger head, a crying eye, thunderclouds, and, after all, Zon’s signature shining solar (‘Zon’ means ‘solar’ in Japanese).
The handlebars and prime clamp are all one piece, built-in into the girder fork. And whereas the daring metallic look of the fork implies stable metallic and a way of timeless permanence, a tiny digital Motogadget speedo is juxtaposed into the aluminum, flush with the rider-facing pivot plate. Different fashionable touches are well-hidden… however they’re there.
A mountain bike shock is tucked into the girder setup, the top and taillights are all LEDs, and a primary dashboard hosts fashionable push buttons and a single LED ‘dummy’ mild. The controls are from Kustom Tech and are hooked as much as braided chrome steel strains; the reservoir on the left aspect provides away the presence of a hydraulic clutch. Shiny grips, and Tough Crafts foot pegs, spherical out the controls.
The 1973 shovelhead engine was rebuilt right into a fire-breathing 93 ci sizzling rod, with a Weber dual-throat side-draft carburetor, twin Morris Magnetos, an S&S Cycle flywheel, bigger pistons, and a customized CW Zon cam. Two spark plugs per cylinder assist guarantee environment friendly and full combustion, and all of that spent gasoline is spit out of a brief two-to-two open exhaust system on the left aspect. Lastly, all that is paired with a Baker six-speed transmission, with a 2” major and a sequence ultimate drive.
Spoked 21” wheels are stuffed with aluminum covers, giving them an amazing visible affect and contrasting the small fuel tank and onerous strains of the body. The three-inch-wide Firestone tires are remarkably skinny, nearly head-scratchingly so. However the aesthetic works—like a sliver of metallic chopping by time itself.
Kustom Tech braking methods do obligation at each ends. There’s a dual-piston disc caliper up entrance, hooked up on to the girder fork by way of an built-in mount. The rear brake’s a hydraulic hub merchandise, and sits on the identical aspect because the rear sprocket.
Poring by these photographs again and again, I really feel nearly sure that there are issues I’m lacking. There’s the “Customized Works Zon” engraved on the middle part of the handlebar, plus the engravings on the internal major and body junctions. Then there’s the way in which that the seat’s leather-based embroidery connects to the leather-based taillight cowl with a small bronze embellishment.
And whereas the entire construct initially appears to be void of paint, there may be delicate black pin-striping by Kamikaze Pinstripe, nearly disguising itself as shadows.
It could not take fully this stage of labor to win ‘Better of Present’ at Mooneyes, however Yoshizawa-san won’t ever know. He solely works at one stage, irrespective of the fashion.
CW Zon | Fb | Instagram | Photos by Kazuo Matsumoto
