Daily Slideshow: Japanese Shop Takes Minimalist Approach to Panhead

1. Beauty in Simplicity

Japanese duo Hiro and Takaaki, take a less is more approach to designing, and much of the beauty in this 1961 Panhead is found in its simplicity. There's no one piece on this bike that makes your jaw drop in amazement but, with that said, you still can't take your eyes off it. Each piece is crucial to the overall look of the bike. Hiro and Takaaki incorporate this simplicity and balance into all their custom motorcycles. Through a translator, Hiro said, "I like to make things simple, balanced, and have a nice silhouette - that's important. I build things using my mind. Each piece adds to the balance and produces the entire silhouette."

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2. Saint Christopher

Carrying on in the vain of simplicity, one of the stand out features on this Panhead is a small coin of Saint Christopher. For those who don't know, Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers and riders. The coin is from Good Art HLYWD and imprinted on it is "Godspeed you good rider, Saint Christopher keep us safe". To keep the metal coin in place Hiro and Takaaki curved it around the center of the handlebars and riveted it into place.

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3. Rough and Ready

There is a rough and ready feel to this Harley, which seems to be what the duo was going for. Hiro writes, "We want him to feel cool when he gets on it, like a dirt-track racer or a Spartan warrior." Well, the Spartan warrior look was certainly achieved. Aluminum parts on the bike were sandblasted and left unfinished, including most of the engine. But steel parts and screws were scuffed and then coated in Parkerizing, which is usually used on firearms. It's these touches that add to this Harley's warrior-like appearance. 

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4. Design as you Please

Just about the only instruction that this bike's customer provided was that the tank had to be black. So Hiro and Takaaki started designing from there. The bottom of the seat and tank dash cover was sheeted by So Jake Leather. Hiro and his team had this done in conjunction with 420 Kustoms to make sure the graphics matched the leatherwork. Apart from the tank, the other thing the customer wanted, was for the bike to be a 1961 model - the year he was born. The Japanise duo found a 1961 Harley-Davidson using their LA connections. Originally the bike had a long front end and a cut and raked frame. The first thing Hiro and Takaaki did was return the bike to its original dimensions. 

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5. Speed Freak

The bike itself is no slouch and this is down to Hiro and Takaaki matching the bike's characteristics with its new owners. Hiro writes, "He's a customer who runs the accelerator fully open... We believe the finished bike fits this image, has a racing atmosphere with a simple, clean design but with some muscle." Although the internals of the engine are mostly stock, it features a trick S&S Two Throat carb with custom intake by Natural Steel Works and an Andrews Hi-Performance cam. To finish it off Hiro and Takaaki custom built the velocity stack and exhaust.

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