Killer Custom Motorcycles

Owning a bespoke custom motorcycle is a dream for many riders, but it’s not for everyone. If you are a new biker, not yet sure of the style you want or the type of riding you enjoy, you’re probably not ready to begin the process. You might end up with a bike that gathers dust because you find it intimidating to ride. And you will certainly spend more than the cost of a quality used bike for something that you may well drop, crash or destroy through inadequate maintenance.

Living with a custom bike also requires a higher degree of mechanical comfort and knowledge. It may not always be possible to buy off-the-shelf replacement or aftermarket parts. While I do provide thorough documentation and stand behind the quality of my work, I may not always be available to provide service.

It also takes a long time.

A ground up build can take more than 100 hours of actual shop labor. In between there are often stretches when I am waiting on parts to be delivered or in some cases fabricated by other craftsmen. I am a one man shop right now, so I only take on one build at a time. I also only agree to work on projects that I think are going to be amazing. That means you should expect 6-12 months from commitment to delivery of a finished bike.

You should plan to have a daily rider in the meantime so you don’t get a bad case of spring fever and start calling me every 3 days to find out if your machine is ready. If you have a hard deadline, talk to me about it before we begin. That I can devise a workable plan to get it done in time.

How builds work.

If the warnings above haven’t scared you away and you’re ready to start the process, I’ll ask you to provide some inspiration pictures of bikes you love and a description of what you want.  If you already have a donor, I’ll give it a full inspection to determine what mechanical work needs to be done to get it on the road. Then we can talk through your riding style, design constraints, and goals for the bike. Once we have agreed to a budget and a plan, I’ll ask you for a third of the total cost up front to begin work.

I’ll ask for a second cash draw once I have the mechanicals sorted and the rolling bike is ready for fitment and selection of finishes.  Then it comes apart again for paint, final assembly, tuning and testing. The final balance is due on delivery and you can ride off into the sunset.

Send inquiries to clay@streetspiritcycles.com

You can also read about my Indian build on Pipeburn.

Check my Instagram to see what I’m tinkering with.

And heck out some of my past work below on the homepage.

Talk to you soon.