Few bikes can declare the notoriety of the ill-fated Buell Blast. Propelled by half a Sportster engine and aimed toward newbie riders, the Blast was such a disappointment that its creator, Erik Buell, signaled the tip of its manufacturing by publicly tossing one right into a crusher. Then, to drive the purpose residence, he supplied a restricted run of crushed and autographed Buell Blast ‘cubes’ on the market.
The Buell Blast’s infamy—and rarity—are exactly what tempted Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa to customise it. Based mostly in Tokyo, Japan, Osawa-san is the brains behind the ‘Have Enjoyable’ flat monitor racing occasion. He additionally builds among the most imaginative flat trackers round.
The Blast is difficult to seek out in Japan, so Cheetah imported one from the USA earlier this yr. “Single-cylinder fashions are sometimes utilized in flat track racing, so I believed it will be attention-grabbing to make a racer based mostly on this,” he tells us. “I needed to construct a racer that no one had ever made earlier than; a flat monitor racer that encapsulates the concept of a chopper.”
Cheetah stripped the Buell Blast all the way down to its engine and commenced designing a bespoke chassis. First, he fabricated a petite gasoline tank and stylish tubular body spine. Then he mixed the 2 utilizing conventional chopper molding strategies.
The ultimate monocoque went off to a buddy, S Paint, for a coat of black paint. Subsequent, Cheetah laid down a set of flames by hand—referencing 70s and 80s choppers and drag racers. “I needed to attempt the mix of molding and flames on a racer with a good trip top,” he explains.
Additional again, Cheetah fabricated a subframe and swingarm out of chromoly tubing. The entire welds use a standard bronze brazing approach—one thing that he taught himself just a few years in the past. The dual-tube swingarm design was impressed by a basic Arlen Ness design, with X-shaped gussets paying homage to the A-shaped objects on the unique Ness model.
The juxtaposition of the slick molded entrance finish, in opposition to the chromoly brazed rear part, is impressed—a harmonious mix of various kinds from completely different eras. Cheetah drives the purpose residence by including a 3rd fashion, showcasing his metalworking expertise with a customized tail cowl, oil tank, and foot management brackets that every one bear a swirled end. A perforated seat, upholstered by Atelier Tee, runs throughout the highest of the bodywork.
There’s nothing left of the Buell Blast’s operating gear both. It now rolls on 19” Solar Rims hoops, shod with Hoosier flat monitor tires. The forks and rear shock are WP Suspension parts, the rear suspension mounts are customized, and the rear brake makes use of a Brembo caliper.
A set of Cheetah flat monitor handlebars sit up prime, held in place by aftermarket risers. They’re fitted with a Domino throttle, contemporary grips, and a brief clutch lever. Decrease down, Cheetah modified the shift lever to create clearance for boot-out using, and added Bates foot pegs.
A Dell’Orto carb feeds the motor, with a customized exhaust header and an Ixil muffler expelling gasses. The exhaust’s flawless routing and the asymmetrical foot peg placement show that this machine’s been constructed to trip in anger—however its myriad finishes and engineering methods communicate to Cheetah’s creativity.
Black, silver, gold, and crimson appears like an over-stuffed palette, but it surely works spectacularly effectively. The gold flame graphics are matched by the gold rims, which, in flip, put on delicate graphics on the within. Pink is used sparingly; on the entrance forks, rear shock spring, rear brake caliper, throttle cable, and spark plug lead.
Stacked with considerate particulars (like the best way the oil tank is tucked in behind the cylinder head), and flawlessly mixing a number of genres into one machine, Cheetah’s Buell flat tracker is a blast of contemporary air.
Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa Instagram | Pictures by, and with honest due to, Kazuo Matsumoto
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