Junior Burrell is a fabricator from Fort Worth, Texas. He runs a part time motorcycle fabrication shop calledRetro Moto as a one man operation which specialises in hand-forming steel tanks. His inspiration is the kind of old school craftsmanship driven by hard graft, and without technology. As he explains; “I chose to build motorcycles because the options and possibilities for creativity are endless. I build to be able to transform raw steel into art.”
This work of art is a 1981 Honda CM400 purchased the day after his previous build was stolen. It started out as just a frame and wheels with a seized engine.
Junior was lucky enough to get hold of a 1982 450 with a six-speed gearbox for donor parts. Because he was building the bike for himself he wanted to make as many of the parts as possible. CM400s are not popular because of the shape of the sub-frame, so that was chopped and rebuilt with more aggressive lines.
Creative details give a hand crafted bespoke feel. The hand formed steel tank was inspired by old Italian race bikes. T shirts are from Rust Revival.
Junior built the tail to follow the lines of the frame and the seat has a wooden base with leather pads. The engine was completely freshened up with the head ported and polished.
The clip-ons, tach and headlight brackets are all connected and in one piece. The rear-sets are created from the original oil pump and a pocket bike transmission. A couple of buddies talked Junior into building the pie-cut under-tail exhaust, and he loves the way it looks.
It’s a really nice looking machine, with classic cafe lines but plenty of unique touches and a truly hand-built feel. Junior loves it; “The bike is a blast to ride and do so every chance I get.” Check out his website Here and pics on Instagram Here.
Photos are courtesy of Dat Mai who is Junior’s good friend. He is a fellow rider as well as a professional photographer.Check out his work on Facebook and his own website.
from thebikeshed
