Most Prestigious The custom event in Japan is the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show, also known as the Mooneyes. If you get a trophy there, it means you are on top of your game. And at the most recent performance, the top award went to Sureshot’s Takuya Aikawa for this thin person Dyna Low rider.
This isn’t the first time Aikawa has enjoyed taking short walks and shaking hands with the Mooneyes. He won ‘Best of Show’ in 2019 with a 1968 Shovelhead — a very different build from this 1997 FXDL.
Aikawa has run Sureshot since 2003 and is headquartered in Chiba, just east of downtown Tokyo.
“The custom of being slim and skinny is my style,” he told us. “I want to make a slim Softail style chassis for this machine, based on Dyna framework with evolution engine. ”
He calls this machine ‘DST’ – a mixture of Dyna and Softail. But turning the idea into reality was easier said than done, because it meant changing the dual rear shock absorbers to a monoshock setup and installing a cantilever arm.
Aikawa-san examined the structure of the frame for the first time. “I was contemplating how to make a silhouette as beautiful as a rigid frame cutter,” he said. “I wanted to recreate the beautiful triangle that stretches from the neck to the axle, on a bike with suspension.”
The Low Rider frame comes out thick, with a square main tube. It didn’t fit Aikawa’s concept, so he built a new main tube. Other parts, such as downpipes, are factory modified components.
Harley’s own Softail frame is quite rugged and not suitable for building skinny choppers. So Aikawa decided to use a cantilever aluminum swingarm, a part of the heavily modified Ducati S4R.
“It’s slim and sleek, with a very organic design,” says Aikawa. “The structure, with the drive chain going beyond the swingarm, gives it a ‘fresh’ feel.”
A removable swingarm, more like the subframe on the opposite side, makes it easy to change tires. And to emphasize the skinny frame, the underside of the seats has been made narrower than the frame.
Local expert Studio Wokini has upholstered the seats and right in front is a highly visible monoshock. Originally designed for current Milwaukee-Eight hoses, this shock absorber is manufactured by Racing Bros in Taiwan. It was the most unusual position (and the technical part), and probably led the Mooneyes judges to give the bike the top prize.
The suspension link below the front part of the seat is slim; The seat itself is mounted on the frame, and the rear fender is mounted on the swingarm.
Like the tail section, the fuel tank is handcrafted from aluminum – without any fillers to smooth it out – with the Big Twin engine’s front end cutting into the baseline a small fraction. Candy orange paint is applied by Rod Design, Rio Studio adds logo and border. It’s a nod to Harley’s traditional race car colors.
The matte black 96ci engine now runs new pistons, 510-spec high torque cam and 4-5/8″ travel flywheel from S&S Cycle. It’s also been cleaned up a bit visually, with fussy parts like the carburetor and exhaust manifold either removed or hidden.
The engine breathes thanks to a Screamin ‘Eagle Keihin carburetor and an overhead exhaust system built by Aikawa-san herself. The Dyna 2000i programmable ignition system keeps things running smoothly and power is sent to the rear wheels via a hydraulic clutch and Ultima open primary belt drive.
The wheels are much less familiar. The front is 21 inches and the back is 18, the golden ratio size favored by Aikawa when making skinny knives.
Both wheels have a completely original design, machined from five pieces at the front and four at the back. The spokes are offset to the side and the brake calipers and hub are contained within the width of the rim, matching the slimline vibe.
Up front, the brake calipers are from Brembo, but the rotor is from Italian company Braking – originally designed as an aftermarket part for the Honda CBR.
The fork has been downsized with the help of three new rods and reworked in aluminum for a minimalist look. Custom bars are integrated with the risers and set deep between the fork tubes are classic car fog lights — with a discreet splint above.
Aikawa only completed Low Rider on the loading day of the Mooneyes program. So he must have been relieved as the media crews and other builders cheered as the bike rolled into the venue.
Is he worried he might take home the “Best of Show”? Who knows. But this beautifully designed Dyna is a well-deserved winner.
Standard shot | Facebook | Instagram | Pictures of (and thanks) Kazuo Matsumoto
