According to master moto artist Bryan Fuller, you can do four things with metal: beat it, cut it, bend it and join it.
While we respect the head of Atlanta chop shop Fuller Moto‘s opinion, after seeing the “Shogun” bike he built over the span of eight years, we’d say “turn it into a freaking samurai sword with wheels” should be added to the list.
Created with help from two other experts (commercial graffitist Totem and engraver Tay Herrera), the Shogun barely resembles the Honda CB550 the trio used as a their platform. It features intricate engraving and detail-work throughout, from thread-woven handgrips from Japan to rims covered in dragons.
Called “the most expensive CB Honda ever” by Fuller, the Shogun’s tank carvings tell reveal a samurai on one side and a koi fish on the other.
As Fuller explained to Cycle World, the messages in the carvings don’t stop there. “On the forks legs, one side is ‘art of,’ the other side is ‘steel,’” he said. “The headlamp says ‘illumination,’ the ignition cover is ‘speed,’ the clutch cover is ‘power,’ the seat says ‘the god of wind’ — a little joke.”
Given he now plans to sell the beautiful build, Fuller will be laughing all the way to the bank.
All images courtesy of Michael Lichter
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