|
|
 |
Turn, Turn, Turn
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gregg's Custom GC-1000
Jeff Buchanan
02/01/2007
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Photography by Cordero Studios/corderostudios.com
|
From an early age, Gregg DesJardins was inadvertently
spoon-fed a unique customization and chrome awareness. He grew up around the
creative environs of the family’s garage, in close proximity to his father’s
passion for building hot rods. A wonderful metallurgical playground of rolling
cut-and-chopped Detroit iron fueled young DesJardins’ fertile imagination and
set the developmental gears in motion. The inherited gearhead genes, fostered by
the gasoline-fumed environment of ratchet tools and custom alterations, became
the foundation for a future inventive designer’s mind.
 As a teen, DesJardins
undertook several frame-up restorations of the four-wheeled variety before
turning his attention to motorcycles and the customization possibilities they
represented. The path to custom bike builder was facilitated by a serendipitous
event. A sportbike enthusiast, DesJardins was dismayed by the limited choices of
after-market turn signals available for his Yamaha R1. So, as is the case
with so many successful entrepreneurs, he merely created a product to satisfy
a personal need. Only as an afterthought did DesJardins try his hand at
marketing his billet-aluminum turn signals. They were an instant and unexpected
hit, and ultimately helped seed the start-up of Gregg’s Customs. (Click image to enlarge)
The GC-1000
Honda—DesJardins’ first motorcycle endeavor from scratch—represents a dynamic
two-wheel canvas intended to showcase his abilities as both a designer and
fabricator. The bike brings to bear the creator’s ingrained appreciation for the
clean flow of sheet metal, the sinuous bend of tubing, and the artistic
realms of machined billet aluminum. It possesses enough custom fodder to make
it an exceptional conversation piece at even the most blinged-out parking lot
hang, exuding a unique blend of ghetto attitude with rock star
charisma.
 However, as a serious sportbike rider, DesJardins was intent on
building a daily rider. Although he wanted a machine with distinctive flair and
a brazen personality, it had to be functional as a regular weekend canyon
runner. For this reason, DesJardins chose the Honda RC51 999cc V-twin engine to
propel his creation of wild paint and prodigious chrome. The superbike
powerplant reinforces GC’s unruly, rebellious persona with a canyon savvy brawn,
elevating it above mere poseur status. (Click image to enlarge)
The compact and narrow motor allowed
DesJardins to carry an extremely slim profile through the entire flow of the
bike. Naturally, by using the RC51 powerplant the machine benefits from Honda’s
extensive R&D, sophisticated engineering, and legendary reliability. In
stock trim, the engine produces enough horsepower and torque to negate any
fidgeting, save a GC stainless exhaust system and titanium mufflers with billet
end caps.
To maintain the machine’s narrow theme, the engine was
rotated backward slightly to allow the installation of a front radiator,
as opposed to the standard RC51’s twin side-mounted units. Taking a lead from
the custom cruiser world, DesJardins spent a good deal of effort concealing the
electrical wires, tucking them up and away from infringing on the bike’s
appearance.
The most impressive aspect of the bike is the hand-built trellis
frame and swingarm fabricated by DesJardins himself. Made from chromoly tubing
with trusses of streamline stock—traditionally used in the manufacture of
airplane struts—the chassis is crafted to tightly hug the engine’s contours. The
single-sided swingarm is an equally beautiful, sinuous and sturdy work of
art.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
