Bauhaus Bobber

BAUHAUS BOBBER

Industrial-strength Knucklehead

NOT EXACTLY YOUR typical showbike, this unfinished-looking bob-job. After all, it eschews polish, shuns elegance and falls short on finesse. Curiously, though. the one attribute that it doesn't lack is style. And that, according to builder Yasuyoshi "Chica" Chikazawa, would be the point.

Originally from Kyoto, Japan, the 33-year-old has been hangin’ stateside since ’95 and owns Chica Custom Cycles in Huntington Beach, California. Only wrinkle is, he speaks no English. So shop vice president/co-conspirator Don Millhouse translates. “He always liked the old choppers,” Millhouse says about Chica’s customizing preferences, “the longer, the better; the more unique, the better. This is Chica’s personal project bike.”

Going full-tilt grubby when everyone else is trotting out seamless-looking customs d’art...what’s Chica smokin’? Something that inspires creativity, apparently. Explains Millhouse, “His bikes aren’t about glitz or glitter, just old-school grunge, classic HarleyDavidson. No $5000 paint jobs, just real simple.”

An understatement-powdercoating is as fancy as this bike gets. Given the black glossy treatment are the S&S Knucklehead engine, steel-tube frame, handlebar and primary cases. The fork springs are toned down with a matte finish, and the wheels are tarted up in a lusty shade of crimson. Handcrafted bits include the bobbed rear fender and slim support struts, both unpainted aluminum. And then there’s the fuel tank, a Chica signature piece. Also unadorned aluminum, it’s inspired by old hillclimbers, with oil in one compartment, gas in the other, and a simple leather strap in between.

Thus far, Chica’s clientele is solely Japanese. He attributes his customers’ tendency toward oldschool styling to an appreciation of authentic Americana. Already spoken for, this bobber will sell for $20,000.

“What we do is put a lot of heart and soul into the bikes,” sums up Millhouse. “We make all the parts we can ourselves, and end up with something that requires time and thought and creativity.” Given today’s current climate of instant gratification, Chica’s attitude is refreshing. Even if it is a little bit grungy.

Wendy F. Black