No, it’s not a trick of the camera. We’re not squishing down this bike through some chicanery of digital lens/Photo Shop machinations. It is muy limbo low to the ground.The guys at the Garage Co. in L.A. got their inspiration from vintage Bonneville racers…big fat tires, skinny profile, kicked out springer, high pipe, we don’t-need-no -stinkin’ fenders, kick start only…all or which produces the swept back look of a 1950s F-86 Sabre Jet on a strafing run.
Based around a 1980 H-D 74 cu. in. stock motor that was rebuilt with new S&S internals, the “Drag Bike” as it’s simply called, gets its slingshot profile thanks to a handbuilt mix and match combination of gooseneck front end and rigid tail.
The man with the plan is Mr. Garage Company aka Yoshinobu Kosaka. Just call him Yoshi. He’s been into vintage and performance bikes since the early 1970s and his“hobby” accelerated once he made his home in Los Angeles more than 20 years ago. When his wife Kyoko realized that 150 motorcycles was more than hobby, she found him a building he could use to wrench on his pride and joys. Fast forward a couple years and Yoshi’s setting in a 5400 sq. ft. shop located on Washington Blvd. not far from the beach.
Not only does Yoshi restore vintage iron and build custom bobbers, he takes it to the racetrack as well, good enough to earn a national AHRMA title in 1993 in Formula 250. While originally a source for British, European, American and Japanese vintage, classic and collectible motorcycles and parts, the shop now focuses on Old School customs, mostly American but also a tasty Trumpet or Beezer custom now and then. Yoshi and the garage company crew began building custom bikes about four years ago and now have completed 20, each one as unique as a fingerprint.
Asked what jumpstarted the Drag Bike project, Yoshi laughs and says, “It all came out of my imagination. No drawings, no computer CADCAM. I wanted a skinny, racy look. We like the look of small gas tanks, rather than a larger tank that would be too bulky so we took a 1960s peanut gas tank, then chopped it to fit the bike.” Everything is vintage parts except for the internal engine components and the rear disc brake for added stopping power, the rest gleaned from Yoshi’s extensive inventory of original parts that he’s harvested over the years.
As for the Drag Bike’s gnarly cosmetics, it was sprayed badass black and gray by Scott Craig cranked up by laser sharp pin-striping by Skratch, who Yoshi considers the best in the business. In the audio department, that open megaphone sounds like a Bose on steroids, a low, thick thump-kathumping that just sings the Bonneville blues.
Asked how it felt to ride, Yoshi says, “With that big front tire, it’s a bit heavy feeling at low speeds, but once you pass 40, it’s very smooth and stable. Its owner, Mike Musial, is on it every weekend.”
While he’s busy building bikes, Yoshi takes time out each year to put together the Corsa Motoclassica, an enthusiast oriented bikefest and race venue held at the famous Willow Springs Racetrack in the high desert north of L.A. Scheduled for April, it attracts all manner and make of motorcycles from all over the U.S. and overseas for the three-day weekend of high speeds and high spirits. The vintage bike show brings out some rare machines, several debuted for the first time at the event. You’ll see everything from 50cc to XXXccc competition machines and the men, and women, who race them.
Back home at the Garage Co. in addition to their hi-end customs, they offer classic bobbers for around the $10-12,000. That’s a complete bike with a whole lot of personality and rideability. Did we mention the place has a ton of apparel and motorcycle books, videos, manuals, signs and posters? Their collection of decals and transfers is itself a treasure trove while the shelves are jam-packed with all kinds of performance parts, vintage accessories and rare collectibles.
As far as the “Drag Bike,” if you see what you like, Yoshi can make more. Pick a motor…knuckle, panhead, shovel, even flathead or Evo, Yoshi can get it for you. If you’re thinking of a bike…well, that’s all it takes to set loose Yoshi’s fertile imagination. “Just tell me Old School, very low, drag race or that you have a 1957 T-bird, some bit of information, and I can build you something unique.”
The Garage Company is located at 13211 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA; call1-800-39DESMO (1 800- 393-3766) or 310-821-1793. Check out their web site by clicking on the banner above, for a wide assortment of services, products and bikes for sale.
SPEC SHEET
OWNER Matt Musial
SHOP NAME Garage Company
SHOP PHONE 310-821-1793
WEBSITE www.garagecompany.com
MAKE/MODEL Garage Company “Drag Bike” custom
YEAR 2004
FABRICATION Garage Company
ASSEMBLY Garage Company
BUILD/REBUILD TIME three months
ENGINE
YEAR/SIZE 1981 80 cu. in.
TYPE FL Shovelhead
BUILDER H-D/Garage Co.
CASES H-D
FLYWHEELS H-D
RODS H-D
PISTONS S&S
CYLINDERS H-D
HEADS S&S
VALVES S&S
ROCKERS H-D
ROCKER BOXES H-D
PUSHRODS S&S
PUSHROD TUBES H-D
CAM(S) S&S
LIFTERS H-D
CARBURETOR S&S E
AIR CLEANER Paughco
IGNITION points
EXHAUST Garage Co.
FINISH natural
TRANSMISSION
BUILDER/YEAR/TYPE H-D FL
FINISH stock
CASE H-D
TOP/SIDE COVERS H-D
CLUTCH Barnett
PRIMARY DRIVE Primo Belt Drive
FINAL DRIVE chain
GEARS 22/49
FRAME
YEAR/TYPE 2004 custom gooseneck/rigid
RAKE 45 degrees
STRETCH stock
MOLDING none
FINISH powdercoat
SWINGARM none
SUSPENSION
FRONT
BUILDER V-Twin/Garage Co.
YEAR/TYPE Springer
MODIFICATIONS none
TRIPLE TREES it’s a Springer
REAR
YEAR/TYPE 2004 rigid
MODIFICATIONS Garage Co.
SHOCKS none
WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES
FRONT
SIZE/TYPE 18-inch spoke
TIRE MAKE/SIZE Coker 450×18
HUB/SPOKES K-Model
CALIPER(S) K-Model
ROTOR(S) – Garage Co.
REAR
SIZE/TYPE 18-inch
TIRE MAKE/SIZE Coker/450 x 18
HUB/SPOKES H-D
CALIPER(S) GMA
ROTOR(S) BUILDER: Garage Co.
FINISH/PAINT
COLOR(S) Black & gray
PAINTER Scott Craig
GRAPHICS & ARTIST NAME Skratch
MOLDING none
CHROME PLATING/POLISHING Supreme Plating
POWDER COATING Foremost Coating
ACCESSORIES
FRONT FENDER none
REAR FENDER NOS
FENDER STRUTS Garage Co.
GAS TANK(S)&CAP(S) NOS
OIL TANK H-D
DASH none
GAUGES none
HANDLEBARS Garage Co.
RISERS none
MIRRORS none
HAND CONTROLS Garage Co.
FOOT CONTROLS Rocker
FOOTPEGS NOS H-D
HEADLIGHT CCI
TAILLIGHT CCI
TURN SIGNALS none
LICENSE MOUNT Garage Co.
OIL COOLER none
SEAT Garage Co.
ELECTRICAL Garage Co.
COIL CCI
STARTER H-D
OTHER Kick Only
