There’s this funky little blue bike floating around the Bengkel at the moment. Been a work in progress for forever. Talk about blink and you’ll miss it…or so you’d think. It was getting a couple of photos today so we took the opportunity to pick the scab off it and delve a little deeper. Boy! Not what we were expecting.
It’s an ol’ 76 Honda C70 on the outside. The seats have been remodeled & made with a tan leather and ample padding for even the most discerning bum. That rawhide look is already starting to age beautifully. It’s got highly polished BSA handle bars and 18″ rims front and back. Custom made rear fender and what would have to be the wildest mod we’ve seen in a long time… a suicide gear shifter fitted to the left side and coming up between the front and rear seats.
There’s method to the madness but there ain’t enough room here to go into the why, lets leave that for another day.
The old engine, all 70 cc of it, ran a 6 volt system electric system, something almost unheard of today. Add two parts of just plain ‘old’ and stir in a generous portion of ‘unreliable’. Fold into the mix that sourcing parts was proving to be a bit of a bastard. And you got a recipe for change.
Tang and the Bengkel boys provided that change by sourcing a ’95 Honda C100 power plant. Not only was it nearly two decades newer it brought another 30 cc to the party. This new beut motor heralds from a bike that is ubiquitous to Indonesia. That just means everywhere. The semi automatic scooter, known locally as the Honda Grand is renown for being a strong workhorse able to carry many times it’s own weight.
Normally this load is laid precariously across it’s long saddle seat leaving little or no room for the rider and less room to steer. If you’ve ever been to Asia chances are you have seen this exact scenario playing out in front of you.
Local kids were quick to notice that this bike gave them the right stuff and it quickly became a staple of back street drags.
We think it’s a great little commuter. Perfect to whizz down to check the surf or local shops and back, all the while safe in the knowledge that we could lug furniture if we really wanted to…
