Three custom builds in sixty days. Arduous, but not impossible. But when you’ve been hired by Ted Smith to build the first custom sportbike to represent the legendary Rat’s Hole for BikeWeek while you’re busting out a bike for custom wheels maker Urban Industries Inc. to debut at the Indy Dealer’s expo, your work had better be good.
The one-off creations coming out of Nick Anglada’s garage in Winter Garden, Florida, are the type that burn into your cornea, creep into your cortex, and surface in your memory when you’re trying to turn out the lights at night. Anglada likes it that way. He wants his work to leave a lasting impression, like an Annie Liebovitz photo of Lennon and Yoko on the cover of Rolling Stone. That’s why Urban Industries and Ted Smith come to Custom Sportbike Concepts (CSC) when they want something special.
Since CSC stepped up to Weld’s challenge in 2003 to push the 240mm rear tire on its ‘Busa to an at-the-time epic 280mm dimension, CSC has been pioneers in the metric world, leading the evolution of fat-backed sportbikes. The Weld Racing ‘Busa was only the beginning.
CSC’s rise in metrics started with what Anglada calls the ‘Busa bling-bikes. Sitting atop the food chain as one of the most popular and powerful production sportbikes, the Suzuki Hayabusa was a natural starting point. As rear tires on sportbikes grew bigger and wider, the need to show off the prime meats surfaced. In response to this need, sportbikes with single-sided swingarms gained in popularity. CSC was a frontrunner in setting the industry standard with its “Phat Ass” 240mm conversion. By installing a single-sided swinger, the view under the tail end opened so the big backside became the center of attention.
CSC took the big rear revolution a step further. Anglada expounded on an idea he had seen on a chopper built by Redneck Engineering. CSC relocated the rear brake to the left side of the wheel and tucked the rotor out of sight between the hub and the drive sprocket. In his vigilance to detail, Anglada hid the brake line as well to keep the view beneath the tail clean. This left the color-coordinated powder-coated arm on one side and an unobstructed view of the polished chrome wheel on the other.
CSC’s sport mod innovations continued with its use of Air Ride suspension systems. The 2003 Weld Bike is a good example. CSC worked with Tricky Air of Miami to fit the ‘Busa with a suspension system capable of dropping the rear almost 5-inches at the push of a button. The Air Ride suspension systems popularity has made them a staple in CSC’s performance product line. Currently built for 1996-2004 Gixxer’s and 1999-2005 Hayabusas, the CSC Air Ride suspension kits come complete with a high-polish air cylinder, air compressor, air lines, and wiring.
