With only one month in, this year has already brought us quite a few custom bikes to drool over. The latest to catch out eye is a one-off animal, based on one of the world’s most desirable motorcycles. Enter ‘Widow Jane’ by Keino Cycles.
Built by Keino Sasaki in his Brooklyn workshop, for the owner of New York’s whiskey distillery Widow Jane, this stunning machine is a resto-mod (in case you didn’t know, this means a restoration + modern parts/technology) of a Vincent Rapide – a rare motorcycle that sells for big bucks at auctions. The bike features an unmodified original chassis, to which different parts from different years were added, including a rear frame & swingarm from a 1948 model, a front end from 1951-1953, and a 998 cc air-cooled V-twin engine, dated 1949.
The motor has been lightened and weight-matched, and fitted with Black Shadow cams, new bottom end components, plus an upgraded crank, while the transmission has been adjusted to fit a Bob Newby Racing multi-plate clutch & belt drive. ‘Widow Jane’ also sports a new tank & subframe, a rear cowl housing the electrical components, and a brilliantly-executed exhaust system. The result is truly a one-of-a-kind build with a timeless presence.