The Deus Bike Build Off is an annual competition held in five locations around the world (Sydney, Venice, Milan, Tokyo and Bali) concurrently, with a clear-cut mission to find a custom-built motorcycle that has ‘made the most from the least’. In Sydney, this year’s winners were Melbourne-based Joe Fisher (from Stealth Electric Bikes) and Ryan Mischkulnig (from Suus Customs), with their wonderfully minimalist, electric Honda C90. 

The humble Cub

Using the humble Cub as a starting point, all superfluous features such as the air box, mudguards and engine mounts were removed. Remaining aspects the duo liked were kept, and those they didn’t were scrapped. The replacement of the engine with an electric motor certainly tidies things up, and while the bike’s range is now somewhat reduced, the acceleration has improved. And much like a Porsche 918 (though probably a little less exciting), it harvests energy under braking.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is the addition of those hand-bent copper pipes. They don’t actually serve any function, other than providing a mount for the headlight, but they look cool and certainly add some verve to the utilitarian Honda. Oh, and those handlebars are from a ladies’ bicycle, in case you were wondering. It may be minimal, but this Cub is far more than the sum of its parts. In the spirit of the Bike Build Off, less really is more.  

Photos: David Leyshon/Chop Shot