George Woodman doesn?t build many bikes, but his creations always raise a big smile around the EXIF offices. This is ?Wild Horse,? a heavily modified Honda SS50 that?s as fresh as a mouthful of popping candy.
It?s got plenty of zing too: the original 49 cc air-cooled single has been swapped out for a 190 cc engine, prepared by the pit bike tuner Stomp. Power is up to 22 frisky horses, which translates to a very lively ride on a machine with a wheelbase of just 46 inches (1.18m).

?George Woodman? is the motorcycling nom de plume of master woodworker SĂ©bastien Valliergues. He?s based in Biarritz?home to the Wheels & Waves festival?and builds two or three bikes a year for fun.
It may be a sideline for SĂ©bastien, but he has a lot of fans?including a few in high places. One of those is Bobby Haas, who bought SĂ©bastien?s amazing 1929 FN ?Smoking Black Fish? to put on display in the Haas Moto Museum in Dallas.
It?s SĂ©bastien?s clever use of wood on his builds that sets them apart. It?s invariably subtle and well judged, but on this humble SS50 moped, the biggest change is to the powertrain.
The engine is from Zongshen, and it was a surprisingly easy fit. ?Like the Dax or the Z Monkey, the SS50 can take several ?horizontal? dirt bike engines,? says SĂ©bastien.

This particular engine is built in the same factory as the Daytona Anima FLX, a legendary pit bike engine. Like late model SS50s, it?s hooked up to five-speed ?box, but it?ll stay on the boil for much long...