X-Wing: Rodsmith Gets Carried Away With a Honda Gold Wing
Craig Rodsmith is one of the elite few that truly deserves to have an ego…but doesn’t. According to photographer Grant Schwingle, the Australian metal-shaping guru has a tendency to sell himself short, and had to be pried for details on this stunning Honda Gold Wing.
Based in Illinois, USA, Craig calls this the ‘X-Wing,’ and casually dismisses it as a ‘quick’ build. ?It started off as a bone stock 1980 Honda GL 1100 that had been sitting in my shop gathering dust for a year or two,? he says.
?I decided to do a quick build as a daily rider?why not" They’re smooth, comfortable and ultra reliable. I thought I’d just do a quick replacement aluminum tank cover to give it a little character, which lead to a matching seat, and it soon got out of hand.? Out of hand is an understatement: by the time Craig was done, there wasn’t an inch of the Gold Wing that hadn’t been seen to. Slimming down the big old tourer became an obsession, as he started shaping new parts, one by one.
Craig started with the new tank cover and rear cowl, but quickly decided that a new under-seat fuel tank was in order too. He even went to the trouble of including a sight glass, because he wanted to ditch the stock clocks and fuel gauge.
The only dials left are an oil and temp gauge, tucked in behind a custom-made cowl, which sits over a one-off headlight. ?It was becoming an obsession,? says Craig. ?So I also formed up a front fender and a...
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