Given his shop?s diverse resume, it comes as no surprise that Kurosu wanted to tackle a sidecar build, but that?s a prompt that doesn?t come in every day. ?A sidecar is also a great cruiser,? he reasoned, but executing it successfully entailed a whole lot more than adding a few cart provisions, leading Kurosu to nickname this project ?Challenger.?

Since adapting an OE Earles fork to the 650 Meteor would be clumsy at best, Kurosu built his own, matching its construction to the bike?s compact chassis and incorporating an eccentric adjuster to simplify altering trail geometry. KONI shocks were chosen for dampening, and Kurosu hand-picked coils that supplied the right spring rate without being too bulky for the handmade front end.

Flowing alloy bodywork further sets Challenger apart from its stock roots, with each handmade piece blending seamlessly into the next. The fuel tank is a one-off made from steel, while the seat pan and headlight nacelle were executed in aluminum. The headlight lens looks like something scrounged from a ?39 Ford Coupe or ?40 Willys, but it?s actually a one-off resin piece. A tasteful array of scallops, pinstriping and gold leaf provides the finishing touch to the show-polished tins.
Unwilling to forego functionality, the sidecar body is big enough to fit an adult and rides comfortably on its own frame and suspension. Its 19-inch, 60-spoke wheel rides on a leaf spring from a K-truck, dampened by a standard motorcycle shock, and Kurosu built in t...