Hand-Shifting Savage

Hand-shifting Savage

More so than Americans, Japanese riders are in constant pursuit of personalized, one-of-a-kind motorcycles. And for most Japanese, the desire to make a unique statement with a motorcycle often is satisfied with little more than special paint. But for some riders, paint just isn’t enough.

One of the more original and interesting personalized machines to date has been built by Mr. Norimoto Hanno of Tokyo. He started with a standard Suzuki Savage, and rebuilt it into a tastefully styled custom. The bike has the obvious American-influenced styling features, such as a bobbed rear fender and solo passenger seat; but the most interesting feature of Hanno's machine is the hand-operated shift lever. This conversion from a foot shift necessitated a foot-operated clutch pedal, which Hanno fitted on the left side of the bike. Riders find shifting a bit awkward at first, but soon adapt to the technique required to keep the bike moving. —Kengo Yagawa