Firefly: The 1961 Honda Super Cub custom from Deus Japan

A new custom Honda Super Cub has been created by Japanese custom builder Deus Japan.

The Honda Super Cub is one of the most iconic motorcycles of all-time and the most mass-produced, with over 60 million units having been sold by now.

Its icon is born of its simplicity, which also bore its own rate of reproduction, and, although the inspiration for Deus Japan’s creation - called Firefly - is derived from 1960s Grand Prix racing, the bike maintains that simplified characteristic. 

Weight loss has been one of the primary design intentions, with weight being saved in the bike’s frame, which is a new design by Deus Japan’s Director of Motorcycle Operations, Matthew Roberts. Behind the front suspension, itself very narrow, the body of the bike itself is at no point wider than 105mm. At the bottom of the front suspension sits a 17-inch rims from DID with custom spokes, which is matched at the rear of the bike.

Additionally, the top bridge, stop light, rear-set foot controls, fully-adjustable race shocks and externally-mounted front fork rebound unit are all bespoke for the Firefly.

Firefly’s racing acumen is not purely aesthetically historical, however, it also has genuine pedigree in local historic races which mandate the bikes taking part be road legal. This means “the Firefly can compete on the track at the foothills of Mount Fuji on a Sunday and hit the streets of Tokyo on a Monday,” Deus Japan says.

As a result of its competitive purpose, the Firefly has been fitted with performance parts throughout, but originals are not so easy to find, even for a bike as well-produced as the Honda Cub. 

Instead, the bike features reengineered, redesigned or improved parts in the engine and suspension internals based on old factory drawings. "Mill and lathe have kissed enough of this lithe steed to leave a HRC factory team envious," said Roberts.

The engine itself is increased in size by 20% compared to standard, as per regulations for the aforementioned local race series’.

Matthew Roberts said: “With Japan the birthplace of the Super Cub, stepping up to customise one here means delivering a #design that punches well above its weight in every aspect.

"A concept that stops people in their tracks is one thing, but it’s the deep connection and respect to the original machine's DNA that gives the Firefly endearing timeless character."

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