A passionate industrial designer who “eats, sleeps and breathes anything and everything Moto related,” Jeremy Lacy incorporates both traditional hand-produced drawings and the latest digital techniques as the head of Denver, Colorado’s DownShift Studio. DownShift recently unveiled its latest project, a completely reimagined 1981 Honda CX500, dubbed “The Grinder,” at the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin, Texas.
After years of helping custom bike fabricators from around the world, Lacy took on “The Grinder” as his first hands-on project, and the result is quite remarkable. From the outset, his plan was to create a toned-down street scrambler that can span the on-road and off-road worlds with ease and grace. To achieve this minimalist but versatile aesthetic, Lacey stripped down the donor bike, replacing the original subframe and converting the bike from a twin shock to mono shock. He then augmented the subframe with a new mounted swingarm, a custom-fabricated leather seat, and an 18-inch rear wheel to provide some extra lift. But we all know that the devil is in the details, particularly when you’re committed to a minimalist concept. Lacy strikes the perfect balance of final touches with a LED taillight, a 5-inch headlight, and handy Motogadget controls.