To the uninitiated the mention of custom motorcycles will forever conjure images of stretched Harley's decked out in handlebar tassels and flaming paint jobs ridden by fat men in leather chaps. Whilst it is entirely certain that a pair of chaps shall never appear in the Bike Shed Gear Guide, it just might be that a revival of lairy 70's style tank jobs could be on the horizon. This fabulous cb650 from Pure Motorcycles would most certainly suggest so. One can always trust the French when it comes to fashion and Pure Motorcycles hail from Cannes, one of the countries trendiest and most beautiful regions. We first had our attention drawn to the work of William and David when they sent us the details of a pair of beautiful Honda CB500's, Blue Moon and Black Beauty. For this latest build they have upped the capacity and date of the donor but stuck with their preferred manufacturer, opting for a 1980 Honda CB650. The aim was to create from this base a bike with the spirit of a 70's dirt tracker, "This project was so complicated because it was necessary to find the balance between the big block engine and the flat-track smoothness." William also had to deal with the added complication of secrecy as he tried to hide this build from its eventual owner, David, the boss man at Pure Motorcycles. To get things going William rebuilt the block and offered up a free flowing 4 into 1 exhaust along with four colour matched racing air-filters. He stripped and cleaned the frame of superfluous lugs before trimming back the rear-end and installing the ubiquitous loop, William then finished it off with a coat of black Epoxy to match the Comstar wheels which are shod with chunky 18' Dunlop K180 tyres. The electrical system was refined and replaced then stored in a small box under the seat which also houses a small lithium battery. The wide flat track bars host fabulous homemade switchgear units with wires that run internally for that racing look. Bar end indicators, a small speedometer and a single mirror mounted low on the forks keep the cockpit clean enough to showcase those sparkly, boiled sweet grips. The headlight formerly found employment as a car spotlight before being given a yellow tint and sole lighting responsibilities on the Honda. The gloriously painted aforementioned tank came from an old 125 of unknown heritage, Pure describe it as "very special because she take a 70’s style with cream color, candy orange and gold leaf. All this forms Scallops style." Unquestionably one of this years top tanks. The seat was handmade for purpose with space for two, there is a wraparound diamond stitched mid-section and plain leather front and rear giving the seat great definition. A small side mounted light and numberplate keep the rear aspect super clean. William describes the finished article as "Simply perfect" and I find it very hard to disagree with him. As the cold British nights begin to close in the pictures of this sparkling machine glinting in the sunshine on that glorious coast are just enough to keep the fires burning through the winter. Bring on the summer already.