Espresso Motorcycles turns this Honda into a real Joker

Why so serious? Gianluca Giardina transforms this Honda Shadow 50 into the Joker with a massive overhaul and dark aesthetics.

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Custom bikes can be yay or nay but for this Honda Joker, Espresso Motorcycles managed to top it off the charts. Gianluca Giardina, the mastermind behind this Milan-based workshop is anything but ordinary. The scooter which started its life as a Honda Shadow 50, known as the Joker in several markets, definitely made an epic transformation in the hands of Gianluca.

Being brought into the workshop in a terrible state was no challenge for Gianluca.

“The donor scooter found by the customer was really a wreck. There is no component that has not been revised, it was abandoned with all the fairings broken and oxidation everywhere… It had been sitting in a cellar for 20 years,” Gianluca tells Pipeburn.

He started his work at the front end, giving the bike a tough look by dropping it to the ground. Gianluca installed power springs with a custom connecting rod. This is as such as there are no actual oil dampers, just short-stroke springs.

The rear went through a major overhaul and took on a drop of 7cm front and rear. The new suspension required a statement, and Gianluca made it happen with a huge set of 18-inch ape hangers.

The Joker is decked out in all black and Gianluca picked his way through some spare parts. He picked out some cables and master cylinders from a Honda Shadow 600 and a Burgman 400. To place further emphasis on the big bars, the large round headlight is now replaced with a small LED light bar.

The body of the bike was completed covered in a coat of Matte Daytona Grey from the Audi catalogue. The graphics were laid down “by Aryk Old Paint, with the caricature of himself, trying to play and be ironic at the same time on the Harley world and in general on the custom style.”

Not to mention, this bike features a big block 70cc engine from Malossi performance and their slick-shifting transmission to match. As a finishing touch, the tyres have been swapped out for a set of 3.50 R10s and the underside customised to avoid any fouling.

There is no way you don’t break out into a smile riding this bad boy.