2nd Chance GS650
By Anthony van Someren - 10 Jan 13
After the Honda CB 550 & 750 one of the next most popular bikes to apply the cafe treatment to these days is the Suzuki GS and this striking 650 was sent in to us by the guys at a small new workshop in Pekin, Illinois, called 2nd Chance Custom Cycles.
2nd Chance Custom Cycles are a small shop specializing in metric motorcycles. This particular bike was found stored away on the top shelf in a warehouse as junk, with an owner who thought it would never even run again - and was amazed that anyone wanted to take it off his hands.
Well, apparently she runs like a champ, now! It took a couple of months hard labour and dedication to get her where she is today. "We had to find carbs for her, she didn't have any, had to chase down every oil leak and rewire every wire. A lot of fabrication went into the seat pan and moving all the electrics. I hand tooled a piece of leather as a temporary seat cover but we all liked it so much we are keeping it. She has a lot of bling between the pearl orange crush paint with real gold leaf and the pale orange powder coat on the wheels."
"Every bike we build gets a number 2 somewhere on the bike, hers are on the side covers. She is definitely a head turner, and pictures do not do justice as to the metal flake and pearl in her paint. She is a blast to ride! We have three current cafe build in the shop, when we are all on them heading for a ride we draw a ton of attention! I love it!"
We love to help our readers discover these smaller shops, who have every bit as much passion and dedication as the pros who sit under spotlight and get attention every time they lift a spanner. The GS is a credit to the guys at 2nd Chance and we hope to see more of their bikes in the future. Great work!