Since the 1950s, Mooneyes has been at the heart of Californian custom culture. It’s now an international brand, with a huge presence in Japan and a reputation to live up to. So when owner Shige Suganuma decided to commission a bike for himself, he turned to one of the best: Master fabricator Lucas Joyner, founder of The Factory Metal Works.
Joyner turned Suganuma’s concept into reality. Nicknamed the ‘MQQN Machine,’ the bike is constructed around a 1964 Triumph 650 unit motor. Mooneyes makes some of the classiest components around, so Joyner started by raiding their catalog for parts.
The frame is a work of art: the front section is a custom-fabbed loop, hooked up to a stretched Mooneyes hardtail. That vertical oil tank is a modified Mooneyes item, and so are the bars.
The stock Triumph gas tank has been narrowed and ribbed, and sits ahead of a TFMW vintage-style solo seat. The wheels are especially beautiful: at the front, a 1961 Triumph Tiger Cub brake hub is laced to a 21” rim. At the back, a pre-1970 Triumph hub is laced to a 19” rim.
The tires are vintage Avon Speedmasters, 2.75” at the front and 3.50” at the back, and the exquisite paint is by legendary pinstriper Bill Carter.
The result is one of the coolest vintage Triumphs we’ve seen for a long time. A class act from two men at the top of their respective professions.
Images by Fran Kuhn.
