Few motorcycles can claim the notoriety of the ill-fated Buell Blast. Propelled by half a Sportster engine and aimed at beginner riders, the Blast was such a disappointment that its creator, Erik Buell, signaled the end of its production by publicly tossing one into a crusher. Then, to drive the point home, he offered a limited run of crushed and autographed Buell Blast ‘cubes’ for sale.
The Buell Blast’s infamy—and rarity—are precisely what tempted Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa to customize it. Based in Tokyo, Japan, Osawa-san is the brains behind the ‘Have Fun’ flat track racing event. He also builds some of the most imaginative flat trackers around.
The Blast is hard to find in Japan, so Cheetah imported one from the USA earlier this year. “Single-cylinder models are often used in flat track racing, so I thought it would be interesting to make a racer based on this,” he tells us. “I wanted to build a racer that nobody had ever made before; a flat track racer that encapsulates the idea of a chopper.”
Cheetah stripped the Buell Blast down to its engine and began designing a bespoke chassis. First, he fabricated a petite fuel tank and elegant tubular frame backbone. Then he combined the two using traditional chopper molding methods.
The final monocoque went off to a friend, S Paint, for a coat of black paint. Next, Cheetah laid down a set of flames by hand—referencing 70s and 80s choppers and drag racers. “I wanted to try the combination of molding and flames on a racer with a decent ride height,” he explains.
Further back, Cheetah fabricated a subframe and swingarm out of chromoly tubing. All of the welds use a traditional bronze brazing technique—something that he taught himself a few years ago. The twin-tube swingarm design was inspired by a classic Arlen Ness design, with X-shaped gussets paying homage to the A-shaped items on the original Ness version.
The juxtaposition of the slick molded front end, against the chromoly brazed rear section, is inspired—a harmonious blend of different styles from different eras. Cheetah drives the point home by adding a third style, showcasing his metalworking skills with a custom tail cowl, oil tank, and foot control brackets that all bear a swirled finish. A perforated seat, upholstered by Atelier Tee, runs across the top of the bodywork.
There’s nothing left of the Buell Blast’s running gear either. It now rolls on 19” Sun Rims hoops, shod with Hoosier flat track tires. The forks and rear shock are WP Suspension components, the rear suspension mounts are custom, and the rear brake uses a Brembo caliper.
A set of Cheetah flat track handlebars sit up top, held in place by aftermarket risers. They’re fitted with a Domino throttle, fresh grips, and a short clutch lever. Lower down, Cheetah modified the shift lever to create clearance for boot-out riding, and added Bates foot pegs.
A Dell’Orto carb feeds the motor, with a custom exhaust header and an Ixil muffler expelling gasses. The exhaust’s flawless routing and the asymmetrical foot peg placement prove that this machine’s been built to ride in anger—but its myriad finishes and engineering techniques speak to Cheetah’s creativity.
Black, silver, gold, and red sounds like an over-stuffed palette, but it works spectacularly well. The gold flame graphics are matched by the gold rims, which, in turn, wear subtle graphics on the inside. Red is used sparingly; on the front forks, rear shock spring, rear brake caliper, throttle cable, and spark plug lead.
Stacked with thoughtful details (like the way the oil tank is tucked in behind the cylinder head), and flawlessly blending several genres into one machine, Cheetah’s Buell flat tracker is a blast of fresh air.
Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa Instagram | Images by, and with sincere thanks to, Kazuo Matsumoto
