Altered Chrome

In 2005, Altered Chrome began doing complete custom sportbike builds to showcase the company’s products and services, forming Altered Chrome Garage. Custom paint, chrome, and fabrication separate them from other sportbike builders, and their “Altered Rat” embodies Altered Chrome Garage’s passion for creating some of the most unique sportbikes on the road.

As a fan of everything motor-related, owner Brian Johnson decided to build a rat rod-inspired bike after years of attending car shows and constantly seeing various vehicles featuring the “rat rod” style (a term used for the original hot rod style of the early 1950s). With a mismatched collection of brands with only one goal in mind—getting it on the road, semi safely—the build began, as Brian set out to create something that no one has ever thought of doing before.

Paint: Custom paint, airbrushing and old school pinstriping by TC Concepts. Matrix System primer, FX Series basecoat and flattened production clear paint was used throughout the bike. Iwata paint guns, HPC airbrush guns and Mack pinstriping brushes were used to create the paint scheme.

Frame: Sandblasted OEM finish.

Swingarm: Custom-built by Mike at Thompson Custom Cycles. It started out as a standard 9-inch 280MM swingarm, but was altered by drilling sleeve holes into sides, then sandblasted to match the frame.

Wheels: RC Components 17-inch Holeshot Eclipse front wheels and 20-inch Holeshot Eclipse rear wheels.

Tires: Avon front Viper 120/60R17 tires and Cobra 280/40R20 rear tires

Exhaust: Brocks Performance/Hindle exhaust

Accessories: ZX-10R smooth top billet gas cap from Triple Plate Customs; billet accessories, including lowering links, fork caps, spanner nut, HEL brake lines, front brake caliper spikes and both chains for the swingarm from Roaring Toyz; and tribal-hole eclipse kickstand, eclipse mirror block-off plates and adjustable levers from NYC Parts.

One-off items by Altered Chrome: “Tiki God” sprocket cover; “Trucker Girl” heel guards; 1930s bomber jacket seat cover; custom-cut windscreen molded into upper (BY TC CONCEPTS); modified and hammered custom Maltese grips; louvered undertail; and—with some serious Jesse James-metal-fabrication skills—a metal undertail to cover up where the undertail exhaust used to be.

Photos: Dmitry Zaltsman