PURPLE PAN-SHOVEL: 1962 H-D from LS Motorcycle.

The rise and rise of the Chinese motorcycle industry has been nothing short of amazing, with millions of bikes rolling off an almost infinite number of production lines. The criticism has often been around quality, but just this week CFMoto had the world's motorcycling press giddy with excitement, with the brilliance of their 675SR-R sportbike. The custom scene, however, hasn't been as productive but new friendships are accelerating the progress and Hangzhou city's LS Motorcycle has turned their regular trips to Japan into a learning exercise that's producing incredible results. And for the 2024 Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show, they took with them this incredible 1962 Harley-Davidson PanShovel, and headed home with a well-deserved trophy in hand. The team at LS Motorcycle are by no means rookies to the game, they've been around for years now, and have largely focussed on building classic choppers to an incredible standard. But they've always known that to compete at an international level, they had to refine their style and take time to learn from the best before they would have a chance of taking home the big trophies. So, over the years they've immersed themselves in Japanese custom culture and developed friendships with the likes of Heiwa Motorcycle and a deep connection with Takahashi-san, who has been a mainstay of the scene, dominating the show circuit under his Kuruma-sakashita Motorcycle banner.