



If you were young in the 70’s, you probably think that everything was better when you were young. Especially Choppers. A guy named Joost asked custom shop Royal Custom Works in the Netherlands to build him a motorcycle out of all the parts he had collected in the last couple of years. Little gems like an Arlen Ness frame and Diamond gas tank, a Girder front end, two wheels. There was no other way, this custom could be only a cool Digger, Arlen style, paying tribute to the King Of Custom… Owner of the shop Jacco Reniers, better known as Royal Jack under which name he works as a a custom bike builder gifted painter and pinstripes, proudly tells the story of Pink Diamond right after this Honda Digger won its first major Best of Show.



“The build was completely done in-house. But as a very talented painter Jack is often at work at big shows and events all over Europe. Consequently the project took him 4 years although there were no major problems the build. But many parts were found to be incomplete or not conceived to fit together. So many modifications and one-off parts were needed to get to fit everything together” The Pink Diamond is an ode to the the custom chopper movement, to the way customizing was done by Arlen Ness and a few others. A style giving birth to a new industry. Too many, in the custom motorcycle industry, Arlen is a God. It was him that developed special chopper frames and parts and together with Jim Davis some of the daring/wildest/designs Choppers and Diggers (some with superchargers) ever built.
A new old style Stock Girder front end, a front 5-spoke Invader wheel, a NOS Disc rear wheel and Hurst Airheart brakes (two mini discs and a small caliper) make a perfect match for the Ness frame housing a big Honda 750 four cylinder. “I made the set ‘Spaghetti’ twisted exhausts, but to be honest, we are not completely satisfied with this set-up yet,” says Royal Jack, “I would like to make something different, but unfortunately we didn’t have the time to do that.” Perfectly period correct are the 60’s Dual Posa carburetors nicknamed ‘Lake Injector’ made to perform in aircraft. Not to be confused with a real ‘injection system’ A set like these is very hard to find, let alone complete with manifolds!
The Honda 750 engine was one of the first real fast and reliable engines, looking good, narrow, and for these 3 reasons used (like the Sportster Ironhead) in countless Choppers. Of course, before to be cradled in Pink Diamond the 1978 CB was completely overhauled and checked by Fourdeel, a company that specialise in Japanese bikes, based in Purmerend, The Netherlands.

Royal Jack fabricated the foot pegs, right hand side Hurst shifter, oil tank , the rear fender to match the gas tank diamond lines. Up front an old car headlamp is used. In the back an old NOS 69 Mastercraft lens one a one-off housing. Very detailed with pinstripes the paint job is quite mind blowing. Marcel Miller of Miller’s Uphostery did the two-tone “horny” seat in a typical retro chopper style. “Building the bike was something we did together. I was the builder but I could have never built this bike without all my client’s ideas. If I had built the Diamond myself, it would never had been the motorcycle it is now.” And he adds “What started as a business relationship between a builder and customer grew up into a real friendship!” Royal Custom Works (with the collaboration and photos of Onno “Berserk” Wieringa)

TECHNICAL INFO
GENERAL
Name of the bike: Pink Diamond.
Owner:Joost Mom
Builder: Royal Jack (Royal Kustom Works)
Make: Honda
Model: CB 750
Time: 4 years
ENGINE
Year: 1978
Builder: Honda
Displacement/ cc’s: 750
Type: CB
Cases: OEM
Cylinderheads: OEM
Carbs: Dual Posa carbs
Ignition: Elektronic module
Exhaust: Custom made
Transmission: OEM
ACCESSORIES
Frame: Arlen Ness
Front end: NOS Girder
Front wheel: 5 spoke Invader
Rear wheel: NOS Disc Wheel
Brakes: Hurst Airheart NOS
Rear fender: custom made
Gas tank: Diamond Arlen Ness tank
Dashboard: Electronic
Oil tank: Diamond shape
Handlebars: custom made
Grips: old style
Brake / clutch lever custom made to mimic Hurst clutch lever.
Head light: NOS car headlight
Tail light: custom made housing with NOS Mastercraft 69 lens
Seat: custom made plate with Miller custom upholstery (velvet and pluche)
Foot pegs: custom made supports with old style pegs
Brake and shifter pedal: custom made, hand shifter with Hurst knob
Homemade / Special Parts and/or details:
Wheel hubs, peg supports, rear fender, bearing cups, handlebars, brake parts, motor mounts, side mount, tail light housing, clutch lever, all the brackets, jiffy stand, head light support, hand shifter, exhaust system, wiring, ….too much to mention everything.
PAINT JOB
Color: Metallic Silver basecoat. Pink, Purple, Blue Candies.
Make and type paint: Metallic with Candy on top of Custom Creative.
Painter: Royal Jack (Royal Kustom Works)
Special Paint / logo’s: Lace effect, endless lines and pinstriping.
Idea: Royal Jack/Joost Mom
Design: Royal Jack/Joost Mom
Special thanks to:
Leo Klootwijk for his help. BNM Motoren for putting the tires on the rims. Tolenaar Elektrometaal bv Rotterdam for chroming. Miller Custom Upholstery for the horny velvet seat upholstery. Fourdeel for overhauling the CB engine.