Meet The Firefly, the Residence of Impermanence’s first and latest build by Deus Japan’s Director of Motorcycle Operations, Matthew Roberts – a venerable 1961 Honda Super Cub that pushes the engineering and styling envelope like none before.

A modern interpretation of the raw functional beauty of small capacity GP and TT steeds of the 1950s and ’60s, its long, low lines run uninterrupted from headlight to tail but for the riders perch – a spartan tuck-roll offering in Oxblood red, stitched by local moto upholstery master Miauchi-san – and the original C105 speedometer, a nod to the machine’s heritage. Its execution is so harmonious as to have historians running to the archives in search of reference to a long lost racing prototype.

A modified frame and epoxy composite monocoque body of Roberts’ own design and construction afford the Firefly its striking silhouette while saving precious kilograms. The exceptionally slim top bridge and frame allowed the creation of a body that is 105mm at its widest point, while entry in local pre-1964 race series provided the performance motivation. As a neat twist, there is a racing mandated quick release to reveal the machine’s road going necessities – headlight and discrete illumination elsewhere – meaning the Firefly can compete on the track at the foothills of Mount Fuji on a Sunday and hit the streets of Tokyo on a Monday.

Removing the body reveals a fuel cell, battery, coil and electrics laid out with surgical precision along a slender modified back bone. original, polished C105 hubs now sport ‘Made in Japan’ DID alloy rims, custom spokes and 2.75×17 rubber shoe-horned to fit inside the narrow forks and rear fender. Bespoke and hand-made accoutrements pepper the Firefly’s form, such as a alloy top bridge, stop light, rear set foot controls, fully adjustable alloy race shocks and externally mounted front fork rebound unit.

The Honda Cub may be the best selling vehicle in internal combustion history, 60 million plus worldwide, but performance components are scarce for the first series overhead valve single. Every nut, bolt, bearing and bush, from engine components to front suspension internals, have been reengineered, redesigned or improved from decades old factory blue prints. Half century old engines require as much art as science to coax reliable power increases, so friend and local engine guru Ted’s Special – whose work graces Honda’s own race collection hall – handled over-sizing and tuning the petite custom to a 20 percent capacity increase. An open carb mouth gleefully gulps in cool air for run-ins and secret shakedown sessions.

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