Art on Wheels - Craigh Rodsmith's BSA Bantam
Craig Rodsmith's BSA Bantam custom motorcycle, named Corps Leger (French for "light body"), is a board track-style build constructed around a vintage 1950s BSA Bantam two-stroke engine enclosed in a hand-shaped aluminum shell. Commissioned by Dallas-based collector Bobby Haas for his Haas Moto Museum, the Corps Leger is entirely scratch-built: frame, springer forks, swingarm, wheel hubs, and rims were all fabricated by Rodsmith from raw materials. The result is a motorcycle that functions as sculpture, one of the most visually striking custom builds of the past decade.
How the Corps Leger Was Commissioned
Bobby Haas has spent years funding independent custom motorcycle builders in preparation for the Haas Moto Museum in Dallas, a 20,000-square-foot space housing 110 vintage and custom machines. He met Craig Rodsmith at the 2017 Handbuilt Show in Austin, where he was immediately drawn to Rodsmith's turbocharged Moto Guzzi build. The two shook hands on the purchase within hours and agreed to collaborate on a new piece. After a single sketch session, the concept was set: a board track aesthetic, vintage engine, fully enclosed aluminum bodywork.
The BSA Bantam Engine and Why It Was Chosen
The BSA Bantam was Craig Rodsmith's first motorcycle, which made its selection as the basis for this build both personal and purposeful. The small two-stroke engine was rebuilt to stock specification, chosen for its compact proportions and its place in motorcycle history rather than for performance. At 125cc, the Bantam produces modest power, but the Corps Leger was never conceived as a performance machine. Its purpose is aesthetic and historical: the aluminum encasing body shapes the air around the powertrain rather than revealing it.
Clincher Rims, White Tires, and the Help of Max Hazan
Rodsmith chose all-white button tread tires in size 28 x 3.5 inches, mounted on clincher rims that he fabricated himself. Clincher rims, a pre-dating of the beaded-edge tire system, are notoriously difficult to assemble and retain under load. The challenge was significant enough that Rodsmith reached out to Max Hazan, one of the few builders in the world still working with clincher technology. The build effectively started from the wheels outward: getting the rims to function correctly determined the rest of the geometry.
Bodywork, Brakes, and Handlebars
The aluminum shell is seamless, encasing the engine, frame, and most of the mechanical components. Where a conventional motorcycle would have a headlight, the Corps Leger has an intake opening covered with a steel mesh screen. The handlebars emerge directly through the bodywork. Braking is rear-only: a drum brake built from an integrated sprocket and a modified BSA backing plate. These are deliberate choices, not constraints. Full details of the build are documented in the original Bike EXIF feature on Craig Rodsmith's Corps Leger. Additional context on Bobby Haas and the museum's collection is available at Pipeburn's Haas Moto Museum profile.
For custom motorcycles that treat the machine as art, explore TheArsenale's selection including the Bandit9 Supermarine, the Nmoto Nostalgia 001 custom BMW, and the RA75 custom cafe racer. Browse the complete custom motorcycle collection at TheArsenale.
