"La Chute" Honda SS50

The Honda SS50 custom known as La Chute is a race-built cafe racer by George Woodman Garage, constructed for the legendary Copita Race at Wheels and Waves 2017 in Biarritz, France, and one of the most inventive custom builds to emerge from the European moto-culture scene.

The Concept

The name La Chute carries a double meaning in French: it translates as The Fall, but in the language of French woodworking it also refers to the offcut pieces left over after furniture timber is cut. George Woodman, working out of his own garage, built the wooden components of this bike from exactly those forgotten offcuts discovered on his workshop floor. The concept is honest and poetic: a motorcycle made partly from material that would otherwise be discarded, built for a race that celebrates craft over commerce.

The Build

The donor machine is a 1972 Honda SS50, a lightweight moped platform that Woodman stripped back and reimagined as a competition-ready racer. The original engine gave way to a punched-up 190cc Daytona unit, tuned by Stomp 777, one of France's most respected specialists for this class of engine. A bespoke handmade swingarm was fabricated to accommodate an 18-inch dragster rear tyre, completely changing the stance of the machine. Front fork and wheel were custom-fabricated as well, integrating a Honda Dream disc brake for period-correct styling with modern stopping power.

Racing handlebars replace the originals, stripped of any unnecessary equipment. Footpegs and controls mount directly to the swingarm in fixed positions, creating the sensation of a rigid frame even though the stock frame remains. The rear subframe was lightly modified for new seat fixations. The original fuel tank was repositioned to change the silhouette, and the front carries a yellow headlight unit with a hand-painted Smiley face graphic. At the rear, a small red taillight integrates into the seat unit. The wooden details throughout, sourced from those garage offcuts, give La Chute a texture and warmth entirely its own.

Performance

Built and tuned specifically for the Copita Race at Wheels and Waves, La Chute prioritises low weight and strong low-to-mid engine response over outright top speed. The 190cc Daytona engine offers substantially more power than the stock SS50 unit, and Stomp 777's tuning ensures it delivers that power consistently under race conditions. The fixed footpeg position and low, aggressive riding posture complete the picture of a machine made to be ridden hard on a tight circuit.

Specifications

• Builder: George Woodman Garage
• Base Model: 1972 Honda SS50
• Model: La Chute
• Engine: 190cc Daytona (uprated from stock)
• Engine Tuner: Stomp 777
• Rear Tyre: 18-inch dragster
• Front Brake: Honda Dream disc brake
• Swingarm: Custom handmade
• Built for: Copita Race, Wheels and Waves 2017, Biarritz
• Special Detail: Wooden components from workshop offcuts (la chute pieces)

Discover the full Motorcycles Collection at TheArsenale.