Have you noticed how photographers often favor the right-hand side of a motorcycle? Sometimes it’s because the bike’s side stand has it leaning over to the left, making it awkward to capture a good angle. Other times, it’s because the right-hand side is simply more visually appealing than the left.
That’s not the case with this 1970s Harley Shovelhead, which features a burly open primary, a bespoke oil tank, a hand-shifter, and a handmade exhaust system—all on the left side.
It’s the work of the Japanese custom bike builder Masumi Tsuchino, who operates out of Iruma in the Saitama Prefecture, just northwest of Tokyo. Tsuchino-san qualified as a mechanic out of school, then cut his teeth at a Toyota dealership.…