God Sin: Joe Martin’s Futuristic Board-Tracker Custom

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Joe Martin’s God Sin takes a radically pared-back approach to the custom V-twin. Its long, low profile is built around two oversized wheels, a polished engine and a narrow strip of bodywork that seems to connect the front and rear ends. The result is less a conventional cruiser than a futuristic interpretation of a board tracker, with enough traditional influence to keep the metalwork recognizable.

Designed around proportion

Martin developed the motorcycle for a planned million-dollar custom build-off that was later canceled, according to the original Hot Bike report. The contest never became the event its organizers had envisioned, but Martin’s project continued as a finished expression of ideas he had previously kept in sketches.

The key decision was the use of a 23-inch front wheel. Martin said a smaller 21-inch wheel would have made the motorcycle appear too slight, particularly beside the engine’s broad cylinders. The larger diameter establishes the bike’s visual scale: the wheels dominate the silhouette without making the motor look undersized. With the fenders removed, their open surfaces become an even more important part of the design.

Minimal bodywork, detailed fabrication

There is very little painted material on God Sin, so each remaining panel carries considerable visual weight. The deep red tank and front section sweep down toward the polished engine, while the small solo seat keeps the upper line low and uncluttered. In the supplied photographs, the broad rear wheel and exposed belt drive reinforce the sense that the motorcycle has been reduced to its essential mechanical forms.

The front end is the most distinctive piece of fabrication. Rather than using a conventional nacelle, Martin formed a surrounding structure from 1/4-inch solid steel rod, built it around the upper fork legs and headlight, and then filled the framework with individually shaped sheet-metal sections. That combination leaves the lower fork legs visible while giving the headlight a sculptural surround. It also explains why the front of the bike feels both old-fashioned and futuristic: the exposed fork treatment recalls early FL-style hardware, but the proportions and smooth surfaces push the idea into custom-concept territory.

A deliberate absence of fenders

Martin reportedly tried fitting a front fender before removing it. The cleaner arrangement worked better with his stated theme of minimal bodywork and intricate metalwork. On most cruisers, fenders visually tie the wheels into the chassis; here, their absence creates a gap that makes the frame, engine and front suspension easier to read. It is an uncompromising choice, but one that gives God Sin its unmistakable stance.

Rather than relying on a long list of accessories, the build makes its case through proportion, fabrication and restraint. The oversized wheels establish the attitude, the engine supplies the visual mass, and the small amount of bodywork is shaped to keep those two elements connected.

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