Take A Peek Inside Project NaviScape With Steady Garage

The moment that you see NaviScape, Steady Garage’s Honda Navi-based creation, you can instantly see how special it is. That impression goes double if you get to see it lit up in the dark. It’s a visceral visual experience, even if you’re only standing next to it and not actually riding it. Photos and videos, while great, can’t amply do this build the justice it deserves, so it’s my sincere hope that you’ll get to see it up close at some point.  

The shop’s longtime love of customizing minimotos is evident in everything it builds, but sometimes, a single piece of art just speaks to you. Luckily, Kevin from Steady Garage was also kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about the build.  

What influences did Steady Garage draw upon in creating NaviScape? 

SG: We were ultimately inspired by the world of Syd Mead whose work on films like Blade Runner and Tron specifically influenced this Navi build. The design team had pod racers and spacecrafts (sic) in mind which can be seen in the color palette and the inclusion of LED lighting. 

How does the design process typically go for your team? Is it super collaborative, or does one person usually take the lead, or is every project different? Also, how did it go for this project? 

SG: Every project is definitely different but we’ll typically first agree on an overall theme, purpose, and style that we want to achieve. In this case, we had preliminary discussions with Honda Powersports to understand their goals. Our lead designer Francis came up with multiple renderings that the team reviewed and gave input on. Since there are machined parts involved, our design team worked closely with Chimera’s engineers on the production of these custom parts. 

Did the NaviScape design come into being fully formed, or did it evolve as you went through the build process? 

SG: The final product actually looks very close to the original renderings. There are always numerous obstacles and problems executing the design during the actual build process that our team will work to overcome on the spot. Our crew will often need to come up with creative solutions to these problems. These creative solutions do play a part in helping the design evolve as well. 

What's it like to ride? 

SG: The NaviScape is actually very fun to ride, light and nimble like the stock version. However, the riding position is much more aggressive and racing-inspired, evoking a different feeling altogether. The heart and spirit of the Navi are very much still intact and we worked hard to keep it that way. Everything functions and works and the lean angle is still there even though we have lowered the overall stance of the moto. 

Project NaviScape was very challenging to build due to all of the obstacles, but we were very happy with the end result and really hope that everyone enjoys it. We also hope that this project will inspire someone out there to take on a mini-moto or scooter project and build it exactly to their liking, reflecting their personality and having fun every step of the way. 

Are there any upcoming events where people can look for NaviScape or any other Steady Garage builds if they want to see them in person? 

SG: We are looking/planning to attend a few shows for 2022, such as The1MotoShow in Portland, The Outliers Guild Motoshow (OG MotoShow), as well as other shows that we find out about or know about. 

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