Guy Willison, widely known as “Skid”, is a British motorcycle designer, custom builder and television personality. He is best known for his work with Henry Cole on The Motorbike Show, his involvement in Gladstone Motorcycles and the Norton Commando 961 Street, and for founding 5Four Motorcycles, a company specialising in limited-edition, hand-built machines.
His career spans motorcycle engineering, despatch riding, television and collaborations with Honda UK. Rather than simply restoring old motorcycles, Willison has become known for transforming established models into distinctive machines with carefully designed bodywork, finishes and riding positions.
Guy Willison’s Early Life and Motorcycle Career
Willison’s interest in motorcycles began in childhood. In an interview published on the 5Four Motorcycles website, he recalled cutting open a Honda 50 engine at the age of 11 to understand how it worked.
By his early teens, he was building motorcycles from discarded parts, including components from BSA Bantams and other small machines.
His first motorcycle was a second-hand Gilera 50 Enduro, followed by a Yamaha FS1E. He subsequently passed his full motorcycle test and bought a Honda 550 Four K3.
At 18, Willison moved to London and began working as a motorcycle despatch rider. The job gave him extensive practical experience and influenced the stripped-back appearance of his later designs.
He studied motorcycle engineering at Merton Technical College and worked in several areas of the industry, including a Honda dealership, an independent motorcycle workshop and a business specialising in tuning and modifying imported motorcycles.
Willison also spent part of his professional life working as a sound recordist in the music industry. During that period, he maintained his interest in building custom bikes.
Guy Willison and Henry Cole: Television and Motorcycles
Willison’s friendship and professional relationship with television presenter Henry Cole became an important part of his career.
The two had known each other before their motorcycle projects attracted television attention. Willison has explained that Cole helped him enter sound recording, and they later reunited professionally through motorcycle building.
Guy Willison on The Motorbike Show
Willison is closely associated with The Motorbike Show, presented by Henry Cole.
The programme explores motorcycle history, new models, classic machines, restoration projects and specialist engineering. Cole’s official website identifies Willison as one of the mechanically skilled contributors involved in the programme’s motorcycle restoration work.
His television credits also include:
- Shed and Buried
- Find It, Fix It, Flog It
- The Motorbike Show
These appearances introduced his practical engineering work and custom-building skills to a wider audience.
Gladstone Motorcycles
Willison played a central role in the development of Henry Cole’s Gladstone motorcycle range.
He designed and built the Gladstone No.1, a handcrafted motorcycle drawing on traditional British motorcycle engineering and styling. The model was produced in a limited run of nine machines.
Willison also worked with motorcycle engineer Sam Lovegrove on the Gladstone Red Beard project.
Gladstone marked an important stage in his career, moving his work beyond individual workshop builds and towards exclusive, small-production motorcycles.
The Norton Commando 961 Street
One of Willison’s most recognised projects was the Norton Commando 961 Street, developed with Henry Cole.
The project reworked the existing Commando 961 into a more distinctive street motorcycle, changing its appearance and riding character while retaining the underlying Norton platform.
The design incorporated revised bodywork, a different riding position and custom detailing.
Norton subsequently offered the Street as an official limited-edition model, with production restricted to 50 motorcycles.
According to 5Four Motorcycles and the National Motorcycle Museum, the limited production run sold out within a week.
The project helped establish Willison’s reputation beyond his television appearances by demonstrating that a custom design could be developed into a manufacturer-approved production motorcycle.
5Four Motorcycles: Guy Willison’s Own Company
Willison founded 5Four Motorcycles in 2018 to develop exclusive, individually numbered motorcycles using established production models as their starting point.
The business focuses on limited-edition machines featuring custom bodywork, distinctive paintwork, handcrafted components and carefully considered ergonomics.
Why Is It Called 5Four Motorcycles?
The name has a personal connection to Willison’s earlier career.
During his time as a London motorcycle despatch rider, his radio call sign was 54.
He later used that number for his motorcycle business, linking his early riding experience to the machines he would go on to design.
Guy Willison’s Honda Motorcycle Projects
Willison’s work through 5Four has included several distinctive Honda-based motorcycles.
Honda CB1100 RS 5Four (2019)
<text weight=”medium”>The Honda CB1100 RS 5Four was developed in collaboration with Honda UK to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original Honda CB750.</text>
Introduced in 2019, the motorcycle was based on the production CB1100 RS but received substantial visual and ergonomic changes.
These included a handmade aluminium seat unit and fairing, a single-seat configuration, revised handlebars, custom exhaust components and paintwork inspired by Honda’s endurance racing motorcycles.
Production was limited to 54 individually numbered motorcycles, available through Honda’s UK dealer network.
The project combined the mechanical foundations of an existing Honda with the details and exclusivity associated with a specialist custom builder.
Honda CB1000R 5Four (2021)
Following the CB1100 RS project, Willison created a special version of the Honda CB1000R.
The 2021 CB1000R 5Four featured a bespoke headlight fairing, a hand-stitched leather seat, distinctive paintwork and a titanium Racefit exhaust.
Other changes included modified rear bodywork, adjustable levers and billet mirrors.
Honda described the model as an individually numbered limited-production motorcycle, continuing 5Four’s approach to combining modern engineering with custom finishes.
Honda CB1000 Hornet SP 5Four (2025)
In 2025, 5Four Motorcycles and Honda dealer Doble Motorcycles collaborated on a special version of the CB1000 Hornet SP.
The motorcycle received a redesigned rear section, a hand-stitched leather seat, a titanium Racefit exhaust and distinctive red, blue and white paintwork inspired by Honda’s racing heritage.
According to Honda’s project announcement, Willison was responsible for designing and assembling each motorcycle at the 5Four workshop.
The limited edition was announced as a run of 54 individually numbered machines, with Doble Motorcycles in Coulsdon acting as the exclusive retailer.
Unlike the earlier models developed directly with Honda UK, this project was specifically presented as a collaboration between 5Four Motorcycles and Doble Motorcycles.
What Makes Guy Willison’s Motorcycle Designs Different?
Willison’s design approach places considerable emphasis on the relationship between a motorcycle’s appearance and the experience of riding it.
Rather than changing components purely for decoration, his projects frequently address several aspects of a machine:
- Riding position: Handlebars, seats and controls selected to improve the rider’s contact with the motorcycle.
- Bodywork: Cleaner tail sections, compact fairings and revised components intended to create a more cohesive appearance.
- Materials: Hand-finished aluminium, leather, carefully selected metal components and distinctive paintwork.
- Sound and character: Custom exhaust systems selected as part of the motorcycle’s overall design.
- Exclusivity: Small production runs and individually numbered motorcycles.
The result is a style that draws on classic British motorcycles and endurance racing while retaining the engineering of contemporary production machines.
What Is Guy Willison Doing Now?
Willison continues to be associated with the design and construction of special-edition motorcycles through 5Four.
His involvement in the Honda CB1000 Hornet SP 5Four project, announced in October 2025, provides a recent example of his ongoing work as a motorcycle designer and builder.
The official 5Four Motorcycles website features the company’s projects and information about bespoke builds.
Anyone interested in a particular limited-edition motorcycle should contact the company or the relevant dealer to establish current availability.
Willison’s career reflects a progression from practical motorcycle engineering and despatch riding to creating distinctive limited-production machines. His television work made him familiar to British motorcycle enthusiasts, while his projects with Gladstone, Norton and Honda established his place in specialist motorcycle design.
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