Whilst we know a lot about the amazing custom motorbike builders from America and Europe, there is another nation which has a great influence on the custom motorbike world but doesn’t necessarily get the same exposure and that is Japan.
Known for their killer craftsmanship and Brat style, Japanese custom motorcycles are elegant, precise and flawless. In Japan motorcycles are a big part of lifestyle, there are so many young passionate builders just doing what they love building bikes. Japanese custom motorbike builders have shown us the variety of motorbike bases that can be used to create great custom bikes.
When searching for custom motorcycles on the web I often come across custom bikes with one thing in common a lot of chrome, I mean seriously a lot of chrome. Chrome is not bad depending on how you use it, I wanted to snap out of this chrome madness for the day and I was excited when I found this beautiful custom shop in Japan called Motor Garage Goods. Owned and operated by Hiro, these guys are not just picking up parts from a catalog and building motorcycles. Motor Garage Goods are making their own parts and crafting something as beautiful as their Kawasaki W3 Dirt Tracker.
Lets get a little flashback, Kawasaki W3 was manufactured from 1972 to 1974 and featured an air-cooled, four stroke, parallel twin cylinder and a displacement of 624cc engine.
Like any other build the stock bike was stripped down to the engine. The stock frame was modified and all the extras were removed to clean up the look of the bike. The engine was cleaned and assembled with Keihin carburetor and was fitted with Motor Garage Goods 2-into-2-exhaust system.
The front fork, swing arm, front and rear brake are stock Kawasaki. At the front Kawasaki W3 Dirt Tracker features a stock Yamaha suspension and the rear houses an Ohlins suspension. The fuel tank on this dirt tracker is an absolute ripper, it was hand fabricated by Motor Garage Goods especially for this bike. I personally love the seat on this Dirt tracker, which is another Motor Garage Goods product. Kawasaki W3 Dirt Tracker rolls on Excel wide rim front and rear wheels.
Without a doubt this bike is elegant and simple, Motor Garage Goods have shown us that less is more and simple is yet beautiful. Kawasaki W3 Dirt Tracker is an excellent example of a classic transformation. To see more of the custom builds from Motor Garage Goods check out their website and Facebook page.
This article has been weeks in the making with dozens of emails back and forth with Hiro. We hope that we have got it right and the details haven’t been lost in translation. Thank you Hiro for persisting and allowing us to showcase your bike to the world!.
