A Look Into The Shop Of Custom Builder Shinya Kimura

A look into the shop of custom builder Shinya Kimura

"What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.”

 

 - Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.

 

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Machinery to create most anything is at his fingertips

A Bridgeport mill is a must have for a true custom shop

Thinking through all the lines and angles

Working on the 4 into 1 exhaust

A Honda CB 750 never looked so good

Did The AMD Bike Build Winner, Get Styling Cues From Shinya?

Did the AMD 2012 Motorcycle build winner, get styling cues from Shinya Kimura? After looking at various photos I can see a lot of similar vibes. Not that it is bad to emulate such a standout bike, but Shinya's bike is the Samurai warrior compared to Thunderbike of Germany's Steampunk. Each has amazing lines and a distinct personality but the grit and assymetrical lines of Shinya's ups the ante beyond another build. The Spike is pure soul.

Shinya Kimura's - Spike, custom Knucklehead

AMD 2012 Winner, Thunderbike of Germany's - PainTTLess

Flat Top Frames With Style For Miles

It's quite enjoyable to see so many bike styles ebb and flow in and out of popularity. The arguments over what is cool and what is the best motor are just par for course. At the end of the day what we care most about is ridability. We couldn't give a rat's ass on whether or not something is period correct or having just the right underground builder signature part and being able to talk on it in the right circles. That is just damn boring, pointless and the shitty effect of the hipsters, that invaded motorcycle culture.


We are all over the maps with the bikes we enjoy riding whether it be dirt bikes, to our long mile marathoner in our Dyna or a race bike, two wheels up is our driving force. A particular bike design that has been really catching on though, is the flat top frame style of the Cafe Racer movement. The frame geometry is helping to morph a style of design and ergonomic riding position that is aimed directly at the rider and experiencing the road. It could be for the highway or the back country twists and turns, but no doubt about it, these bikes are meant to be ridden and yet highly customized.

Shinya Kimura custom Sportster with solid riding setup in mind

Drixton frame created by Marly Drixyl in 1968

Fritz Egli frame with a Honda 750 motor

Fritz Egli frame with a 1952 Norton Vincent Lightning motor

Classified Moto XS750 custom Yamaha

1979 Honda CB650 rebuilt inhouse here at Rusty Knuckles