The Japanese custom scene sets rather than follows trends. Japan’s top builders each have a unique and instantly recognizable style, and the machines they produce are usually hard to pigeonhole. This 1970 Harley-Davidson FLH Shovelhead from Hideya Togashi of Hide Motorcycle (that’s ‘Hee-day’) illustrates my point beautifully. Togashi-san’s client simply asked him to build a…
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We’re casting the net far and wide this week. There’s a brutal Aprilia Tuono V4 from Switzerland, a Harley cafe racer from Japan, and a new bike from the American small-batch manufacturer Janus. Plus Union Motorcycle Classics are raffling off a jaw-dropping Gary Nixon tribute Triumph.
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Trends ebb and flow in the custom world. And with them, the fortunes of bike builders. It might be tough at the top, but it’s even harder to stay there over the years. Japanese builder Hideya Togashi is a man with more staying power than most. He took his first Best Of Show award from…
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It’s not often that we get an insight into the minds and work processes of Japan’s custom motorcycle builders. The language barrier is simply too much. So we’re wrapping up our coverage of BMW’s R nineT Custom Project by interviewing the four builders involved. Although they’re at the top of their game—and undoubtedly some of…
Read more »For six months, four of Japan’s top custom workshops have been tearing down and rebuilding BMW’s R nineT roadster. The names will…
Read more »For the past few days, the center of the custom universe has been in Japan, at the the Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod…
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