Motor Rock is a workshop founded by Keita Kobayashi and Takanori Katagiri in Nagoya-shi, Aichi, Japan, in 2004. Not only have they built an impressive stable of custom bikes — both metric customs and a quiver of Harley-Davidson bobbers — but they manufacturer a staggering array of custom parts, which are available overseas.
When we came across this Kawasaki W650 built by Takanori Katagiri of Motor Rock, we simply had to feature it. The long lines and knobby tires remind us of the early hill-climbers — an era recently featured in The Vintagent — and those long, flowing pipes are a work of art, as is the split tank and solo seat.
Unfortunately, none of the crew at Motor Rock speak English, and none of the crew here at BikeBound know Japanese. However, through the wonders of online translation software, we were able to interview Motor Rock’s Keita Kobayashi, cobbling together as much information as we could about the build, built by his partner Takanori Katagiri.
Kawasaki W650 Bobber / Tracker: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
2000-2004 OVER RACING PROJECTS
2004 MOTOR ROCK OPEN
2007 JOINTS CUSTOM BIKE SHOW AWARDS “Best Of Welding”
2008 JOINTS CUSTOM BIKE SHOW AWARDS “Best Motorcycle Domestic”
2010 WEST JAPAN MOTORCYCLE SHOW AWARDS “Best METAL WORK Motorcycle”
2011 JOINTS CUSTOM BIKE SHOW AWARDS “Best Motorcycle Domestic”
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
2005 KAWASAKI W650
• Why was this bike built?
Customer project
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
Vintage Triumph / The Great Escape (Movie)
• What custom work was done to the bike?
[One-off Production]
Hard tail, Fuel tank, Seat, Battery case, Rear fender, Muffler
[Customize]
Headlight, Metor, Hundle bar, Winker, Taillamp
• How would you classify this bike?
street tracker, scrambler, bobber
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
Customer satisfaction is everything. There is nothing special about it.
Hard tail to be commercialized, split tank with mid control and plating finish was produced over time.
Follow the Builder
- Web: www.motorrock.net
- Instagram: @motor_rock
- Facebook: MOTOR-ROCK
The builder is MOTOR ROCK Takanori Katagiri.
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