Restyled Triumph Bonneville T100 From Japan Is a Custom Bobber Done Different

He went on to work at a motorcycle garage for several years, endlessly honing his skills and realizing that he was something of a natural. Feeling confident enough to set out on his own, he established Heiwa Motorcycle in 2005 and the rest, as they so often say, is history. Kimura-san gave us countless world-class projects to admire over the years, with many award-winning masterpieces among them. One of his most recent builds is showcased above in all its glory.

It is a Triumph Bonneville T100 at its core, and one would have a pretty hard time trying to put it in one particular category. The bike’s style leans heavily toward a bobber, but Kengo didn’t shy away from putting his own spin on it like he does with all his projects. Now, the finished product didn’t just have to look good, but it would also need to be practical for everyday riding in traffic.

With the Bonnie on his workbench, Heiwa’s frontman took it apart and proceeded to ditch a large chunk of its factory equipment. He then addressed the unsprung sector, keeping the original wheel hubs but lacing them to lighter aftermarket rims via stainless-steel spokes. These new hoops measure 19 inches at the front and 17 inches at the rear, both wrapped in vintage-looking Duro Classic tires.

Next up, a bespoke loop-style subframe was fabricated from scratch and seamlessly welded to the main chassis. The following step had to do with the Bonneville’s stance, which was lowered with some high-grade Daytona shock absorbers at the back. We still find the OEM forks at the other end, but they’ve been rebuilt and shortened by about 40 mm (1.6 inches) to match the rear.

Once these structural modifications were out of the way, it came time to give the Triumph an entirely new look. All its stock bodywork had been put aside during the initial teardown, making room for a rad custom outfit manufactured in-house. The centerpiece is a handmade fuel tank that looks like a million bucks, topped off with a shiny filler cap.

Moving rearward, we find a stylish black leather saddle with room for one, sitting right above a custom electronics box shaped like an oil tank. There’s a one-off rear fender fitted in that area, as well, carrying the license plate bracket and a Bates-style LED taillight. Aftermarket turn signals are attached to the subframe tubing left and right, but a similar pair can also be spotted at twelve o’clock.

They’re placed close to the frame’s down tubes on the same bracket as the horn. As for the headlight, it is a Bates-style module perched on the bottom triple clamp, and it does an excellent job at dialing the vintage vibes to eleven. The updated cockpit area is an absolute charm, as well, predominantly occupied by a low and mean handlebar positioned in the same manner as clip-ons.

It comes equipped with Jack Hammer grips, minimalistic switches, and a single rear-view mirror on the right. To keep the handlebar as clean as possible, Kengo fitted a small starter button and headlight switch directly on the left side of the under-seat electronics box. Rounding out the cockpit equipment is a tiny offset speedo, which acts as the motorcycle’s only instrumentation.

Things remained pretty much unchanged inside the parallel-twin engine, but our protagonist did perform some tasty intake and exhaust mods. Top-grade aftermarket pod filters were added to the former, and combustion fumes are now channeled through a gorgeous stainless-steel exhaust system. The plumbing terminates in dual reverse megaphone mufflers, with some lustrous chrome plating also covering it from front to back.

All the work we’ve talked about thus far was taken care of in-house, yet Heiwa did outsource the final step in order to ensure the best possible outcome. We are, of course, referring to the paint job, which was expertly executed by Kengo’s regular collaborators at N2 Auto. The frame was done in gloss-black and the rims have been chrome-plated, but what really takes the cake here is the bodywork.

It’s finished in a stunning mixture of white and silver, nicely separated by black pinstriping and joined by Heiwa Motorcycle tank logos. The end result is a thrilling sight to behold, guaranteed to turn heads without being over the top in any way. It's a masterclass in custom workmanship done right, and it should make it perfectly clear why Kengo Kimura is considered one of the world’s top builders.