The Kawasaki W650 is one of those unique motorcycles that let you have your cake and eat it too. By seamlessly blending classic British styling with rock solid Japanese build quality, it is no surprise that the W650 has earned a place right up there with the best of the current breed of retro motorcycles sporting up-to-date engineering.

Looking very much like a Triumph from the swinging Sixties, this particular custom Kawasaki W650 is the handiwork of Motovida’s Brent Giesbrecht. The Canadian custom motorcycle garage, based out of British Columbia, specialises in building vintage-inspired bikes that are easy to live with on a daily basis. As the 2000MY had just 50,000 kilometres on the odo, only an engine tune-up and thorough cleaning was required before the build started. The powder-coated side and valve covers are joined by smaller (and lighter) fenders, turn signals and taillight.

The slightly trimmed seat was re-upholstered with diamond stitch, which beautifully pairs with the leather knee pads on either side of the fuel tank, which itself was taken down to bare metal, and then sanded to get the grain to follow the tank contour. Two ivory stripes and a satin clear coat finish off the tank. Finally, a set of drag bars was thrown in, along with shortened cables and rubber grips.

Images by Darren Hull
Via Silodrome