There’s no query that the Japanese customized scene is rife with creativity. Even so, there are some Japanese customized builders whose fashion is so recognizable, that they handle to face out in a scene that’s recognized for its uniqueness. Koichi Fujita is certainly one of them.
Fujita-san is the person behind AN-BU Customized Motors. You recognize his work; his fashion leans closely on custom sportbike aesthetics, and his customized builds have a mechanical and punk rock really feel to them. His signature fairings present simply the tiniest little bit of Bōsōzoku affect, however cease wanting crossing the road into caricature territory.
Is it a method that will swimsuit a motorbike like, say, the Royal Enfield Continental GT650? Koichi didn’t assume so when RE first approached him to customise one for his or her ‘Customized World’ initiative. Then it clicked…
“I had no concept what sort of customized bike I ought to construct as AN-BU,” he tells us. “I thought of that for some time, then realized that the blokes from Customized World had seen AN-BU’s previous works and approached me. So I made a decision to construct a customized bike that will be identical to AN-BU’s, with out altering my fashion.”
“They mentioned that my customized bike will probably be launched at motorbike reveals in Osaka, Tokyo, and Nagoya. Nevertheless, I don’t assume a motorbike constructed for a present is cool. A vital idea for me is to create a customized bike that appears cool on the road, when ridden by a rider.”
“That’s the reason, for this undertaking, I made a decision to construct a motorbike that I feel is cool to journey, regardless that will probably be launched and exhibited at a motorbike present. I put the whole lot I might into this bike, and that is what I ended up constructing with my ardour.”
The important thing to AN-BU’s signature fashion lies in Koichi’s background. When he was 18, he raced automobiles (and received a championship) at Japan’s famed Suzuka circuit. After that, he labored in an automotive tuning store, the place he learnt learn how to construct and tune race automobiles. His father then taught him the artwork of shaping and portray sheet metallic.
Koichi has nicknamed this construct ‘Kai,’ which is brief for ‘Kaizo.’ A nod to his heritage, it’s a phrase he used when customizing bikes as a child, and it means ‘modification.’
“What I needed to specific with the Royal Enfield ‘Kai’ was a way of pace,” he provides. “To precise this, I needed to create a type like a racing machine. Nevertheless, what I envisioned was not a racer operating on a observe, however a racer operating on the road.”
“I imagined a racing machine that was used on the observe within the Nineteen Seventies to Nineteen Eighties, however modified in order that it might be ridden on open roads.”
To convey this idea, Koichi fabricated all-new bodywork for the 2021-model Continental GT650. The aluminum gas tank and tail hump recall the chunky vibe of older endurance racing machine, however with a extra lithe and natural really feel. However for Koichi, modifying simply the bodywork wasn’t sufficient.
Evaluate this bike to a inventory Enfield, and also you’ll discover that their body traces differ. That’s as a result of Koichi modified the higher a part of the bike’s body to match the tank, and tweaked the subframe, all to bolster the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Eighties race bike look he was after.
Subsequent, he constructed a brand new entrance fairing out of carbon fiber. The headlight sits off to the facet—one other throwback to Nineteen Eighties endurance racers, and one other AN-BU signature. It’s mounted in an aluminum encompass.
Additionally notable is the customized exhaust system. It snakes across the Enfield’s parallel twin motor, diving out and in of sections of the fairing which have been modified to accommodate it, earlier than exiting by way of a single muffler on the fitting facet.
Behind the fairing you’ll discover a set of hand-made clip-ons, a Motogadget speedo and an enormous endurance-style fuel cap. You’ll spot a customized high yoke too, designed to clamp a set of 38 mm Kayaba forks, with a slight offset to make the Enfield’s dealing with a contact sportier. A set of longer, absolutely adjustable YSS shocks do obligation out again.
Koichi additionally swapped the GT650’s spoked wheels out for a set of 18” alloys. They’re shod with Pirelli Phantom Sportcomps—tires particularly designed for contemporary classics, that mix a retro tread sample with modern grip. The brakes are a mixture of Nissin (entrance) and Brembo (rear) components.
The finer particulars embody customized rear set foot controls, which sit alongside drilled aluminum heel plates. The small LED flip alerts and taillights come from Kellermann.
The paint job is quintessential AN-Bu. Koichi painted the fairing black, however did it in such a manner that the carbon weave reveals itself in intense daylight. The aluminum bits intentionally exhibit their imperfections, juxtaposed properly towards the leather-based seat.
“The bikes I construct are designed to slot in with town and to look good on the road,” Koichi explains. “However after all, I’m additionally within the newest racing machines. Particularly their expertise, which is all the time evolving, and their mechanisms.”
“A motorbike that’s enjoyable to journey. That is the core of all AN-BU’s customized bikes and can by no means disappear.”
AN-BU Customized Motors Instagram | Pictures by Keigo Yamamoto | Data provided by Tadashi Kono
