Mooyong Zeus is the founder, proprietor, designer, builder and all-round good man of Zeus Customs in Bangkok, Thailand. I final met Mooyong throughout my go to earlier than Covid – so I used to be mighty curious how he’s doing now that the pandemic-storm has subsided a bit.
Mooyong began Zeus Customs in 2014, when he determined his love for bikes – and customizing them – was extra vital to him than his safe earnings as a software program developer… He began out customizing 150cc Stallion bikes, light-weight Chinese language bikes that are extremely popular in Thailand, these are mainly the identical bikes as these bought beneath the model title Mash in Europe. His first workshop was only a room in an condo constructing, however he needed to search for one other place fairly quickly because the neighbors complained to the owner concerning the noise… That occurred once more along with his subsequent location, so then he moved to a big extra industrial constructing on the outskirts of Bangkok. That’s the place I met Mooyong three years in the past. Covid was a troublesome time for Zeus in fact, however he survived! After Covid, he moved to a barely smaller however extra central place in a pleasant neighborhood of Bangkok, the place he now has a way more intimate and actually nice place with an important showroom, loads of bikes on show and couches to hang around on, in addition to a wonderful yard with extra bikes and tables to get pleasure from your espresso or a drink…
Given his software program developer background, no shock that Mooyong is an avid and skilled person of social media. His Instagram posts went viral in Thailand and earlier than lengthy he obtained requests to customise greater bikes. After he did a primary brat-style conversion based mostly on a Ducati scrambler for a girl which obtained loads of consideration on Instagram, demand skyrocketed. Nonetheless, chopping up an enormous costly bike for the primary time was an enormous step, so Mooyong purchased a Triumph to work on for himself first. However he solely lower into the body after a robust push from his girlfriend!
So now Mooyong does a max of 30 full customizations per yr, no more to keep up high quality, collectively along with his 2 mechanics – which he stored on workers throughout all of the troublesome Covid interval.
Zeus customizes primarily for Thai prospects and long-term expats. His Thai prospects are inclined to ask for full customization of as an illustration café racers, after which use the bikes primarily for particular occasions and to embellish their properties. The expats often do use their bikes each day, their modifications vary from once more full café racers to scramblers – relying on their want for consolation on the street… Zeus additionally do extra mild conversions for each teams, comparable to simply handlebars and seats.
Whereas Mooyong could be very excited by exporting his customs, loads of occasions the rules of his prospects’ nations get in the best way. However whereas an export to Germany serves as a ornament piece as a result of the proprietor can’t get it legalized, one other bike is out on the streets of Moscow, Russia – as the foundations appear much less strict over there. He does have a associate in Japan now particularly for absolutely personalized Honda Monkeys, that are wildly standard over there.
Proper now, Zeus is changing 8 Royal Enfield Himalayans to competition-ready flat-track bikes, commissioned by the manufacturing unit who wish to open a flat-track college in Thailand! He’s additionally working with Suzuki Thailand on a full café racer customized to encourage extra prospects to purchase that individual mannequin, they usually then plan to public sale it off…
Zeus’ most important exports to Europe as we speak are his home made leather-based side-bags and tank straps. Customized elements are slightly more durable as specs can differ even for a similar mannequin bikes.
He additionally sells fairly a little bit of merchandise to vacationers who go to the store to get some new concepts or simply hang around. T-shirts, caps, mugs, bag-tags, you title it… These are all his personal designs – nice stuff in case you ask me!
