This 1971 Triumph TR6 is the bike that put him on the top step at Mooneyes. From a distance it’s suave and well proportioned?but the closer you get, the more clever engineering you’ll uncover.
Kimura-san sourced the donor in the US, but there’s little left of the original. When he got it, it was a beat-up chopper with a diamond tank, in dire need of a makeover. He envisioned something straight, sleek and narrow, and set about building it?from scratch.

The Triumph rolls on freshly laced 19? steel hoops, wrapped in Avon Mk 2 tires. And the front brake’s been upgraded with a Brembo caliper and a solid disc.
But it’s up top where things get really interesting. Kengo wanted the handlebars mounted at a specific height and angle?but a traditional setup wouldn’t work. So he dreamt up a one-piece handlebar that clamps to a brace mounted to the top triple. Lower down, the bottom half of the system attaches to a bracket that holds a vintage headlight.
Kengo showed the engine of the old Triumph a ton of love too. It was fully rebuilt with Harris pistons, and treated to an Amal carbs with a velocity stack. The engine’s also been cleaned and polished, and probably looks better now than when it rolled out the factory.

Everything’s been put together with the utmost care and consideration. Kengo’s dubbed it the ‘Dirty Pigeon,’ but it’s anything but; for a bike that’s almost 50 years old, it’s remarka...