The Japanese custom scene continues to amaze us. Even though the internet shrinks the world, there are still gems in the East waiting to be discovered?often by word of mouth.
Switch Stance Riding is a small custom shop in Amakusa?a series of small, little-known islands off the coast of Kyushu, Japan’s most southwesterly island. This part of Japan is well off the beaten track but the photographer Marc Holstein recently paid a visit, and told us he was the only Westerner for miles.

Marc’s detective skills led him to builder Toshiyuki Kozaka, who specializes in European machinery?specifically, bevel-driven Ducatis. Toshiyuki he regularly transports himself and his bikes all the way to France, for the annual Wheels and Waves festival. But Kozaka-san decided to take a break from his usual fare for this project, opting to work with a 1988-model BMW R80. ?I wanted to show what it would look like if a Ducati builder laid his hands on a BMW,? he tells us.

The goal was to give the BMW a classic endurance racing vibe, along with a huge hit of 70s style. But Toshiyuki also wanted to combine the elegance of Italian parts with the underlying German engineering of the R80.
It’s an eclectic mash-up of ideas, but he’s pulled it off magnificently.

Up front, Toshiyuki grafted on the 40 mm forks and top yoke from an ultra-rare Ducati 750 F1 Montjuich. The rear was upgraded with an adjustable shock from Öhlins, complete with a remote reservoir. It’s hooke...