The Nut Kwaka: A Kawasaki W650 hardtail bobber by Deus
In Jeremy Tagand’s early days as the resident wrench at Deus ex Machina Australia, the Kawasaki W650 was his bread and butter. Deus was one of the first shops to popularize the W650 as a custom project donor, demonstrating its versatility by customizing it repeatedly across a broad spectrum of styles.
This particular Kawasaki W650 has been in and out of Monsieur Tagand’s operating room a few times over the last sixteen years. It first came to Sydney in a shipping container in 2008 and was promptly booked into Deus’ workshop by its owner for the shop’s signature ‘bobber-saki’ treatment. The modifications included a peanut tank, a 21F/17R wheelset, and a hardtail conversion that’s endured today.
A decade later, Jeremy couldn’t help himself when the W650 popped up for sale. He bought it, dragged it back to the workshop yet again, and turned it into something resembling a bobber with drag bike aspirations. This time, it got a Yamaha SR500 fuel tank and the turbocharger from a Ski-Doo snowmobile. Jeremy had his hands full though, so the project stalled and the W650 was relegated to the corner of the workshop. A new owner finally came along, bought the bike, and booked it back in for another rebuild.
This time, the brief called for a bobber influenced by traditional Japanese and American build styles; an offbeat fusion of East and West. The existing hardtail frame fit the bill, but most of the other parts would need to go. Wit...
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