The riding season is short in Toronto, with snow on the ground for three or four months of the year. But that leaves plenty of time for wrenching in the garage or workshop, so there?s a low-key but thriving custom scene.
Canada?s biggest city is home to Brian Kates of Motobrix, who recently finished this piping hot Kawasaki triple called El Citron.

Brian was a late starter, although you’d never tell from this build. ?I didn?t work on bikes or cars as a kid, or even do anything hands-on until I was in my late 20s,? says Brian. ?I?m 34 now.?
His saving grace is a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Biomedical Engineering. ?I got interested in customizing my first bike while working as a researcher at a hospital; I bought an SV650 and tried to make it look more like a Ducati Monster.?
?I studied other people?s work on forums and asked questions, and broke a lot of tools and parts by learning and doing things the wrong way. I eventually took some welding courses at a local college and from there kept teaching myself how to wrench and fabricate.?
In 2014 Brian took a leap. He quit his job, developed his skills as a fabricator and bike builder, and started Motobrix.

He bought this 1974 Kawasaki S3 from a friend. It?s a 400cc triple two stroke, temperamental but supposedly not too difficult to deal with…
?El Citron was at times a difficult bike to build though, because I had to move workshops,? says Brian. ?I ended up in three different loca...