If there’s one word that describes Takashi Nihira’s style, it’s restraint. His custom bike builds are tidy and unassuming, but they reward closer inspection with myriad tasteful details. So it’s little wonder that Nihira-san’s Tokyo-based custom shop, Wedge Motorcycle, has won multiple awards. His latest build epitomizes this ethos. Finished in desaturated tones, it’s compact…
Read more »
The first Speed Read of 2023 kicks off with a handful of parallel twins. Unit Garage debuts a custom kit for Yamaha’s successful Ténéré 700 adventure bike, Wedge Motorcycles works their magic on the Royal Enfield Continental GT650, and JSL debuts a sunny yellow Kawasaki W800. Lastly, the story of the 2022 Malle Mile comes…
Read more »
Takashi Nihira has won awards and taken commissions from major OEMs. But the man behind Tokyo’s Wedge Motorcycle also knows how to tone it down, when the brief calls for it. And whether he’s building an all-out showpiece, or a humble commuter like this tidy Yamaha SR400, his work always shines. With factory-level finishes and…
Read more »
Just over a year ago, the last SR400 rolled off the production line in Yamaha’s Iwata factory, marking the end of an astonishing 43-year production run. It was always a steady rather than big seller, with most sales in the domestic market—which is why virtually every Japanese custom shop has built multiple SR400s over the…
Read more »
Forty years ago, Yamaha made a brief foray into the flat track scene in the States with its XV750 race bike. Like…
Read more »
It takes true talent to turn a Honda CX500 into something pretty. And Takashi Nihira of Wedge Motorcycle sure is talented: remember…
Read more »
If you want to build a custom based on a current-production BMW, the top choice right now is the R nineT. We’ve…
Read more »