Shinya Kimura: Zero-Style Bikes

I just posted this over at CRAFT. Witness: the vintage craftsman glory of a man and his machine. Japanese-born custom motorcycle builder, Shinya Kimura, made a name for himself as founder of the shop Zero Engineering, where his streamlined aesthetic turned vintage bikes into a "no frills minimalistic" functional artistry known as Zero-style.

A Zero-style bike is typically based around a rigid gooseneck, a pre-1984 Harley Davidson engine, springer front end, spoked wheels and often includes parts of the bike remaining in bare metal. The inspiration came from wabi sabi (austere refinement) and the beauty of the raw materials and incorporating the essence of wa (harmony) into his designs.

Today, Kimura runs his own workshop, Chabott Engineering, in the California desert town of Azusa. Watch more Kimura videos here, and follow him on his blog.