Category: Kawasaki W650

Think of a classic scrambler, and a Triumph desert sled probably comes to mind. BSA and Matchless also made pretty good scramblers, and Honda had its CL series. But the other Japanese marques were noticeably absent.

This stunning W650 hints at the missed opportunity. What if Kawasaki had got down and dirty with its W series in the 60s and 70s? Machines that, after all, were copies of a BSA.

This thoroughly hoon-able W650 scrambler is the work of Mark Huang, who runs a moto parts business in Taipei, Taiwan. He does small custom jobs month-to-month and a couple of full builds every year.

This scrambler is based on a 2004-model W650, and is packing a lot more custom work than you’d think. For starters, the frame has a new polished stainless steel backbone and subframe, joined to the original chassis via custom-made steel lugs.

The effect is classy and neatly executed. The original chunky backbone was ground off just behind the steering head, but it’s been cleaned up beautifully.

Mark’s also tweaked the stance for a scrambler vibe: It sits a little higher now, with a 21” front wheel in place of the original 19” unit, and a new set of Koni shocks out back.

The rear wheel still measures 18”, but both wheels are actually new. The guys built them up using vintage Triumph T120 drum brake hubs, stainless steel spokes, and rims from the Mark Motorcycles store stock.

That front brake is a stunner, but all the trick engineering is happening out back. The T120 originally used a left foot brake—so the crew built a linkage to operate the left side brake with the W650’s right-side pedal.

Up top, you’ll find a classic BSA fuel tank, complete with its traditional center-mount system (hence the new frame backbone that accommodates it). It’s also been adorned with stainless steel sections at the front and back, for a little extra flair.

The seat’s custom too, and consists of a fiber-reinforced plastic base and leather upholstery. Together with the lengthy rear fender, it nails the retro desert sled vibe.

Smaller upgrades and touches are littered throughout this W650. The carbs have been upgraded to Keihin CR35s, and the air box has been ditched for a pair of K&N filters. The exhaust is custom too; an elegant, high riding twin stainless steel system.

Mark also rewired the W650, repacking everything into a discreet battery box under the seat. The ignition’s been relocated, and there’s no speedo, leaving the cockpit very sparse. New parts include 1” bars, modded levers and basic switches—all from the Mark Motorcycles store.

The headlight’s a small 4.5” unit, mounted on a custom bracket with a petite cowl finishing it off. A side mounted tail light and a full complement of turn signals round out the lighting package.

Other touches include a beefy engine protection plate, and our favorite bit: a military fuel can repurposed as a pannier.

It’s a charming bike, made even more so by the top shelf paint job. Mark always works with Jeffrey at Air Runner Custom Paint—the same guy that paints Winston Yeh’s bikes.

The single tone blue seems basic, but just take a look at the shading on those graphics. And between the surfing octopus on the tank, and the penguin (from the movie Madagascar) on the pannier, there’s a healthy dose of playfulness here too.

Mark tells us the bike’s owner is an outdoorsy guy—so we’re guessing he’s over the moon with his new ride. Wouldn’t you be?

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We’ve found the recipe for moto-goodness: take one Kawasaki W650, roll it through Tom Thöring’s workshop, and then wheel it in front of Marc Holstein’s lens. We got our first taste a few weeks ago—and now we’re back for seconds.

Operating as Schlachtwerk, Tom’s turned out his fair share of W650-based builds. But this is by far the most unusual yet, with seriously radical paint inspired by tattoo iconography.

Let’s get the mechanicals out of the way first. There are eight more horses going to the back wheel now, bringing the output up to 58 hp. According to Tom, that comes from swapping the airbox for K&N filters, rejetting the carbs, and fitting a two-into-one exhaust from the Schlachtwerk catalog.

“It isn’t a race bike,” says Tom, “but it’s a fun bike, with all the necessary features for daily use.”

As any race engineer will tell you, if you really want to make something faster, make it lighter. And this is where Tom’s W650 really shines—he’s trimmed it down to a mere 165kg, dry.

The W650 comes from the factory with both electric and kick-starters; one of Tom’s favorite tricks is to remove the former. “To remove the electric start with all components takes an hour, and saves nearly seven kilos,” he explains.

He’s employed other trickery to shed even more kilos—like borrowing a lighter swing arm from a Kawasaki Zephyr 550. There’s a smaller battery too, with the entire electrical system trimmed down and tucked out of sight.

The rest of the mods revolve around the client’s requests: A scrambler that can actually scramble, and would suit his proportions.

“The customer is a real big guy with long legs,” says Tom, “so I had to build the W650 much bigger than usual.”

To nail the ergonomics, Tom’s fitted a custom-made seat that sits 30mm higher than stock. It’s matched to LSL handlebars and risers, and a pair of serrated foot pegs.

Tom’s also gone to town on the suspension, brakes and wheels. Up front is a set of 43mm forks from a Triumph Tiger 885, held in place by CNC-machined triples. They’ve been shortened, and treated to a titanium nitride coating.

“This is a coating used by the superbikes at the end of the nineties,” explains Tom. “It reduces friction, the forks get more sensitive, and the biggest benefit: it looks fancy!”

Using the Tiger’s calipers, Tom’s also upgraded the front brake to a double-disc setup. He’s also converted the rear from drum to disc, using a BMW C1 single piston caliper with a 220mm disc.

The rear shocks are 360mm units from YSS, and the wheels are tubeless Kineo numbers in the W650’s stock sizes (19F/18R). Tom explains his choice of tire: “He wanted some real off-road tires, and the toughest tires I could use for legal road use are the Conti TKC80.”

A handful of tasty details are sprinkled throughout. There’s a neat bash plate, a scrambler-style headlight shroud, and abbreviated fenders at both ends. The turn signals are tiny LEDs, with the rear units doubling up as taillights. The speedo’s a tiny unit from Motogadget, matched up to a small LED panel for the bike’s dummy lights.

The final livery is sure to divide opinions, but it’s all been done according to brief. “He owns a custom Harley too, in fancy black and gold,” explains Tom, “So I had to use these colors with a very special paintjob.”

So black and gold dominate the bike, with hard parts like the main engine casing, exhaust and fenders getting the murdered-out treatment too. Brown leather on the seat and the tank kneepads adds a touch of contrast.

The unique tank and fairing artwork is all hand-drawn—a process that took a friend of Tom’s nearly three days to complete. “The customer wanted a tank that looks like it’s been tattooed, with the classic elements: skulls, dices, gears, spark plugs, chains, etcetera.”

Even if the color palette doesn’t speak to you, it’s hard to fault this bike. Who’d like to kick it into life and point it down the nearest fire road?

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