There are a thousand methods to method bike customization. Some {custom} builders are slaves to geometry, creating machines that boast architectural ranges of mathematical concord. Then there are artisans like Mike Chen.
Mike runs the eponymous Mike’s Garage in Taipei, Taiwan. His builds usually look like cobbled collectively from mismatched components, however the actuality is that each half, element, and end is rigorously thought of. That’s how he manages to create bikes which might be each offbeat and charming—like this Yamaha SR150 café racer.
Made in Taiwan for the native market, the diminutive Yamaha SR150 has develop into a agency favourite among the many present crop of younger Taiwanese {custom} builders. “It’s a basic and iconic bike in Taiwan,” says Mike. “If you happen to’re aware of my earlier work, you’ll know this mannequin handles all varieties of modifications with ease.”
Mike’s shopper—a Japanese expat working in Taiwan—requested for a compact café racer that he may bop across the metropolis on. Mike sourced a 1999-model SR150 and set to work.
With the bike stripped to its body, Mike set about adjusting its stance. The wheels had been swapped out for 18” wire-spoked hoops, shod with retro sawtooth treads. The entrance finish options the lowered forks from a Yamaha FZ150i, the hub and rotor from a Dragstar 150, and the caliper from a Majesty 125 scooter.
Mike lowered the entrance forks and swapped out the rear shocks, making a stage bone line that runs parallel to the bottom. Subsequent, he fabricated a brand new subframe and cleaned up the triangle underneath the seat, creating the proper clean canvas for the bike’s bespoke bodywork.
The SR150’s silhouette takes cues from the café racers of the 60s. A hand-crafted gas tank takes heart stage, sporting a squared-off, barely elongated form. The tail hump is a fiberglass piece, with a molded vibe that comes with a pair of classic flip indicators and a basic Lucas-style taillight.
Transferring to the entrance, Mike took a duplicate of a Nineteen Sixties BSA headlight, sunk an aftermarket speedo into it, and mounted it on elegant custom-made brackets. “It’s deliberately mounted larger, to evoke that old-school avenue racer vibe,” he explains.
Mike paired down the bike’s electrical system too, which gave him room to scrub up the cockpit. The format is easy, that includes chromed clip-ons, classic grips and switches, and a tiny handmade ‘dashboard,’ internet hosting a warning mild and a few push buttons.
Decrease down, fashionable rear-set assemblies are matched to basic Bates-style rubber pegs, whereas a {custom} ‘cooling cowl’ adorns the entrance brake disc.
The Yamaha’s 26-year-old engine didn’t go uncared for both. Mike’s Storage rebuilt it with a brand new piston, connecting rod and camshaft. The clutch was refreshed too, and the carb was swapped out for a Keihin PE28. The exhaust is a one-off, designed to imitate the unique BSA Goldstar pipe.
This even handed mixing of outdated and new kinds is a trademark of this Yamaha SR150 café racer—as is its hot-rodded livery, which was executed by Jeffrey’s Customized Paint. However earlier than Mike handed the bike to Jeffrey, he had the arduous process of selecting an acceptable design…
“I had no inspiration at first,” he tells us. “After a protracted battle, I made a decision to go along with my favourite scorching rod flames, however I couldn’t choose the colour. My spouse ultimately selected it for me—a daring magenta pink over a multilayer metallic base coat. I ended up loving the outcome!”
“I actually loved engaged on this mission. Mixing basic café racer model with scorching rod paintwork in a cohesive method was tremendous enjoyable and a brand new form of problem for me.”
Mike’s Garage Instagram | Pictures by Dong Lin (outside) and Weeber Photography (studio) | With particular because of Barry Lim
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