Shinya Kimura: The Man Behind The Motorcycles

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

If you’re at all into the custom motorcycle scene, then you know the name Shinya Kimura. The Tokyo-born custom motorcycle builder has created some spectacular machines unlike virtually everything else out there. While the bikes surely are unique, if you want to know what makes a man like this tick, watch the video above.

As he states in the video, Kimura has been around engines since he was a child in his father’s downtown Tokyo shop. It’s particularly interesting to hear Kimura doesn’t like to categorize his work, or himself, into any specific niche, instead preferring to let others worry about such classifications.

Motorcycles affect individuals in many different ways, and often we don’t get to know the men and women behind some of our favorite builds. From this video, it’s clear the passion shines bright for Shinya Kimura, and his free-form designs, in a way, reflect who he is as a person.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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