There’s one thing particular about Shiro Nakajima’s work, and it’s painted all around the elegant strains of this tradition KTM 690 Duke. Nakajima-san’s creations present a transparent affinity to classic race bikes however appear to be they’d be extra at house on twisty B-roads. They’re brutally mechanical but swish; retro and trendy on the similar time.
Shiro’s signature fashion is a byproduct of his appreciable expertise. He educated as an engineer, earlier than rising to prominence because the boss of the legendary Japanese restomod home, Ritmo Sereno. He operates as 46Works now, engaged on furnishings, bikes, and automobiles from his lovely wood house on the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains.
Many of the Shiro’s {custom} builds are massive twins, however he has a smooth spot for thumpers. “Within the late Nineteen Nineties, the primary motorbike I acquired was a Yamaha SR400,” he explains. “It was the heyday of race replicas—however right here I used to be, driving round on that SR400, totally banked on the mountain passes.”
“It was common in Japan on the time for some fans to race single-cylinder bikes. The bulk raced tuned Yamaha SR and SRXes, and the Suzuki Goose additionally participated in later years. So an enormous single will not be a mere object of nostalgia to me, however a sportbike.”
Because of these recollections, Shiro’s at all times had an itch to create his model of a single-cylinder racer. When the time got here to carry his dream to life, he settled on a 2017-model KTM 690 Duke as the start line. With 74 hp and 74 Nm readily available, aggressive geometry, WP Suspension elements, and a dry weight of 149 kilos [328 lbs], it’s primed for max hooliganism.
“About 15 years in the past, I test-rode a KTM Duke for {a magazine},” Shiro recollects, “and was very impressed with the LC4 engine, which felt like a tuned single-cylinder racer. When this undertaking started, I examined the 2017 KTM 690 Duke I had bought in its totally unique situation.”
“I rode it on metropolis streets and mountain passes, and I additionally examined it on the race monitor at full throttle. I noticed that I most well-liked the extra versatile dealing with created by the wealthy suspension stroke, so I made a decision to create a street sport motorbike with out altering the physique posture, trip top, or suspension.”
Shiro’s plan concerned protecting the 690 Duke’s suspension, swingarm, and Brembo brakes. But it surely additionally meant fabricating new bodywork—which, in flip, known as for a brand new subframe.
The Duke’s subframe is a bolt-on affair, so Shiro eliminated the unique and constructed a brand new unit to connect to the unique mounting factors. The brand new subframe boasts a pleasant trellis design, with a curve on the again edge that provides an natural really feel to the usually angular Duke. The drilled brackets that help the construction on the entrance are the type of quirky particulars that we’ve come to count on from 46Works.
Held contained in the trellised construction is a home made aluminum field that serves a number of functions. Shiro repackaged the OEM electronics inside it and made house for the air filter, with a sneaky air duct on the entrance to channel air in. It follows the curve of the subframe flawlessly, performing as a rear fender, with a tidy indentation beneath it that matches the arc of the rear tire.
All-new handcrafted aluminum bodywork sits up high—every bit flowing seamlessly into the subsequent to create an impossibly clear bone line. The gasoline tank is barely paying homage to the long-lasting Benelli Mojave, with the width of its knee indents matched completely to the width of the café racer-style tail part.
The headlight nacelle wraps fluidly across the fork tubes, whereas the {custom} fender hugs the entrance wheel. Out again, the tail bump sports activities a tiny flared bit that homes the bike’s taillight. A beneficiant aftermarket carbon fiber stomach pan completes the set.
The brand new seat stands tall, wrapped in contemporary upholstery from Razzle Dazzle. And though the ergonomics look like extra back-breaking than a inventory KTM 690 Duke, Shiro’s gone to nice lengths to maintain the bike supremely rideable. To that finish, he’s fitted the forks with a custom-milled high yoke, designed to accommodate a set of raised Battle Manufacturing unit clip-ons.
“The inventory Duke has the waist-high styling of an off-road bike,” Shiro tells us. “However I designed it to specific low, compact sportbike styling—with out reducing the suspension and with out reducing the driving place.”
“There’s no good motive to decrease a motorbike, apart from to enhance your footing, for my part. The decrease you make it, the extra boring its dealing with turns into. Reducing is without doubt one of the best methods to make a motorbike look cool, however I’m at all times fascinated with make the bike look cool with out doing it.”
Different bits and items on Shiro’s {custom} KTM 690 Duke embrace handmade rear-set foot controls, Kijima flip alerts, and a {custom} titanium exhaust muffler. The OEM speedo remains to be in play, nevertheless it’s been moved decrease down, courtesy of the brand new high yoke. The 17” spoked wheels are from a special KTM and are shod with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires.
The KTM’s single rear-view mirror is one other easy element with a whole lot of consideration behind it. One in all Shiro’s many pet peeves is the way in which that mirrors can break the look of a high-end {custom} motorbike. So he’s gotten into the behavior of constructing his personal for every construct.
His tasteful designs have sparked curiosity, so he’s partnered with the Japanese mirror producer, Tanax, to place his designs into manufacturing.
46Works machines normally put on subdued liveries, however Shiro determined to shake issues up this time round. The zest lime inexperienced paint is a homage to the inexperienced hue that some early Duke fashions got here in and a nod to the bike’s cheeky nature. Executed by Drops Design Works, it’s adorned with slick pin-striping; a element that’s echoed on the carbon stomach pan.
“Today, in Japan at present, earthy and classic colours are in vogue, and are sometimes used on new fashions launched by vehicle producers,” Shiro explains. “That is the antithesis of these colours.”
Shiro’s already confronted some backlash for this daring alternative, however he’s unfazed. And given his prowess as a {custom} motorbike builder, why wouldn’t he be?
“Doing one thing uncommon may cause rejection,” he provides, “nevertheless it doesn’t hassle me and I transfer on.”
