You’ll discover no scarcity of {custom} Harleys on builder Kento Oketani’s dwelling streets of Lengthy Seashore. However you gained’t discover something fairly like his 1970 Harley-Davidson Sportster XLH. You may not know what to make of it at first look—however when you perceive how this desert sled got here to be, the items begin falling into place.
See, Kento took inspiration from an unlikely supply: a {custom} 1956 pre-unit Triumph that his buddy imported from the US to Japan, again within the early 2000s. Kento says the bike was a uncommon discover—an genuine {custom} present construct from the early 60s that had survived in unimaginable situation.
It was the primary classic scrambler he’d ever seen, and it put him on the trail to constructing {custom} bikes himself. Just a few years after that likelihood encounter, Kento relocated from his dwelling city of Ishikawa, Japan, to his present place in Lengthy Seashore.
It was round that point he began wrenching on bikes—and though classic Triumphs had been a uncommon sight in Southern California, reminiscences of his buddy’s pre-unit had been by no means removed from Kento’s thoughts.
There aren’t many builders who would begin a British desert sled undertaking with a 1970 Harley-Davidson, however we’re positive glad somebody did. Flipping by footage of that previous Triumph, now yellowed with age, it’s clear that this unlikely mashup of influences shouldn’t work. However there’s no denying that Kento pulled it off with impeccable fashion.
Up entrance, the XLH is pure chopper. A set of shaved and chromed 33.4 mm H-D forks maintain a brakeless 21” entrance wheel decrease down, with a set of apes mounted increased up. The identical goes for the headlight—a classic Bates piece Kento stumbled upon through the construct—in addition to the Eighties-era OGK NOS grips.
Then after all there’s the engine, a donor from a 1976 XLH that was picked up as a basket case with no circumstances, damaged gears, and a cracked cam cowl. Kento says the motor got here with a good quantity of usable components, having been freshly chromed and vapor blasted throughout, nevertheless it nonetheless wanted quite a lot of work.
The engine was handled to new piston rings and an oil pump rebuild, and the internals had been lengthy overdue for a refresh. Kento taught himself the internal workings of the ironhead motor as he made his means by it, and added efficiency upgrades at each alternative.
Because it sits, the squeaky-clean energy plant now sports activities an S&S Cycle flywheel, carbon fiber push rods, Andrews cams and an Andrews transmission, in addition to a Karata belt drive and a Strociek dry clutch setup. Kento completed it off with a contemporary Mikuni carburetor, a uncommon set of Robinson Thunderheads heads, and a pair of matching cam and first covers that he comprised of scratch.
From there, Kento’s bike takes a radical departure from the norm, because the British affect will get extra pronounced. The custom-made Saddlemen seat seems to be prefer it may have been pulled straight from the bike that impressed it, proper all the way down to the ribbed stitching element. The identical goes for the Wassell-style rear fender and Lucas tail mild, each of which sit on a custom-made subframe.
A Wassell-style peanut tank tops off the body, whereas upswept scrambler exhaust pipes and a pair of classic Betor shocks end out the rear, all of that are clearly extra Bud Ekins than they’re Willie G. We are able to’t say we’re disenchanted to see one thing apart from a ship tail again right here.
The remainder of the construct is all in regards to the particulars. The chrome oil tank that Kento fabricated is nothing out of the strange at first look, however on nearer inspection, you’ll discover it harbors a slick set of electronics. Kento stashed a Lithium battery up underneath the seat, permitting him to tuck the remainder of the {hardware} contained in the oil tank.
The three purple buttons you see up prime are literally the killswitch, starter button, and a button to manage the smooth Motogadget speedometer. There’s even a USB port, relays, and breakers hidden in there as effectively.
Kento’s integration of the tiny LED speedo is especially spectacular, with inside routing that slips down contained in the handlebars earlier than dropping out and into the body.
Kento’s bike is a uncommon hen certainly, and a becoming tribute to the British twin that impressed it. Pre-unit survivors could also be a uncommon sight within the LBC, however there’s nothing fairly as eye catching on the market as this distinctive interpretation of the bike that began all of it.
Kento Oketani Instagram | Pictures by Jose Gallina
