The wheels came back from their blasting treatment just in time to get fitted with some chunky rubbers.
The Karoo 3 by Metzeler, a tough looking tire that delivers on the black top and on the dirt.
Next up, I kept hammering away at the top end of the bike. I reworked some bar raisers to match Saxon’s rendering, blasted more alloy parts to bring that raw look to life.
I shaped and cut an aluminum front fender, wide enough for the wheel, but short enough to no stand out too much.
The bike was now starting to look a lot different and you could already see the new design ideas take place.
The next few steps step are very important; proportion, style, material, shape and precision are everything you need to focus on when you start moking-up a new component for a build.
I was trying to found the best way to shape the head light unit and I wanted to display a twin light set up that was out of the ordinary. This was a trial and error processes, but came away with the right idea in the end. More on this in the next Diary entry.
Words by Jeremy Tagand.
Heralding from a thirty-year lineage, this 1998 CB400SF was rescued in Java and reborn with a single purpose: to become a proper weekly rider. Lifted in stance and sharpened in spirit, the Viridis Viator, the Green Traveller, lives for clean lines, quiet power, and the long way inland.
The ambition for this Kawasaki W800 was simple: dial down the stock noise, while creating something that was subtly custom, runs clean, while building something that wouldn’t look wildly out of place doing the sacred scoot down to Bondi for an overpriced long black.
This year’s playground was Pantai Kelecung, raw, remote, and still clinging to the Bali of old. Coconut palms, undulating black sand beach, riverbanks, and open fields formed our trackside theatre. This wasn't a doddle, this was a test of dirt and devotion.