 | This biographical article is written like a résumé .(April 2011) |
Shinya Kimura | |
|---|---|
 Spike, a Shinya Kimura custom motorcycle | |
| Born | Shinya Kimura |
| Occupation | Motorcycle builder Motorcycle mechanic Sculptor |
| Years active | Since 1992 |
Shinya Kimura is a Japanese born [1] custom motorcycle builder. He founded Zero Engineering in 1992 and Chabott Engineering in 2002. He is the originator of the "zero style" custom bike. [2] [3]
Kimura founded Zero Engineering in Okazaki Japan in 1992. [4] Initially his shop was named Repair Shop Chabo but the name was changed the following year to Zero Engineering. He soon gained a reputation for his minimalistic and vintage looking bikes that combine form and function. His name was soon synonymous with what people often refer to as Zero-style. A Zero-style bike is typically based around a rigid "gooseneck" frame, a pre-1984 Harley Davidson engine, springer front end, spoked wheels and often includes parts of the bike remaining in bare metal. [5] The inspiration came from wabi sabi (austere refinement) and the beauty of the raw materials and incorporating the essence of wa (harmony) into his designs. [2] Kimura and his crew were also known for putting their work to the test by participating in different vintage race series with their motorcycles.
In 2002 Kimura expanded his business by opening an office in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he in 2005 built his entry the Biker Build-Off against Joe Martin from the Martin Brothers. Other bikes were built in 10 days in front of a film crew, the riders then met up in Las Vegas and rode to Palm Springs, California where a popular vote was held which Joe Martin won. [6]
Kimura left Zero Engineering to launch his own studio named Chabott Engineering. Meanwhile, Zero Engineering is still in Japan and Las Vegas and have to this date created more than 200 custom bikes, including the new line of production bikes built in their facility in Las Vegas. At this time their line includes models based on Harley Davidson's Shovelhead and Evolution engine with two models based on the Sportster being released in the future. [7] Recently two of the company's bikes were used in the 2008 film Iron Man. [8]
In 2006 Kimura set up his own shop named Chabott Engineering in Azusa, California to build both custom bikes as well as moving himself toward the world of art. [4] [ better source needed ]
Kimura said, "Since setting up in America, I've moved from being just a custom-bike builder to slightly changing my direction a little more toward the world of art. I don't know whether success or failure is awaiting me in the future. Can custom bikes become art? Maybe we'll know in 10 years' time."
Along with fellow bike builders Jesse James, Ian Barry and Billy Lane, Kimura was among the first custom bike builders to receive an invitation to the Legend of the Motorcycle - Concours d'Elegance exhibition. [9]
In 2010, Kimura and Chabott Engineering were the subject of a documentary short by film maker Henrik Hansen, which was one of five documentaries to be nominated for a 2010 Vimeo documentary award. [10]
Orange County Choppers (OCC) is an American motorcycle manufacturer and lifestyle brand company based in the town of Newburgh, located in Orange County, New York, that was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul Sr. The company was featured on American Chopper, a reality TV show that debuted in September 2002 on the Discovery Channel. The series moved to Discovery Channel's sister channel TLC in 2007. Following cancellation of the Discovery series, the company was also featured on Orange County Choppers on the CMT network in 2013. Orange County Choppers returned to Discovery Channel in March 2018.
A chopper is a type of custom motorcycle which emerged in the US state of California in the late 1950s. A chopper employs radically modified steering angles and lengthened forks for a stretched-out appearance. They can be built from an original motorcycle which is modified ("chopped") or built from scratch. Some of the characteristic features of choppers are long front ends with extended forks often coupled with an increased rake angle, hardtail frames, very tall "ape hanger" or very short "drag" handlebars, lengthened or stretched frames, and larger than stock front wheels. The "sissy bar", a set of tubes that connect the rear fender with the frame, and which are often extended several feet high, is a signature feature on many choppers.
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was an American artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot rod icon Rat Fink and other characters. Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot rod movement of the late 1950s and 1960s.
Indian Larry was a motorcycle builder and artist, stunt rider, and biker. He first became known as Indian Larry in the 1980s when he was riding the streets of New York City on a chopped Indian motorcycle. Respected as an old school chopper builder, Larry sought greater acceptance of choppers being looked upon as an art form. He became interested in hot rods and motorcycles at an early age and was a fan of Von Dutch and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, whom he would later meet in California.
A softail motorcycle intentionally looks like vintage motorcycles with a rigid hard-tail frame that has a triangle of steel tubes at the rear axle, like on a bicycle frame, but on a Softail these tubes are actually a triangular swingarm, with the shock absorber(s) hidden, as opposed to clearly visible regular twin shocks on both sides of the rear wheel on standard bikes. Since the introduction of the Harley-Davidson FXST Softail in 1983 as a registered trademark of the Motor Company, softail has become a genericized trademark for other models of cruiser motorcycles with rear suspensions hidden for retro style reasons. This was done even though the rear wheel was often hidden behind bags or exhaust pipes.
Robert Edward Knievel II is an American daredevil and son of stunt performer Evel Knievel. He has also used the code name "Kaptain Robbie Knievel".
David Mann was a California graphic artist whose paintings celebrated biker culture, and choppers. Called "the biker world's artist-in-residence," his images are ubiquitous in biker clubhouses and garages, on motorcycle gas tanks, tattoos, and on T-shirts and other memorabilia associated with biker culture. Choppers have been built based on the bikes first imagined in a David Mann painting.
A streetfighter or muscle bike is a motorcycle of high displacement and horsepower, typically a super bike, with the fairings and windscreen removed. Beyond simply removing fairings, specific changes that exemplify the streetfighter look are a pair of large, round headlights, tall, upright handlebars such as those on a motocross bike, and short, loud, lightweight mufflers, and changes in the sprockets to increase torque and acceleration at lower speeds. Streetfighters is also the name of a UK motorcycle magazine.
Biker Build-Off is a reality television series for the Discovery Channel. Created and narrated by Thom Beers, the series was originally conceived as a single special called The Great Biker Build-Off. The show proved so popular that more episodes were produced in succeeding years, to the point that it was turned into a regular series in 2005.
Roland Sands is an American motorcycle racer and designer of custom high-performance motorcycles. In his career as a professional motorcycle racer, he has won the 1998 AMA 250GP National Champion road racer championship. Sands is a designer of custom performance motorcycles, and owner and founder of Roland Sands Design.
Arlen Darryl Ness was an American motorcycle designer and entrepreneur best known for his custom motorcycles. Ness received acclaim for his designs, most of which are noted for their unique body style and paintwork.
Orange County Choppers bikes are motorcycles featured on the television series American Chopper built by Orange County Choppers (OCC) for a specific corporate or celebrity customer. Theme bikes are motorcycles in which the theme of the motorcycle takes priority over everything else, influencing the frame dimensions, paint scheme, and overall 'feel' of the motorcycle. The function of motorcycle usually takes a backseat to the presentation of the theme, and these motorcycles attract attention solely on the premise of the theme itself. Customer bikes are built for and generally to the specifications of a particular customer. Although the customers typically give OCC creative freedom to do what they will, some clients have a specific idea in mind and expect OCC to reproduce their mental picture literally.
A bobber, originally called a 'bob-job' from the 1930s through 1990s, is a style of custom motorcycle. The typical construction includes stripping excess bodywork from a motorcycle; removing the front fender, and shortening the rear fender, which is "bobbed", and all superfluous parts removed to reduce weight.
The Legend of the Motorcycle International Concours d’Elegance was an international motorcycle exhibition held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay, California, for 3 years from 2006-2008. It was the first motorcycle Concours d'Dlegance held in the United States with a team of judges and exhibited motorcycles brought in from around the world, and was notable for several first-ever or largest-ever displays of Brough Superiors, Crockers, Excelsior-Hendersons, etc. The event was organized by husband and wife team Jared Zaugg and Brooke Roner of San Francisco, with major corporate sponsorship by Kiehls, Men's Vogue, etc.
Jerry Covington is a custom motorcycle builder and owner of Covingtons Customs.
The World Championship of Custom Bike Building is a competition held annually by American Motorcycle Dealer (AMD) magazine. The first competition was held in 2004 as an extension of the AMD ProShow custom engineering competition held in Europe in conjunction with Custom Chrome since 2002, which by some was already unofficially acknowledged as a European championship The top three finishers from the European Championship are rewarded with an entry to the World Championship and an expenses contribution to help with bike freight costs. There are also a number of affiliate events in various countries in Western Europe as well as in Russia, Japan, Australia and Mexico. The winner of each Affiliate event also wins expenses towards competing at the World Championship each year. The judging of the World Championship is done by 'peer review', in that all competitors collectively decide the winner, together with a select panel of invited judges from the press and aftermarket industry.
Lossa Engineering is a Custom motorcycle manufacturer based in Long Beach, California. Founded in 2007 by Jay LaRossa, it specializes in café racers based on Japanese, Italian and British motorcycles from the 1960s and 1970s.
Build or Bust is a reality television series.
Counting Cars is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series, which is the third spinoff of Pawn Stars, is filmed in Las Vegas, where it chronicles the daily activities at Count's Kustoms, an automobile restoration and customization company owned and operated by Danny Koker a.k.a. The Count, who previously appeared as a recurring expert on Pawn Stars. In a format similar to another Pawn Stars spinoff, American Restoration, the series follows Koker and his staff as they restore and modify classic automobiles and motorcycles. Counting Cars debuted on August 13, 2012.
Biker Battleground Phoenix is a scripted reality television series developed for the History Channel. Narrated by Greg Berger, the series pits five rival bike-builders from Phoenix, Arizona, against each other to see who can design and build the best bike to put an end to their rivalry and smack talking. The first episode aired on Thursday, July 1, 2014, at 10:00 pm.