On any given Sunday, motorcyclists across the globe are kicking up dirt, carving corners, and racing everything from mini bikes to monsters. But not every ride has to be full throttle. Sometimes, the perfect day on two wheels is as simple as bar-hopping and café-cruising with your mates. Sure, you could ride anything for that, but something loud, fun, and easy on the eyes makes the experience all the better, especially if it’s your second bike, built purely for good times. Enter the modern Triumph Bonneville: now surprisingly affordable and begging to be customised. Japan’s legendary Heiwa Motorcycles clearly got the memo, and their latest creation, a slick black Bonneville T100 dubbed No. 007, looks ready for a stylish spin. Honestly, Bond himself wouldn’t look out of place riding it to grab a midday Martini.
Heiwa Motorcycles and its enigmatic leader, Kengo Kimura, need no introduction to anyone who has even a passing interest in custom motorcycles. He’s arguably one of the best builders on the planet, but when he’s not building incredible show bikes to take out all of the top trophies, he does a roaring trade in custom cool bikes, designed to be ridden every single day. His Grass Tracker and FTR range are extremely popular for those who want a small scrambler, with a unique touch. But for those who want a more tarmac-focused terror, the all-conquering Yamaha SR and the Triumph Bonneville are proving to be the fan favourites.
While Kimura-san has done his thing with the newer water-cooled Triumphs, the older and much cheaper air-cooled models make much more sense for a bar hopper build. Finding a good donor at a cheap price is becoming easier these days, and this 2000 model with the early 790cc engine is the bargain of the bunch. To start the build, Kimura-san strips off all of the bodywork, electronics and now ageing lighting gear, until he has a bare frame with the engine left in it. Then it’s out with the grinder and the subframe is cut off and the area around the shock mounts are all removed and cleaned up.
This allows for new lower seat frame rails to be welded back in place and a much shorter rear section, with no need to support a two-up seat. The fabrication work also sets the stage for the process of getting the bike lower to the ground, with custom rear shock mounts added. The go to shock for Heiwa is the classic styling of the Kayaba twin shock range, with their progressive springs and thumb wheel adjustability for a more plush ride. To match the lower rear, the front forks are then yanked and the internals gutted. These are then rebuilt back up with progressive rate springs that are 50mm shorter than stock and matching oil.
Time to get things rolling, and the bobber-sized wheel combination nails the brief. At the front end, a 19-inch rim is laced up to the stock hub with stainless spokes, while at the rear, there is another blacked out rim, this time in a 16-inch diameter. Both ends then receive the vintage tyre treatment, with Adler Classic rubber, a stout 5-incher for the back end. Hovering over the new rear is the first of the custom bodywork, a short section fender, that is all hand rolled in-house. The back mounts are welded and blended into the metal for a super clean finish, and then a set of Heiwa’s own struts hold it firmly to the frame.
Moving further forward and the side covers are done away with, and in their places goes a custom electronics box that is built to fit inside the lines of the frame. This not only helps to slim down the entire profile of the bike, but also gives an almost completely hidden place to store all of the vital electronics. The stock tank too, might be iconic in its design, but Kimura-san is famous for always building a custom tank for his builds, and no two are ever exactly the same. The front of the tank has a bit of a Sportster vibe, before the narrow and lengthy lines help to accentuate the low and long look of the bike.
Then it’s off with the tins and they’re sent out to N2 Auto for paint, with a deep gloss black the chosen colour for the Bond numbered build. To add a touch of class, an old school screw on cap has been added, and rather than use badges, the simple graphics are beautifully laid down by Lou Peace Design. To match the look, the seat is kept very simple, crafted in-house, the oversized solo saddle sits on a custom base, before being stitched up in black leather. Keeping that vibe running, a small 4.5-inch Bates headlight is used for the front end, while the taillight is the signature Heiwa unit, which is always in high demand.
The classic British parallel-twin doesn’t miss out either, being kitted out with a full set of highly polished covers. To give the small capacity Bonnie beast some extra power, the stock carbs are ditched and a set of Keihin CR units fitted with power filter open pods providing the air. But it’s the exhaust that adds the special sauce, the two individual pipes run from the heads back, with a simple swoop bringing them over to one side of the bike, and the offset ends are internally baffled.
To finish off the build, Heiwa bars and vintage controls are added, with a tiny speedo hidden off to the side. It might not have been built for Bond, but made for brilliant bar-hopping, Heiwa’s 007 proves that sometimes the coolest ride is the one that’s simply out for a good time.
