250cc Scrambler from Heiwa Motorcycle…
The Kawasaki 250TR is a 250cc air-cooled single-cylinder retro commuter that harks back to simpler days, when fuel injection, liquid cooling, and onboard computers were reserved for only the most sophisticated two-wheeled machinery.
“It looks like a 1970s scrambler — but is actually aimed at style-conscious city-dwellers… But the light weight, friendly power delivery and sit-up-and-beg riding position should make it ideal for city traffic.” –MCN
To be fair, the 250TR was about as a off-road worthy as many of those 70s scramblers, most of which were little more than street bikes with knobby tires, high exhausts, and slightly longer suspension travel. Of bikes produced in the 21st century, the TR remains one of the most retro in both style and engineering.
Sadly, it was mainly available in the Japanese domestic market and rarely seen in Europe or the Americas except for a rare gray market import. That’s too bad, as the classic looks and simplicity of design make the 250TR a great base for customization, particularly for scrambler builds.
This one comes from one of Japan’s most respected builders, Kengo Kimura of Heiwa Motorcycle. Kimura began racing motocross when he was 10 years old. At the age of 23, a fractured femur forced him to retire from hardcore competition, but he’d begun working in a local custom workshop. In 2005, he opened his own workshop, Heiwa Motorcycle, located in a two-story industrial space near the port of Hiroshima.
Heiwa means “peace” and comes from the city’s “post-nuclear cry for world harmony” (The Vintagent). Birds of peace — including pigeons, doves, and paper cranes — are an important part of Hiroshima’s culture. Heiwa Motorcycle’s logo bears a painted bird, and many of Kimura-san’s most high-profile creations involve these themes: “MasterPeace,” “Dirty Pigeon,” and “Parrot Star” for example. Over the years, multiple Heiwa builds have been awarded “Best in Show” at the prestigious Yokohama Hot Rod & Custom Show (Mooneyes Show), earning the workshop international recognition.
But Kimura maintains a love for the motocrossers of his youth, and continues to build (and ride) scramblers and desert sleds like his ’56 Triumph TR6 and Suzuki 250 Grasstrackers — bikes that resemble the early enduros from England and Japan.
Now Kimura is back with this 2001 Kawasaki 250TR scrambler finished just last month. The high-mount exhaust and silencers are one-offs, fabricated in-house, and the seat rails were modified with a shorter loop and topped with a custom synthetic leather saddle.
The ignition was upgraded, and Kimura outfitted the bike with scrambler bars, motocross-style grips, miniature gauges, custom-made front and rear fenders with a Heiwa taillight, and a small 4.5-inch headlight. The bike is now running Dunlop D603 tires (110/80-19 F / 120/90-18 R) designed for 30/70 road/off-road riding.
Then there’s the paint, a gorgeous ochre color (L19-50H) chosen from a sample of Japanese standards and laid down by Devil’s Luck, on both the frame and the bodywork. The overall effect is that of a clean, streamlined scrambler straight out of the 1970s…yet built out of a much newer machine.
Below, you’ll find a gallery of additional detail shots of the build, along with more builds from this Japanese maestro. Thank you for sharing, Mr. Kimura!
Detail Photo Gallery
Follow the Builder
Website: www.heiwa-mc.jp
Instagram: @heiwamc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Heiwa-motorcycle
Photographer: Hiroshi Kikui
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this guy builds great scramblers. i question the color. but its a Veronica machine