Brit-Style Kymco KTR150 Roadster

Taiwan’s REZ Industries builds a 150cc British-style street bike…

Anyone who follows custom motorcycles knows that Taiwan is a small but formidable hotbed of the culture. Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts has become one of the world’s most renowned builders, and the island nation is full of small workshops turning out incredible builds — often from rather humble platforms.

This machine is a prime example, built from a Taiwanese-built 2004 Kymco KTR150 — a popular commuter bike in the country, where larger displacement bikes are subject to all kinds of inspections and fees. The build comes from Excel Lee and the team at REZ Industries, who’ve been building and modifying bikes since their student days. Now they’ve turned that two-wheeled passion into a profession:

“Our workshop specializes in custom builds that blend vintage styling with modern performance. We are dedicated to creating choppers and a variety of handcrafted custom bikes in Taiwan.”

For this build, they sought to convert a common KTR — an air-cooled, single-cylinder commuter with scant character in stock trim — into a much more charismatic machine.

“We transformed a KTR into a machine with classic British styling while incorporating subtle Japanese-inspired modification details to create a fresh street-bike interpretation.”

The gorgeous teardrop tank is a focal element of the build. This is no bolt-on aftermarket tank, but a one-off piece hand-fabricated in the workshop and pinstriped in a style that echoes old-school chopper builds from the 1960s. The Bates-style single seat is also a hand-crafted element — together, they give the bike a buoyant style that blends British desert sleds and Japanese bratstyle into a single sweet package.

The REZ team replaced the stock mags with spoked wheels — 19-inch front and 18-inch rear. We especially love the minimalist cockpit, which combines a stainless-steel handlebar, internal wiring, and a custom recessed headlight bracket (you can see the bracket up-close in the video below).

Nearly every part of the bike has been modified or custom-fabricated, and the transformation is staggering — as if a boring commuter has been anointed with a heavy dose of soul, character, and style. According to Excel, it’s also a lot of fun to ride:

“Turning an everyday Taiwanese bike into one with a classic British look feels almost magical. Our cultural background may differ, but Taiwan has many landscapes where you can fully enjoy riding this style. The bike feels light and nimble — perfect for cruising on the beach or weaving through busy city streets.”

We love this build. Below you’ll find our full interview with Rez Industries’ Excel Lee about the build, and we look forward to showcasing more work from this Taiwanese workshop.

Custom KTR 150: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

We are a team from Taiwan who, since our student days, have been passionate about building and modifying motorcycles by hand. After years of experimentation and learning, we turned that passion into a profession: REZ Industries.

Our workshop specializes in custom builds that blend vintage styling with modern performance. We are dedicated to creating many choppers and a variety of handcrafted custom bikes in Taiwan.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

Kymco (Taiwanese motorcycle brands) / KTR150 / 2004.

• Why was this bike built?

Customer project.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

In Taiwan the small-displacement motorcycle market has quietly expanded, especially with more new models from Japanese brands. We transformed a KTR into a machine with classic British styling while incorporating subtle Japanese-inspired modification details to create a fresh street-bike interpretation.

The wheelset was reworked to 19-inch front and 18-inch rear, and we retained the stock swingarm to keep a relatively compact wheelbase. Up front we kept a wider, stainless-steel handlebar with classic British lines, intentionally omitted the gauge cluster, and simplified other components; all wiring is hidden inside the handlebar tubing. A custom recessed stainless-steel headlight bracket and these clean design choices give the front end a sharp, uncluttered look.

The hand-fabricated, teardrop-shaped fuel tank is the bike’s most distinctive component. The paintwork continues our signature chopper-style flame pinstriping.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Frame, tank, handlebars, exhaust, seat, battery box, paintwork, fender….

• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?

12.8 ps @ 9,500 rpm / 126 kg.

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

Turning an everyday Taiwanese bike into one with a classic British look feels almost magical. Our cultural background may differ, but Taiwan has many landscapes where you can fully enjoy riding this style. The bike feels light and nimble — perfect for cruising on the beach or weaving through busy city streets.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

I think we’re proud that we used a teardrop fuel tank—a piece commonly seen in chopper-style builds — as the focal element, paired with a fully handcrafted Bates-style single seat, which really ties the whole design together.