Kawasaki W650 Fiddler Cafe Racer

The Kawasaki W650 was my motorcycle of choice when I made the decision to build my own Cafe Racer. The custom work of Deus Ex Machina on Kawasaki's legendary parallel twin was a huge influence on my decision to go with the W650, so you can imagine my excitement each time I see a freshly customised one roll out of their workshop. This latest interpretation of the Kawasaki W650 in Cafe Racer guise was built at the Deus "Emporium Of Post Modern Activities" in Venice, CA and is named the Fiddler.

I could now list off the modifications and parts used in the construction of the Fiddler but seeing as Deus have such a colourful way of describing their own builds I thought it best to pull some words straight from their chronicle of the build... 

"Fresh out of the hatchery a voluptuously shaped, traffic halting café racer. Styled around the sensuous silhouette of the fuel tank, the Fiddler is well robed in hand-crafted metal, with the fenders, nickel-plated brake stays, stainless steel seat pan and electronic tray. The heavily modified headlight bucket, modeled after 1960’s Aprilia and BMW lights, features a Motogadget speedometer and is supported by handmade brackets. The W650 frame picked up a redesigned rear loop and custom chromoly swing arm along with Racetech modified forks and Works Performance shocks for better overall feel. Powering the Fiddler is a W650 engine modified with a big bore kit and FCR carbsconnected to a Peyton Place SS exhaust. Slowing the bike down comes courtesy of TZ350 four-shoe brakes and a twin pull lever up front, and Brembo calipers and discs with a modern KTM master cylinder in the back."

Along with everything Deus mentioned above they have also addressed the W650's inherent handling issues by upgrading the rear shocks, threw away the restrictive air box and added free flowing K&N filters and added a set of clip on bars and rear sets for a more aggressive riding position.

I'm not going to say I love everything about the W650 Fiddler because that'd make me a liar. I like a low slung headlight nestled between the forks, a front guard that stops the mud from coating my inner thighs and paint job that doesn't resemble my Grandmas butt (wrinkle paint belongs on Harleys). Regardless of these few nitpicks which all come down to personal taste, the Fiddler is another great example of how flexible the Kawasaki W650 is when it comes to customization, which is why I dig it so much!

DeusCustoms.com

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