To call this thing a 6T nowadays is somewhat misleading, though, because there’s very little stock hardware left on what Heiwa refers to as Seven Star 7. As a matter of fact, master Kimura only kept the Thunderbird’s 649cc parallel-twin engine and four-speed constant-mesh gearbox, while casting just about everything else aside. With the classic Triumph taken apart, his first challenge involved coming up with a rolling chassis.
Careful measurements have been taken and a bespoke double cradle frame was made entirely from scratch. Heiwa aimed for a long, slammed posture here, and another thing which would help him achieve that was the suspension. At the back, he installed a custom aluminum swingarm longer than the factory 6T unit, then he ordered a pair of aftermarket shock absorbers from MDI in Taiwan.
These were tailor-made according to his specifications, but equal consideration was given to the front end, as well. New triple clamps connect the headstock to leading-axle 50 mm (two-inch) Paioli forks, and there’s a polished brace right above the front tire for extra rigidity. Down in the unsprung sector, Kengo fitted 18-inch wheels whose rims are cloaked in retro-style rubber from Continental.Braking duties are assigned to a drilled rotor up front, a solid unit at the back, and compact Brembo calipers all-round. When his work on the chassis was finally complete, it came time for the project’s mastermind to fabricate a suitable outfit. He went with aluminum as his material of choice, and each part was meticulously formed through traditional metal-shaping techniques. The result of all this labor is nothing short of sensational!
A slender fuel tank takes pride of place center-stage, sitting nice and low on the handmade skeleton built by Heiwa. It carries an offset filler cap on the right-hand side, but we’re equally intrigued by what’s going on further back. Atop the bike’s subframe lies a gorgeous tail unit, which seems to buck all the common design trends we can think of. It doubles up as a rear fender, and its rearmost section encases a flush-mounted LED taillight.
In between the tank and tail, Kimura-san placed a handsome leather seat with yellow stitching color-matched to the mustard hue on the bodywork. The Seven Star 7’s cockpit is a genuine delight, too, featuring a bespoke handlebar with minimalistic controls, as well as vintage-style instrumentation stored inside a custom housing. A little further ahead, you will notice an unusual headlight assembly that’s been put together in-house.
There’s not a single rear-view mirror or turn signal to be seen, as Heiwa wanted to keep this specimen as stripped-down as he could. Naturally, an engine that’ll soon be turning 70 is going to need some serious TLC, so the 6T’s twin-cylinder mill has been dismantled, closely inspected, and refurbished inside out. The same treatment was applied to the gearbox, while the stock oil tank made room for a hand-built alternative.
Each and every component associated with the powertrain looks immaculate, but the star of the show in this whole equation is the exhaust plumbing. Kimura fashioned a mesmerizing, high-mounted setup out of stainless-steel, and the two pipes actually remain separated right to the end despite giving the impression of a two-into-one arrangement. Of course, a healthy upgrade for the intake was in order.
Heiwa Motorcycle swapped the standard carb with a fresh VM32 replacement from Mikuni’s range, subsequently finishing it off with a shiny velocity stack. At last, this concluded Kengo Kimura’s startling build, and you shouldn’t find it hard to see why we refer to him as one of Japan’s finest. Honestly, we were shocked to learn that Seven Star 7 didn’t win at the Yokomaha show hosted by Mooneyes, but we wish Kimura-san better luck in 2023 and beyond!
