Birth of the Bean: A Reimagined Kawasaki W650

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Revival Cycles W650
Revival Cycles W650 "Bean"
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Revival Cycles W650
Revival Cycles W650 "Bean"
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Revival started with a stock Kawasaki W650 like this. The trick LED lights at the rear are both brake lamps and indicators.
Revival started with a stock Kawasaki W650 like this. The trick LED lights at the rear are both brake lamps and indicators.
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These trick LED lights at the rear are both brake lamps and indicators.
These trick LED lights at the rear are both brake lamps and indicators.
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The stainless steel 2-into-1 exhaust features an internal baffle.
The stainless steel 2-into-1 exhaust features an internal baffle.
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Revival Cycles W650
Revival Cycles W650 "Bean"
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A custom half-turn fastener retains the tank, seat and rear cowling.
A custom half-turn fastener retains the tank, seat and rear cowling.
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Revival Cycles W650
Revival Cycles W650 "Bean"
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Revival Cycle's Alan Stulberg puts the Bean through its paces.
Revival Cycle's Alan Stulberg puts the Bean through its paces.
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The riding position is café-style, with rearsets and clip-ons.
The riding position is café-style, with rearsets and clip-ons.
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Revival Cycles W650
Revival Cycles W650 "Bean"

Revival Cycles W650 “Bean”
Claimed power: 55hp @ 7,000rpm (est.)
Top speed: 120mph (est.)
Engine: 676cc air-cooled SOHC 8-valve parallel twin, 72mm x 83mm bore and stroke, 8.6:1 compression ratio
Weight (dry): 382lb (174kg)
Fuel capacity: 6.5gal (24.8ltr)
Price then/now: $6,499/not quite a 10-fold increase …

Disclaimer: This story is about a custom motorcycle, but there will be no discussion of motorcycles as “art” nor will the creators of this bike be compared to any other builders in a futile and inflammatory attempt to establish who’s “The Best” — and other than its use in this overly-long sentence, the word “bespoke” will not occur anywhere in this piece.

Take a good look at the machine featured in this piece. Would you say it‘s:
a) British
b) Italian

  • Published on Oct 16, 2014
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