Will you see? There’s a lack of custom Harleys on the streets of Long Beach builder Kento Oketani’s hometown. But you won’t find anything quite like his 1970 Harley-Davidson Sportster XLH. At first glance, you might not know what it’s made of — but once you understand how this desert sled came into being, the pieces start to fall into place.
See, Kento drew inspiration from an unlikely source: a custom 1956 pre-order Triumph that his friend imported from the US to Japan in the early 2000s. Kento says the car This bike is a rarity – an authentic idiosyncratic build from the early 60’s that has survived in amazing condition.
It was the first antique rival he had seen, and it set him on a path to building his own custom motorcycles. A few years after that chance meeting, Kento moved from his hometown of Ishikawa, Japan to his current residence in Long Beach.
That’s around the time he started getting into cycling — and although vintage Triumphs are a rare sight in Southern California, the memories of his friend’s predecessor unit never left Kento’s mind.
Not many builders started their British desert sled project with a 1970 Harley-Davidson, but we’re certainly glad someone did. Flipping through photos of the old Triumph, now yellowed with age, it becomes clear that this unlikely combination of influences won’t work. But there’s no denying that Kento presented it with impeccable style.
Up front, the XLH is pure helicopter. A shaved and chrome-plated 33.4mm HD fork holds the 21-inch front wheel without brakes at the bottom, with a set of gibs mounted higher. The same goes for the headlights — a vintage Bates piece that Kento stumbled across during the build process — as well as the OGK NOS shank from the 1980s.
Then of course the engine, a donor from a 1976 XLH was picked up as a basket with no housing, broken gears, and cracked camshafts. Kento says the engine comes with a large number of usable parts, has been given new chrome and full blown injection, but it still needs a lot of work.
The engine has been treated to new piston rings and an oil pump rework, and the internals are long overdue for a refresh. Kento taught himself how to operate the inside of iron head engine as he makes his way and adds performance upgrades at every opportunity.
When it lies, the clean power plant squeaks now has a S&S Cycle flywheel, carbon fiber push rod, Andrews cam and Andrews transmission, as well as Karata belt drive and Strociek dry clutch setup. Kento finished it off with a new Mikuni carburetor, a rare set of Robinson Thunderheads, and a matching pair of cams and main caps that he made from scratch.
Since then, Kento’s bicycles have taken a radical departure from the norm, as the British influence has become more pronounced. The custom Saddlemen seat looks like it could be pulled straight from the car that inspired it, right down to the ribbed stitching detail. The same goes for the Wassell-style rear fenders and Lucas taillights, both on a custom-built subframe.
A Wassell-style peanut oil tank sits atop the frame, while a high-end scrambler exhaust and a pair of vintage Betor forks complete the rear, all of which are clearly Bud Ekins rather than Willie G. We can’t say they’re any more. I’m disappointed to see something other than a stern back here.
The rest of the build is all about the details. The chrome-plated oil tank that Kento built doesn’t look out of the ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection you’ll find it houses a sleek set of electronics. Kento stashed a Lithium battery under the saddle, allowing him to stuff the rest of the hardware into the oil tank.
The three red buttons you see at the top are actually the killswitch, start button, and the sleek control button. Motogadget speedometer. There is even a USB port, relay and circuit breaker hidden in it.
Kento’s inclusion of tiny speedo LEDs is particularly impressive, with internal routing that slides down inside the handlebars before falling out and into the frame.
Kento’s bike is indeed a rare bird, and a fitting tribute to the British twins that inspired it. Unit survivors may be a rare sight in LBC, but nothing catches the eye like this unconventional interpretation of the bike that started it all.
Kento Oketani Instagram | Photo of Jose Gallina
