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Shinya Kimura :: Motorcycle Craftsman – Artist

By September 30, 2011Motorcycles, Videos

Documentary about Shinya Kimura. Motorcycle mechanic and artist. A man whose words ring with a resounding depth about his craft.

In 1962 I was born in old town Tokyo. I was brought up surrounded by the smell of oil and steel and sound of machinery. I think this is why this life suits me well.

I have images but I am not inspired by any particular thing. I don't draw either. I cut steel or bend aluminum listening to how I feel at that moment.

“It feels nothing like how violent it looks from the outside.”
– shinya kimura


I use my own hands and break my back making the bikes. I believe that speaks to people's emotions and makes them want one.

A bike should look good on its own, but it's incomplete until a person rides it. For me a motorcycle is more than art. It's something that brings out my instincts, and the wildness and vulnerability within me.

It feels nothing like how violent it looks from the outside. It's very serene. The ground and the sky are so white there is no boundary between them.

I have never flown but it feels like flying in an airplane using a reciprocating engine. I can't tell you how peaceful it is.

+ Sources:
• Directed by Henrik Hansen :: Director of Photography Adam Richards
• Shinya Kimura :: Chabott Engineering

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