Bull Pigeon: Stunning Handcrafted Shovelhead

Heiwa Handcraft

'Bull Pigeon' captures the very essence of the Japanese 'slammed-and-bobbed’ style. Built by Kengo Kimura of Heiwa Motorcycles, Bull Pigeon started out life as a 1978 FX series Harley-Davidson. While it is hard to improve on what is considered to be the Motor Company's first factory-customs, Kimura's Shovelhead does just that as a handcrafted masterpiece.

Zero Custom

Japanese custom motorcycles have a distinct history and quality all to themselves. Bull Pigeon is no exception to this distinction and owes a style debt to Shinya Kimura's precedent-setting early 1990s 'Zero Style' designs. Rolling out of Kimura's Hiroshima shop in 2015, Bull Pigeon was first unveiled at the 2015 Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show.

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Super Pigeon

Kimura's 1978 Shovelhead is a contradiction of sorts. Bull Pigeon is an exercise in subtlety with meticulously handcrafted one-off parts. Yet, the overall design emphasizes the aggressive lines of the FX Super Glide. Kimura's successful design approach is a simple one, as stated in an interview with Pipeburn, “I am always trying to make my bikes more narrow and compact.”

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Allstate Ride

The Shovelhead's frame stands out as a predominant feature. Kimura 'de-tabbed' and cleaned up the FX frame, then grafted on a new subframe and swingarm to the rear. Balancing out the ride is a set of powder-coated aluminum rims measuring up at 19 inches in the front, and 18 inches in the rear —both rims are wrapped with new 'vintage' Allstate tires. MDI Suspension smooths the road bumps in the rear.

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Rebuilt Power

Powering the Bull Pigeon is an AMF-era Shovelhead with all new internals. Fueling for the venerable 80-cubic-inch motor is taken care of by an S&S carburetor capped with a custom-made air cleaner that resembles a bottle opener. The headers are a fine example of Kimura's fabrication skill and attention to design is evident with the straight-shot rear pipe that mirrors the angle of the frame's top tube.

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Custom Accessories

The belt drive cover on the primary side is crafted from a single piece of aluminum. The dry clutch is mated to a 'suicide' clutch made from modified car parts, controlled by a one-of-a-kind gear lever. The foot pegs are handmade custom items. With all the accessories on the Bull Pigeon, Kimura's attention to detail is ever present.

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Rider's Perch

Sitting on top of the custom frame is a minimal seat and rear fender. Hand stitched by Hiroshima's Flavor Leather Work, the seat seamlessly flows into the short fender cowl. The Bull Pigeon's seat and fender silhouette allude to the now collectible 'boat-tail' seats of the early 1970s. A custom panel with embossed edges covers the electrics and holds the ignition switch.

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Minimal Design

The front end adheres to a less-is-more design philosophy. Rider input is via a set of custom-made stainless steel handlebars with Amal-style grips. A mini speedometer delivers the required miles-per-hour reading. Keeping the front end lowered is a set of Showa forks held in place by triples from NOS.

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Aluminum Fondant

The Bull Pigeon's lights are kept to the bare essentials. Lighting the way up front is a vertically-mounted Lucas unit in a hand-hammered housing that looks more like baker's fondant than aluminum. Out back, above the vertical license plate, is mini-taillight nestled in a Heiwa Motorcycles aluminum casing.

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Stainless Sublime

A hand built gas tank with molded custom mounts is yet another example of Kimura's fabrication skills. The bright turquoise paint and silver pinstriping tie together the matte stainless steel finishes and wet-blasted engine cases. The overall effect is sublime, and as Kimura puts it, “I consider it important in every build to look for some small way to impress those who don’t know custom motorcycle at all.”

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