MAKE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE (BIKE)

I DIDN’T HAVE THAT KIND OF COIN TO DROP BUT THE GUYS AT DEUS WERE COOL. THEY SUGGESTED I VISIT BACKYARD CUSTOMS, A CUSTOM SHOP CREATED BY A FORMER DEUS PRODUCT DESIGNER WHO’D BRANCHED OUT ON HIS OWN

The first moment I laid eyes on the W175, I knew I had to have one. The latest addition to the ‘W’ family — a line of motorcycles built by Kawasaki since 1965 that shares some characteristics of classic British vertical-twin standard motorcycles — it had all the hallmarks of a timeless retro beauty but didn’t cost much more than the characterless automatic scooters most people use to commute around my adopted home of Bali. The small frame and low ground clearance made light work of the thick traffic that curses the island, while the 177cc single-cylinder, four-stroke donk with 13 horses offered just enough power for weekend rides.

But as I began exploring more of Bali, I discovered this motorcycle had a major flaw: it was designed for smaller people and the hunched-over riding position required of taller riders was murder on my back. After an hour on the road