This bike started life as a 2004 Kawasaki Eliminator. The somewhat enigmatically-named Eliminator is a really well-built machine and comfortable as heck. Of course, it’s decked out like a factory Harley, with lots of decoration and padding and some silly plastic side panels covering an unceremonious tangle of wires. (You can see a stock Eliminator in one of the photos above.)

We must have stripped off 50 pounds of steel and accessories before we even got started on the vitals. The battery box has been relocated to just behind the swingarm joint, leaving the whole under-seat space open for storage (or just a nice breeze for the voltage regulator).

The tiny 175cc engine got a port & polish from Kadek at Madiun Motor and breathes through a tidy Thai PE28 carburetor. We stood the whole thing up on taller shocks from a Honda Tiger, and finished it off with a hand-molded leather seat.

As soon as it was together, Forbes took it for a rip through the rice fields to test the rear mudguard – it passed with flying colors!