Gō Takamine is an Okinawan bike shop owner with an impressive portfolio in the motorcycle community. From a young age, he’s had an eye for style – and now, he’s tricked out a 2022 Super Chief Limited for X-Men/Mad Max movie star Nicholas Caradoc Hoult with his signature ‘Brat Style,’ known around the world – though the origins have perhaps been lesser known than the ‘Brat Style’ term itself.
So what is ‘Brat Style’?
Steemit describes the aesthetic as “any Japanese bike with a lower stance and bigger vintage replica tires, like the Firestone Deluxe.”
“Back in 1998, well before the term took off, ‘Brat Style’ was simply the name of a custom shop in Kita, Tokyo,” the article continues.
“From there, the man behind the style, Gō Takamine, started turning out bike after bike— crafting each with his unique style.”
“The ‘Brat Style’ brand grew over the years and propelled Gō to the top of the custom world. He eventually achieved such a high level of respect and notoriety within the moto community at large that he was commissioned by major manufacturers like Yamaha and BMW to promote their new models with custom builds.”
The press release tells us that had an interesting list of items that he synced up to the project, including “a 1937 Ford truck fender that was transformed into the rear fender of Hoult’s bike and neat, unique details like custom brass gnarled footpegs with U.S. Buffalo Nickels installed at the end of each peg.”
Here’s a list of the mods, according to the press release:
Gō Takamine’s 2022 Super Chief Limited Modification List
- Conversion from softail to hardtail by ‘installing cross members from rear axle to the main frame.’
- New Brat Style bars and brass risers
- Fitted the digital speedometer lower (just below the fuel tank) via custom mounting system (rerouting the bike’s existing wiring to this new location)
- Narrowed gas tank by slicing out two inches of the middle
- New leather (spring-loaded) solo seat
- Utilized the back gate spare tire fender from a 1937 Ford Truck for rear fender. Decked the end result out with a fender end piece from 1940s Indian Chief
- Added short, low-profile rear fender sissy bar
- Added new set of custom cone-end pipes
- “Installed brass, gnarled foot pegs and shifter pegs, including actual U.S. Buffalo Nickels at the ends of the foot pegs”
- “Installed new headlamp with integrated vintage Indian Motorcycle brass coin”
- “Created upper fork leg covers to create a muscular old-school look for the front end”
- “Installed sidemount (left side) Brat Style/Shi-Sa tail light and license plate holder”
- “Repainted the bike gloss black, with silver scallops on tank and gold Indian script logo”
“Rather than creating a flashy look, I wanted to create a simple customization,” Gō says in an article from CycleWorld.
To see more details on the process, check out the videos we have embedded for you above – both part one, involving Gō in his process of the bike’s creation; and part two, in which Nicholas Hoult chats on his new toy.
What do you think of this custom build? Be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you think; in the meantime, check out the photo gallery below – we got hit with a generous pile of photos, so drool away.
Be sure to hit up other custom projects we’ve covered from our archives, and as always – stay safe on the twisties.