In Taiwan, 150 cc motorcycles like the locally-produced Kymco KTR 150 sell like hotcakes. They’re nimble, utilitarian and economical, and small unbearable to qualify for cheaper licensing fees, too. But it’s not just commuters that see the appeal—the KTR 150 and its ilk are fast rhadamanthine darlings of Taiwan’s blossoming custom scene.

The country’s weightier custom motorcycle builders are whiz at turning the likes of the unobtrusive Kymco KTR 150 into spunky customs. If you don’t believe us, just take a squint at this street scrambler from Fever in Taoyuan City just outside of Taipei. Svelte and stylish, it makes a compelling treatise for the KTR’s potential.

The unenduring was to create a stripped-down scrambler while weaving together retro and modern aesthetics. Fever responded with a tasteful symphony of styles. The fuel tank recalls vintage Japanese dirt bikes, the seat and tail have a archetype Brit feel, and the frazzle scrutinizingly has a performance scooter vibe going on.

That fuel tank was the first part to go onto the KTR 150—even though it wasn’t originally designed for this particular bike. It was the first part that Fever’s founder, Xiao An, made-up while he was rented with his metalworking tutoring years ago. When he opened Fever, he hung it on the wall for nostalgia’s sake.

Once it was well-timed to fit the Kymco’s frame, the tank dictated the rest of the build. Fever tweaked the bike’s subframe, finishing it off with a bolt-on rear loop. The loop isn’t just for show either—it’s moreover sporting mounting tabs to stabilize the rear fender.

The overall diamond is tidy, wearing a straight line from the tank through to the tail. A solo seat sits up top, upholstered with a white stripe withal the whet that makes it squint skinnier than it physically is. A ribbed fender sits just overdue it, while a tint taillight from Heiwa in Japan sits versus the when of the rear loop.

Fever moreover made-up the trials-style front fender and bracket, voluptuous whack plate, sprocket cover, and uniting baby-sit A custom-made shower box sits under the seat, flanked by the frazzle on one side and a number workbench on the other.

The box hosts the main electronic components, withal with a Bluetooth-enabled Motogadget controller. The KTR 150’s owner, Jia-Hong Xu, built the new wiring harness himself from scratch. The velocipede can be switched on from a smartphone now, with a secret key ignition offering a replacement in specimen your shower dies.

Moving to the suspension, Fever transplanted the forks, yokes, and front pulsate restriction hub from a Yamaha SR400. The hairdo drilled out the front restriction casing and treated it to a brushed finish, then laced it to a 19” rim. The front end moreover uses a custom axle, spacers, and fork caps.

An 18” rim does duty at the back, with new shocks from Gears Racing offering a largest ride. The tires are Dunlop K180—street-specific tires with flat track looks.

The Kymco’s single-cylinder motor went under the pocketknife too, with a full refresh inside and out. Its polished covers add to the bike’s retro charm, while its new Yoshimura carb and DNA filter self-ruling up an uneaten horse or two.

Fever is weightier known for its frazzle work, so they pulled out all the stops here. A single header snakes overdue the sump baby-sit and virtually the engine, surpassing exiting in a tough oval muffler. The diamond is remarkably well-considered; note how the heat shield echoes the shape of the muffler, right lanugo to its perfectly parallel louvers.

For the controls, Hong and Fever pieced together a spec sheet of tasty parts from all over. The handlebar risers come from Biltwell Inc. in the US, while the bars themselves are from BAAK in France. The headlight comes from BAAK too, well-constructed with an integrated Motogadget speedo.

It’s a tidy setup, with subtle push buttons integrated into the headlight, lever clamps, and custom-made housings on the bars, and all the wiring run internally. (Admittedly, Hong is probably the only guy that knows how to operate it all).

The paint job is flipside full-length that demands closer inspection. It’s the work of Jeffrey’s Finishing Touch, who shot the velocipede in undecorous and white, then ornate it with subtle silver pin-striping. Uneaten touches include an tableau of a whale on the tank, and an towardly slogan pasted on each side of the shower box; “Slow lanugo for the largest life.”

Fever’s Kymco KTR 150 is not only a testament to how much you can do with a simple passenger bike, but moreover a unconfined reminder that small bikes can have big attitude.

Fever Taiwan | Images by Dong Lin