Kim Boyle // Boyle Custom Moto

“My dad was really into motorcycles. He took me to my first motocross race when I was 5 and I was immediately hooked.”

I was a fan of Kim’s work even before I knew anything about Boyle Custom Moto. Pictures of his Norton were everywhere before it was even finished. The 1971 Norton Commando he named “Ed” is now a star attraction everywhere he shows it. The Norton was first shown at the Brooklyn Invitational last year. 

He bought the bike in 2006 and in January 2012 decided to gather all the parts accumulated through the years and finish the bike. The tank and tail section were revised and redesigned with help from Evan Wilcox, the original maker of the alloy bodywork.

The part I love the most, the off the wall 2-into-1 exhaust system, is what Kim said was one of the hardest parts to fabricate. Ceramic coated black, Kim didn’t want the pipes to take attention away from the handcrafted Wilcox bodywork. To me, the exhaust almost defines the bike. The sleek tank and tail demand your attention but the design of the exhaust gives the bike its stance and attitude.

And if that doesn’t convince you, hang around and hear it. Around a bend you can easily mistake it for vintage race car. I could sit and study the Norton for days. The details and different finishes on the bike come together with perfect harmony. This symmetry is carried by everything that I see around Kim. From his demeanor to the bikes that he builds, there is always a sense of natural balance. 

Kim grew up near Pittsburgh and moved to California in 1988 to realize his dream as a professional BMX rider. Later, he worked for GT bicycles. He stayed at GT for two and a half years and still has a one-off prototype frame handmade for him by Gary Turner himself. A veteran in the action sports industry, Kim started BCM sometime in 2008 to fulfill his passion in building motorcycles. 

Do you remember the first bike you ever rode? Yeah, it was an original blue 1966 Honda Z50 a neighbor had.

What about your dream bike? Is it yours or someone else’s? That changes every hour. 

I had an amazing time visiting Kim at his shop. Garages and workshops inspire me. One of the best parts of meeting another motorcycle enthusiast is looking around his or her work space. Kim’s handiwork for BCM is all over the shop. Creative bits and pieces everywhere. Some are one-off designs but a lot of them you can get from his web store.

There is more great stuff in the works at BCM. I can see a few bikes in the shop taking form. I can’t wait to see what Kim builds next. I am sure whatever it is, it will be a great one. These days if he is not working in his shop you can see Kim Boyle tearing it up at the motorcross track on his 1980 Suzuki RM125.

Thanks for letting me hang out Kim!

SR

See more of Kim Boyle’s work here: Boyle Custom Moto 

P.S. Stay tuned for our upcoming collaboration with Boyle Custom Moto.