Kento “Fury” Oketani’s 1970 Ironhead Sportster here may be a few spikes short of starring in a Mad Max movie, but it’s only a few spikes short. It’s a blend of styles you don’t usually see mashed-up together. Part chopper, part desert sled, it’s definitely a stand-out custom bike. We were able to pin him down to talk about it and rather than doing him the disservice of trying to describe it secondhand, we thought it was best to let him put it in his own words.

Hot Bike: Before we dive into the Ironhead, let’s talk about you. How did you come to live in the U.S.?

Kento Oketani: I go with Fury as my nickname. I don’t have a business or anything but you can find me on Instagram @fury36.

I am originally from the city called Kanazawa in Ishikawa, Japan. I worked as a mechanical engineer for about 5 years before I moved here at the beginning of 2015. I went to school in La Verne, California for three months. I was going to go back home after that but it wasn’t enough for me so I transferred schools to one in Torrance.

Around Born Free 7 in 2015, my friend Yace (@hwzn.mfg.co) visited me from our hometown. He had been friends with Oliver Jones (@thecutrate) for a long time. So he took me to Oliver’s house during Born Free and introduced me. Shortly after I ended up moving in. I have been living in Long Beach since.

HB: When you found this bike, what kind of shape was it in?

KO: I bought this 1970 XLH, a couple sportster frames, motors, and some parts in…2017? I kept the 1970 and sold the rest of the stuff. The bike actually looked like a fully assembled motorcycle, but I decided to take it all apart in my bedroom.

HB: Why did you build the bike? What was the inspiration?

KO: I took the inspiration from my friend Yace’s bike. His bike got me into custom motorcycles. He also led me in the right direction to build it, too. His is a 1956 Triumph. He imported it from the U.S. to Japan back in the early 2000s. I remember when I saw the bike in person for the first time, 10-plus years ago. It was the first vintage scrambler I had ever seen and it blew my mind. It’s really hard to explain it but the bike was a scrambler/chopper/desert sled.

So when I bought my bike and a pile of parts I thought it was a great opportunity to see if I could build a bike like that Triumph from a Harley-Davidson Sportster.

HB: What was the most challenging part of the build?

KO: I spent a lot of time looking at old pictures to see what the differences were between a Triumph and a Sportster.

Making the subframe, the oil tank, and the exhaust for the first time was exciting but also challenging for me.

And I also didn’t want to build the exact same bike. I added digital gauging to the handlebars, futuristic looking switches, and a bigger battery for the electric start, etc.

Building the motor was one of the most challenging parts, too. It was my first time working on an Ironhead motor and every single step was a learning experience for me. Also the motor I used is from a ’76 XLH I purchased in 2021. The 1976 was a hot rod motor. I had to be very careful fitting all the parts together when I was rebuilding it.

HB: What is/are the most interesting aspect(s) of the bike? 

KO: The “mix-up of styles.” Desert sled, chopper, and performance; old and new.

HB: Now that it’s done, is there anything you’d change or do differently?

KO: All the fabrication work isn’t the best. The exhaust, the subframe, and the oil tank, I think I can make them better now.

HB: What’s next?

KO: I just bought a 1984 Harley-Davidson FXSB project from the same guy I bought the Sportster from. I sort of have a plan for the build already.