Growing up, I had a special bond with my BMX. It was my ticket to autonomy, freedom, and independence, and my 20-inch represented a distilled version of everything I later came to love about motorbikes as an ‘adult.’
But no matter how old I get or what I have in my garage, there’s a part of me that always harkens back to that desire for bar-spins and bunny-hops. And apparently I’m not alone in this. This new build from Hide Work Custom of Taiwan is a BMX-inspired custom, and aims to recapture the pedal-powered magic from a client’s childhood.
HWC was founded in 2016 by Huang Wen Chi, better known simply by ‘Achi.’ After a 15-year career as a lathe and mill operator and a lifelong idée fixe for two-wheelers, Achi set up shop in Taoyuan City in Northwestern Taiwan, and started constructing one-off bikes.
“This project was commissioned by a client that’s a street wear and skateboarding enthusiast who had an idea for a BMX-themed build that was as stripped down and simple as possible,” we’re told.
With a limited budget, HWC wanted to find an inexpensive donor with cheap and readily available parts, so they opted for a used Chin Wang 100; a popular 100cc moped made by local manufacturer Sanyang Motor Co. Ltd, better known simply as ‘SYM.’
The Chin Wang’s lineage can be traced back to Honda’s legendary Super Cub. In 1962 Sanyang entered into a partnership with Honda to assemble the Japanese marque’s two-wheelers at SYM’s plant in Taiwan. After Honda terminated the long-standing deal in 2002, SYM went on producing models using Honda’s basic blueprints.
To bring out the quadrilateral shape of a traditional 20-inch BMX frame, HWC sourced a second Chin Wang chassis from the 90cc variant.
A thin steel tube was grafted into place, now serving as the bicycle-style frame’s top-tube. The CW90’s neck and part of its downtube were also fused onto the primary donor in order to accommodate a modified telescopic front-end off of a Kymco KTR 150.
The moped’s stock swing-arm has been replaced with a longer, modified 380mm tubular unit also plucked from a KTR 150, and paired with a set of aftermarket shocks.
The SYM’s 17-inch wheels and front disc brake came from the Kymco as well. The knobby tires are more MX than BMX, but the look corresponds well with the rest of the bicycle-flavored build. A 30oz Yazawa reserve fuel bottle also hangs from the frame’s new top tube.
The main pressed-steel portion of the frame was stripped, detabbed, and then given new horizontal ribs for a little extra style. Fixed to the top of the reworked frame is a one-off flat seat-pan capped off with a custom saddle with a white diamond stitch pattern. The majority of the steel frame’s integrated rear fender was also lopped off, giving it a more modern aesthetic.
“It’s much longer and higher than original Chin Wang 100,” Achi says of the custom.
With the handlebars playing such a crucial role in capturing the overall appearance of a BMX, HWC perused a host of off-the-shelf options before eventually deciding the best choice was to fabricate their own.
The one-off SYM now features a classic two-piece BMX handlebar, sporting a single lever on the righthand side and no instrumentation of any kind. Controls on the custom bars are discreet, limited to the bare road-going essentials (turn signals, horn) with just two micro-switchgear buttons on the left side.
Beneath the seat is a set of custom aluminum side panels, with the left-side cover now housing the bike’s high/low-beam switch and starter button. On the opposite side of the build, a beautiful custom steel single-pipe exhaust winds its way over the engine before running horizontally towards the tail.
A variety of finishing touches further solidifies the BMX vibe. The handlebars are wrapped in ODI grips featuring Vans’ famous waffle sole tread pattern, the kickstarter lever now fittingly sports a bicycle-style pedal, and the original rubber foot-pegs have been swapped out for MX pegs.
For the non-BMX elements such as the lighting, Achi tried to be as subtle as possible. For the headlight, the shop went with a 4.5” round unit from Bates, which also supplied the offset mini taillight.
The indicators are even more low-key: Motogadget Pins, some of the smallest and brightest signals on the market. The bulk of the build’s wiring has been hidden away in the side panels, while the battery is squeezed in under the saddle.
After seeing the Supreme Edition Coleman mini bike, the customer knew they wanted a clean paint scheme comprised of two contrasting colors. So the chassis was coated in a mustard yellow, while the swing-arm, shocks, triple tree, handlebars, risers, pedals, lever, and rims were painted a gloss black.
Rather than modifying the engine for improved performance, HWC instead focused on trimming the fat. In total, Achi and the gang were able to knock more than 11 lbs (5 kg) off of the stock donor’s weight.
With its two-piece bars and diamond frame, HWC’s latest two-wheeler just screams ‘BMX.’ And despite the Frankenbike-nature of the project, it possesses a remarkably clean and finished overall appearance. With builds like this, it’s no wonder that South East Asia is quickly becoming a global hot spot in today’s custom scene.
