While in NYC on a little business and a lot of drinking, we hopped the subway to Brooklyn and checked out the shop and workspace of Keinosuke Sasaki. Better known in the chopper world as Keino, he has a reputation for his own brand of two-wheeled artistry.
From his humble upbringing in Fukuoka, Japan, to his education at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Arizona, Keino grew up loving the looks and design elements of the motorcycle.
In 1998 after his graduation from MMI, Keino moved to Brooklyn on a whim to work for the only H-D dealer who accepted his application. After a few months Keino grew tired of doing oil changes, so looking for work he knocked on the door of a custom shop by the name American Dream Machine. That is where he met up with his friend and mentor Indian Larry. Keino worked and learned alongside the legendary builder from 2001 until Larry's untimely death in 2004.
Keino along with Paul Cox, Bob and Elisa Seeger formed a team to continue on Larry's legacy. In 2008 Keino struck out on his own and has been doing it his way under the Keino Cycles moniker ever since.