KUALA TERENGGANU - What started as a ploy to pick up girls has evolved into a passion for vintage motorcycles.
Two years ago, Muhammad Izwan Mokhtar, 18, and his older brother Fadrul Aizat, 26, flirted with the idea of modifying old motorcycles as a way to attract the fairer sex.
They didn't succeed with girls but the brothers have instead become adept at restoring old machines and giving the vehicles the “extreme makeover”.
Muhammad Izwan said their first successful project was to modify a Honda C-70, complete with leopard prints and leather seats.
“We saw the broken down motorcycle at our neighbour's garage and decided to get it off his hands. We bought it for a few hundred ringgit and installed a new engine as well as other parts,” he said at a mini-carnival held at Pantai Batu Burok here yesterday.
Muhammad Izwan, a student, said the “makeover” work depended mostly on his brother, who is a civil engineer.
“My brother is the genius as he equipped the motorcycle with leopard plastic covers on the wheels as well as fur-like attachments on the handle,” he said.
Extreme makeover: Muhammad Izwan checking
his Honda C70 vintage motorcycle during a mini-carnival at Pantai Batu Burok in Kuala Terengganu.
He said they have entered many vintage motorcycle competitions and won prizes for their creativity.
However, Muhammad Izwan admitted he was not getting many opportunities to go out on dates but insisted that there was much satisfaction in focusing on modifying vintage vehicles.
(His older brother was luckier, though. He got married last year.)
“We aim to salvage more motorcycles in the future. The fulfilment of seeing our ideas coming together is priceless,” he said.
