Bengkel Days with Deus Indonesia's Arwin

Arwin, head mechanic and bike builder at our Bali Temple in Canggu chats new and old builds, bashing body parts from scratch, a rebellious childhood that led him to where he is today and what not to do with Vespa brakes on the hill from Bedugal to Singaraja. We talked about a career that has seen him work throughout Indonesia, international building competitions where he took out third place and building up the Bengkel Boys team in Bali. Read on for more from Arwin.

What is your first memory of motorcycles?

That would have to be my 81’ Vespa PS Exclusive Strada. I think it was 2004 or so. One day, I rode it to Lovina, to the north of Bali. I wasn’t very familiar with using the engine brake and worked the rear brake hard coming down the mountains. Suddenly, the rear tyre burst into flames. The drum had gotten red hot. The bike's colour changed from white to scorched.

Was there a moment that sparked your career in customisation?

I grew up in an environment deeply connected to the world of vehicle engines. My family has always been involved - some owned workshops, while others worked as drivers and handled their own vehicles, including the maintenance and repairs. Being constantly exposed to machines from a young age, my interest in the mechanics world grew naturally.

What about a memorable moment during your career?

I’ll never forget building thirteen motorcycles in three months for Slidetober Fest. We were really racing against time to meet the deadline and our teamwork was truly put to the test. Thankfully, we managed to get there in the end after way too many late nights and a whole lot of stress, it was a mammoth team effort.

Hand-formed bodywork has become a signature of the Balinese workshop - what does this process look like?

Tanks and fenders are bashed out of a flat aluminium plate. We shape it using our English wheel as well as a big block of ironwood and a heavy mallet. We coerce the metal towards the final shapes according to the drawn concept. However, the results do vary, unforeseen items need to be taken into consideration, fitted and worked around, and the results aren’t exactly 100% as per the concept, but I suppose that is the beauty of hand build as opposed to shop-bought. Let’s not forget the massive amount of satisfaction you get when you look at a completed tank, fender or side cover and I get to say, I made that.

Do you have an idea of what it will look like before you start the job?

The process is gradual. First, we decide on the concept and the style of the motorcycle we’re building, this is usually done in tandem with the client, we make our bikes individually for individuals. I always analyse the condition of the donor motorcycle too, and then we assess whether the desired concept is compatible with the base. If everything matches, then we start on the fabrication. I usually start with the tyres, rims, front shocks, and swingarm. While that’s all happening or we’re waiting on parts to arrive, we move on to the body, the handmade items such as the fuel tank, the seat, side covers, front, and rear fenders, and finally, the electrical components. That’s my least favourite work, takes a huge amount of time and no one really notices it, unless it goes wrong.

What’s something people don’t know about you that would come as a surprise?

As a child, I was quite rebellious and hard to control. In fact, the only school that would accept me was one in the field of mechanics. It makes me laugh now when I think back to those school days. But who would’ve thought that this path would lead me to discover the passion I still pursue today?

In 2009, I competed in a contest organised by a major oil brand in Indonesia, the Castrol Bike Point Mechanic Contest. I took second place in Bali, then advanced to Bogor where I won, and the prize, a trip to Bangkok to compete, where I secured third place. Honestly, I believed I could’ve won first, but due to the language barrier, I only managed third place.

After the competition in Bangkok, I had the chance to visit the MotoGP paddock of the San Carlo Honda Gresini team. That was one of the best moments, and it truly deepened my love for the world of motorcycles.

It’s fair to say that motorcycles are a big part of the Indonesian lifestyle. Has this influenced the custom world, and has it affected your own work?

Yeah, it’s massive. Whenever someone in Indonesia gets a new bike, even if it’s a new scooter, within a week they’ll have changed the exhaust, the lights and the wheels, until the bike is very different from its original form. This need to individualise our bikes absolutely affects my work. It might be in my DNA! I have to also point out that there are a huge number of local builders in Indonesia who I think have produced some of the most unique and authentic creations you will find anywhere and of course, their work rubs off on me.

Which motorcycle project is your favourite, and what is your dream project?

My favourite project would have to be the Honda CB650 we did, it was called the Nighthawk, That was such a beautiful machine. As for my dream project… I’d love to build a tracker-style bike using motocross special engine materials. If you know of someone, send them my way will you?

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to build motorcycles?

My advice would be to make sure of the style at the beginning, stay committed to the style that you chose, always keep on the budget, if you are outsourcing some of the work, find a trusted custom motorcycle workshop, and most importantly enjoy the process patiently. These things do take a lot of time.

What is your current vision for the Deus workshop with your team?

I’d love to build our ‘Bengkel Boys’ team up. Currently, we have three in the workshop and two more in paint, and of course, there’s a whole lot of more advanced tools I’d love to have. Hopefully, we can get those two happening in the future so we are producing more and more exciting bike builds.