People crane their necks and mutter under their breath whenever Machel Kanyi steers his machines past them. His face forever rife with satisfaction for the feat of bringing things to a standstill.
“I love the attention, it feels good when people appreciate your work. They may not say this to you directly, but you can tell from their body language that they appreciate," said Kanyi, 35, a personal assistant based in Nairobi.
The outlandishly built machines consist of a miniature car and a motorbike. They sport low-sitting bellies, paint bereft exteriors, skull embellishments, tall gear shifts and ununiformed tire fittings, among other nuanced customisations.
The name given to these puzzling motors vehicles is rat rods, which belong to the hot rod category of vehicles.
Hot rods are cars and motorbikes that have undergone elaborate customisation as varied as lowered roofs, altered engines, enhanced speeds and the use of period-correct components during assembling.
A rat rod is the rebel child of the family, deviating considerably from hot rod traditions. For one, builders assemble such cars at home without using vehicle components from a specific era.
Rat rodders will typically use scrap metal for body works and repurposed materials on the rest of the car or motorbike.
The builders are not keen to score beauty points with their builds. In fact, the most glaring hallmark of rat rods is their rugged look.
Creators such as Kanyi note that rods are simply an expression of one’s style and hence designs are guided by individual creative preference.
“I build my bikes to appease myself. I have a mind that likes imagining things and pursuing them, and that is how these creations came to be,” Kanyi said.
The practice of building hot rods and rat rods is believed to have originated in America in the 1930s before claiming global fame. The rod culture remains more popular in the Americas than anywhere else.
I build my bikes to appease myself. I have a mind that likes imagining things and pursuing them, and that is how these creations came to be
THE BEGINNING
After finishing his A-levels, Kanyi was at home with nothing to do when his elder brother gave him one of his bikes, which Kanyi used to do some boda boda work for a while.
“In the course of using the bike, which was comparable to a Boxer [type of motorcyle], I came across a group of people who were modifying bikes, and my interest was piqued because I like challenges and uniqueness, and what they were doing was crazy,” Kanyi said
Galvanized by his newly found source of inspiration, he began to make a few changes to his bike, stripping off original components here, altering fittings there. Rendering it a new look within years.
“I managed to convert the bike from a two shock to a single shock and went further to experiment with engine power by fitting a turbocharger. That went horribly wrong, but I never gave up,” Kanyi told the Star.
The year 2010 marked the advent of Kanyi’s devotion to vehicle customisation and his subsequent entry into the rat rod scene.
"My brother has been involved from the start, and everything we have done has been experimental. We started by coming up with a frame for our first made-at-home bike and then fitting a regular CG 200cc engine," Kanyi said.
"Then we put the shocks and suspension in place; we have been adding and removing parts as time goes."
When starting, the brothers would go to welders and mechanics armed with their designs and instructions. While the artisans attempted to meet their expectations, they did not always get it right.
This prompted the duo to delve more into YouTube videos, which Kanyi said has been their guiding compass since the start of their customisation exploits.
Neither of them has a background in vehicle assembly or mechanics.
It took them three months for the bike to assume shape. The present steering wheel is a remnant of Kanyi’s first bike, while the large rear wheel came from a car belonging to the brothers. He has had the bike for more than 10 years.
The rest of the parts have been picked from different places at different times.
Because of family dynamics, Kanyi's brother Koki has not been entirely present in their shared passion. Nevertheless, Kanyi says he steps in whenever time allows.
Customarily, rat rod enthusiasts will scout for spare parts from junkyards and other unlikely places in the event a part is ruled unserviceable.
“The beauty of these machines is that you cannot miss a spare part. You can work with what you find and make it work for what you do not have,” said Koki, a chief.
The rod bike has a long frame, wooden footstep, mismatched tires, a red pole tail light and no upholstery, in true rod style.
Kanyi's bike is christened Hippo, a name he says aptly captures the bike’s physical unattractiveness.
“I had her painted for an event once and she was looking very beautiful. On the day of the event, she refused to move. There have been other episodes where she was supposed to go somewhere and have people see her but she was just not having it,” he said.
With his bike’s apparent aversion for adulation and beauty, Kanyi stripped the unwieldy two-wheeler of paint and, as if unburdened, it coughed back to life.
That was the incident that sealed the bike’s rusty fate. He has since been using old oil to manage rust.
SMALL CAR
The car came to be when Covid-19 struck in 2020 and Kanyi lost his job, a circumstance that allowed him to explore new ideas and finish stalled projects.
“I wanted a complete set of toys to play with. Something that was not a bike that I could move around with. The initial idea was a go-cart, but then my thought process evolved to what I currently have,” Kanyi said.
In a similar fashion to the rod bike, the car was built using cast-off parts and has a similar engine as the bike. The front of the car gives it an angry look, while the skull embellishment cuts the figure of defiance.
The tiny car can cover at least 80km, but Kanyi and Koki prefer not to drive it at night. They say the vehicles are purely for short distances as opposed to everyday use.
“I cannot say that there is a machine that is safe, but what I can say is that I trust in the work I do and that is why I tell people that I like riding my creations. But I have never had any issues,” Kanyi said.
We conduct the interview in the brother’s workshop, where two Kawasaki motorbikes, the ZX-7R 2003 model and ZX-12R, are stored away like historic relics on account of the sharp rise in the cost of fuel.
Koki hopes to one day set up a spare parts shop for fast motorbikes, while his brother vows to continue with rod builds and vehicle customisation.
The Traffic Act provides that all vehicles must be subjected to mandatory inspection for road safety and worthiness by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) before venturing onto the roads.
Modifications on performance or aesthetics are allowed but must not compromise vehicle safety or undermine identification.
“We drive within our locality most times and hardly face any harassment by cops. They understand our creations and appreciate our creativity. We seldom drive around on busy roads,” Kanyi said.
I think if the hot rod and rat rod trend catches on, people might want to buy them. They might feel it would be fun to own one without the efforts of building them
VEHICLE SCENE
Christopher Ng’ang’a modifies bikes and cars; it is a trade he has been involved in for many years.
The modifications he makes are on pristine and used vehicles. The alterations either make the vehicles assume a vintage look or give them a hip appearance.
“Modifications are not very popular in the country, there is still skepticism. Some people think you are ruining a car,” he said.
“Others assume that customisation is all about fixing a carburettor problem or a tire issue as opposed to the intense creative process that goes into customisations,” Ng’ang’a said.
He said one can never exhaust vehicle improvements just as one can never declare to have no more imagination left in them.
The car and motorbike scene in the country has undergone momentous evolution through the years. Determinants such as vehicle accessibility, infrastructure improvement, import policies and globalisation have influenced present trends.
There has been a burgeoning of car and bike enthusiasts shaping and defining the culture of cars and vehicles, which has led to an influx of motor events that promote this culture.
The most common are the breathtaking Africa Concours d’Elegance and the electrifying Sunset GT.
Concours brings together the largest gathering of motor spectators with a skewed interest in vintage and classic vehicles, while Sunset GT appeals more to those with a modish taste.
Concours event director Bob Dewar welcomes this trend.
“It is very pleasing that more and more people are developing hobbies based around motorcycles and motor cars,” he said.
“There are people improving standard bikes and adding various components per their inclinations, which is good to see.”
Dewar, who is also the vice chairman of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, says the country has witnessed a rise in individuals who own classic cars, likening the movement to a cult.
He adds that Concours d’Elegance continues to create an opportunity for motor lovers to share their interests, encouraging the restoration and preservation of old cars and motorbikes.
“I think if the hot rod and rat rod trend catches on, people might want to buy them. They might feel it would be fun to own one without the efforts of building them. It could develop into quite the trend, just like owning a classic car is,” Dewar said.
The classy event organised by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club has been held every year for the past 50 years at the Ngong Racecourse, with the exception of 2020 and 2021.
This year’s edition, slated for September, will mark its golden Jubilee, and event organisers are promising exciting entries and additional attractions.
Edited by T Jalio