M
ohamad Irwann Mohd Azlan felt frustrated when the custom motorcycle built by his employer, which he exhibited at the annual Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show (HRCS) in Yokohama, Japan, failed to attract much attention from visitors.
Mohamad Irwann then resolved to return to the show with a meaner and more advanced machine of his own design.
That was eight years ago. Fast-forward to present, Mohamad Irwann, 33, is all set to participate in HRCS – one of the largest international custom car and motorcycle shows in Japan – again. This time, he is showcasing his RXZ Twin Boss V2 custom motorcycle which he built, using two Yamaha RXZ engines.
Mohamad Irwann, better known as Irwann Cheng in the custom bike circles and who owns a custom motorcycle workshop, FNG Works, here, was selected to represent Malaysia at the 32nd edition of HRCS in December following his victory at the Art of Speed (AOS) Malaysia 2024 exhibition in July, held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang, Selangor.
Irwann Cheng poses with the prize he won at AOS 2024 during the recent Bernama interview.
(AOS Malaysia is a home-grown annual “custom culture” event, showcasing, among others, customised/restored cars and motorcycles.)
His RXZ Twin Boss V2 custom motorcycle earned him the title of overall winner at the AOS Malaysia Invitational Bike Build-Off 2024, giving him the ticket to display his creation at this year’s HRCS.
Mohamad Irwann said his experience at HRCS in 2016, as a representative of his employer then, motivated him to enhance his knowledge and skills so that he could custom build a bike that could captivate enthusiasts.
“I was somewhat disappointed back then because visitors paid little attention to our exhibit; perhaps, in their eyes, bikes from other countries were better. I wanted to prove that Malaysian creations are on a par with those from other countries.
“I also vowed that if given the opportunity, I would create something that would turn heads… something visitors would not ignore,” he said when met by Bernama at his workshop recently.
CUSTOM ENGINE
On the RXZ Twin Boss V2 he intends to showcase at HRCS in Yokohama, Mohamad Irwann said it took him about five months to complete the motorcycle.
“Actually, the engine for this bike is an improvement on the original Yamaha RXZ engine,” he said, adding he customised two RXZ engines into a single large engine for his creation which also features a custom-made motorcycle frame.
He will represent Malaysia at the 32nd Annual Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan next December.
He said some years back the organisers of AOS Malaysia had asked him to build a motorcycle with two unique engines which they wanted to give away as a lucky draw prize.
“They gave me the capital and I was able to complete the bike using two Yamaha RXZ engines. But for this particular bike, I placed one engine in the front and the second engine at the rear end of the motorcycle.
“From there, I got the idea of combining both engines into one so that it can operate fully as a single engine block, just like the factory-produced motorcycles,” he said.
But, he added, the process of building the engine concerned challenged his skills.
“The process was very complex and involved many technical aspects. A normal motorcycle engine uses one piston but for this engine I was building, there are two pistons moving simultaneously,” he said.
“After doing some research and consulting with experts, I managed to combine the two engines on a single crankshaft to create the RXZ Twin Boss V2,” said Mohamad Irwann, who holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Universiti Teknologi Mara and has been involved in building custom engines for motorcycles since 2009.
OPPORTUNITY
The RXZ Twin Boss V2 custom motorcycle, which cost him RM25,000 to build, became a reality only after Mohamad Irwann was invited by the AOS Malaysia organisers to participate in AOS Malaysia 2024.
“To tell the truth, I had no money then (to custom-build a motorcycle) to participate (in AOS Malaysia 2024) so I was forced to sell my own motorcycle.
He took about five months to complete the machine which is a rebuilt motorcycle, using two Yamaha RXZ motorcycle engines.
“I had to do it as I knew it was my opportunity to return to (HRCS) Japan… this is because the organisers informed (the participants) that the winner (of AOS Malaysia 2024) will get to take part in HRCS, with all costs sponsored by them. I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to realise my dream (of returning to HRCS),” he said.
He said the construction of the RXZ Twin Boss V2 bike was costly because he had to conduct various research and tests to ensure the engine he built not only functioned well but was also unique.
“I studied everything, even down to the screws of every machine that had won awards at HRCS, because I wanted to build an engine that was truly unique,” he added.
Mohamad Irwann said he started participating in AOS Malaysia as an event crew member in 2015 before being asked to build custom motorcycles and cars for the organisation starting in 2017.
He made his debut as a participant in 2022 and won five awards. He gave AOS Malaysia 2023 a miss, returning this year to emerge as the overall winner.
Sharing the values that contributed to his success, Mohamad Irwann said it is important to continually challenge oneself and be prepared to adapt to different work cultures and environments.
He said he also owed his success to his family members especially his wife Haslinda Arof, 32, and five-year-old son Thufeil Umar who did not complain when he spent hours building the RXZ Twin Boss V2 bike.
“Throughout the time I was building this machine, I can say I only saw them for 15 minutes a day… the situation was not easy for me either,” he said, adding he hopes his story will open people’s eyes to the potential of the custom motorcycle industry as he believes Malaysia has many talented builders who can compete on the international stage.
