Billy Joel on his new Deus

Yesterday, we showed you the new Deus Ex Machina Sacred Cow, turns out the New Yorker who bought it is Billy Joel. We asked him a few questions about it, here’s his answers.

Us: Why a W650-based custom?
Billy Joel: I had purchased a Kawasaki W650 as soon as my local dealership here in Long Island had it in stock. I recognized it as a beautifully engineered tribute to the iconic British air-cooled twins of the sixties. I already owned a number of Harley-Davidsons and other well-known makes and I wanted something different, something lighter and more European than an American V-Twin. To my eye, the W650 looked more like the old classic Triumphs than the new Triumphs did. I thought it was such a great machine that I purchased another one while on tour in Japan a few years later. I know that Kawasaki was disappointed in the U.S. sales numbers and therefore discontinued their sale in America, but it’s now appreciated as a unique, one-of-a kind motorcycle by knowledgeable riders and collectors alike.
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