From Land Speed Records to Endurance Miles: The Black Kat Riders

This week we want to shine a light on one ofthe fan favorite teams from the TransAm, the dynamic duo Kat and Kiyo, aka The Black Kat Riders aka Kiyo’s Garage.

If you’re in the vintage or custom world, you probably already know the name. Kiyo’s Garage out of Los Angeles is one of the most respected shops around. Kiyo has built incredible land speed bikes, and with Kat as the pilot, they’ve stacked up world records, national records, and just about every kind of record you can imagine.

But an antique motorcycle endurance run across the country? That was new territory.

They came into the TransAm not totally sure what to expect, just ready to take it on.

I had seen Kiyo’s bikes before at the Born Free Motorcycle Show, but this was the first time I got to really know the two of them. They also brought along their extremely talented photographer and friend Kaz, and the three of them showed up with one simple goal. Make as many of the 4,000 miles as possible.

And from an outside perspective, they absolutely did.

Kiyo rode a 1919 Excelsior, and Kat rode a 1910 Thor. Right away you knew it wasn’t going to be easy. These aren’t fast bikes. Kat’s Thor cruises around 30-35 mph on a good day, which makes for some very long hours in the saddle.

The first few days they both made as many miles as they could, but before long Kiyo started having cylinder issues on the Excelsior. True to form, he didn’t even consider quitting. He pulled the cylinder, sent it off to be sleeved, and kept working nonstop trying to keep the bike in the game.

While he waited, Kat just kept riding.

Some days she made partial miles. Some days she earned every single mile. And when you’re topping out at 35 mph, that can mean 10 to 12 hours on the bike.

No matter how long the day was, she’d roll into the finish with her red lipstick, a huge smile, and then immediately jump into helping Kiyo in the pits.

When Kiyo’s cylinder finally came back, it cracked almost immediately. Just bad luck. The Excelsior was done for this race.

But that still didn’t stop them!

On our longest day of the entire event, a 360 mile day, Kiyo hopped on Kat’s 1910 Thor and decided he was going to make it happen anyway. He stopped only twice for gas and spent nearly 13 straight hours in the saddle. He rolled in with only minutes to spare!

It was one of those finishes where everyone looks up the road and starts cheering before the bike even shuts off. That’s who they are. Huge hearts. Zero quit. Always showing up for each other.

Honestly, that spirit is something you see again and again in endurance riders. It’s not just about the machines. It’s about determination, teamwork, and the willingness to keep going when it would be easier to load up.

We are so proud to have Kat and Kiyo, and Kaz as part of the TransAm family, and we already can’t wait to welcome them back in 2027.

Note: Kat and Kiyo’s friend David Martinez joined us on the run and created a beautiful short film about their journey. It recently won Best Short Film at the PDX Motorcycle Film Festival. Definitely worth a watch.

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Photos by: Olivier Touron, Kazuo Matsumoto

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