we get a lot of questions about our kei truck
And rightly so. I mean, not to toot our own horn too much, but this thing is sweet. But not many people are familiar with these types of cars here in the USA, let alone folks outside of Japan. So let us officially introduce the Ya-kei-ma truck. A 1992 Honda Acty. All time 4WD with just under 69k km on the odometer.
First, we have to go back to the day we picked this up. We bought Ya-kei from a local motorcycle dealership who has a passion for importing these kei vehicles. Kei vehicles, or kei jidōsha, are Japanese imported mini-cars, with the trucks like you see above being found mostly on farms and ports in Japan and are typically 660cc or less. The USA has a 25 year old vehicle import law that allows vehicles over 25 years old that may have not been purposely built for the American vehicle market into the country legally.
Okay, so they look weird and are old and slow. So what? Well, they also hold a stupid-amount of payload. These were built with strength and functionality in mind, hauling upwards of 1,500 lbs in some cases with their 6 ft. long beds that convert into a flatbed at the flick of a handle. This presented an opportunity for us, we could show off all the super rad Yakima products we have designed for trucks and cars, and drive this little rig around to car shows, trailheads, and events, all while taking the scenic route and getting upwards of 50 mpg’s on a tank of gas.
Ya-kei didn't always look like this
It took a lot of blood, sweat, and even more tears to get this rig looking how it is now. Being an island, Japan is no stranger to rust. And because these vehicles need to wait until their 25th birthday to even be considered for a trip to the USA they are prone to having a tasteful amount of the corrosive danger-dust. And we had our work cut out for ourselves.
We had big dreams of completely painting the rig with bed liner, lifting it, putting some mean tires and wheels, a hitch, and more. But first we knew we needed to hit some of the rust, clean up the 25+ years of farm dust from the cab, do a fluid change, timing belt change, and more to get this thing looking a bit healthier.
After some heavy cleaning and rust removal, we started sizing this thing up for racks and a hitch. We knew this was going to require a lot of custom work. The bed was the easiest part. We added HD tracks and an Overhaul HD System with the Bed Track Kit 2, and have since added a LockNLoad B platform as well. This gave us an elevated blank canvas to add things like HighRoad bike racks, SkyRise rooftop tents, and more. The possibilities are endless.
On top of the cab was a new problem to solve; this isn’t exactly a common roof size after all. We took one of our RuggedLine HD track kits and started measuring and cutting. Now this is the part where we say this isn’t recommended. We don’t build a RuggedLine for the Honda Acty. So we are assuming the risk here. AKA don’t try this at home.
What we were left with was a rad looking, little truck that was ready for any adventure no matter how big or small. And we aren’t done. We still have more to do! Follow along on the Yakimaracks social channels as we continue to add to the Ya-kei-ma truck.
More FAQ’s about the Kei Truck:
How fast does it go? – It will hit 60+mph, but it doesn’t like staying there. 30-45mph is it’s happy place.
Is it righthand drive and manual? – Yes. 5 speed manual. It takes some getting used to for us Americans.
I‘m 6’ tall or taller, would I fit? – Maybe. We installed a removable steering wheel from Momo that makes getting in and out a lot easier. But it’s small!
How much do they cost to import? – Sort of depends. As they gain popularity the price is going to increase. But as of writing this they can be purchased anywhere from $5,000 – $12,000+ USD for nice ones.
What wheels and tires are on there? – Wheels are simply trailer steelies. Tires are Forceum 165/80R13.
Does it have A/C? – Some do. This one does not.
Do any sweet jumps in it? – Our bosses are listening…
Does Yakima make racks specifically for these trucks? – Yes and no. We have products that work great on these trucks but don’t specifically call fits for them. They are all custom. You can learn more about custom installs here.
