It’s getting hard these days to tell if a custom comes from an amateur or professional workshop; the part-timers are really leveling up. And then you have that curious middle ground—the growing number … [Weiterlesen...]
Better by design: A Yamaha TRX850 built by an architect
Back in the 90s, the Japanese manufacturers went through a phase of building Italian-style sportbikes. Honda had the SuperHawk, and Suzuki the TL1000S—both 90° V-twins. Yamaha, however, took the … [Weiterlesen...]
Rally Raider: A gleaming Yamaha WR450F by Le Motographe
The garage tools and techniques might be the same, but there’s not a lot of overlap between race and custom bike building. At the simplest level, it’s a Venn diagram, with ‘function’ in one circle and … [Weiterlesen...]
Above the law: A street legal Yamaha salt flat racer
This brutal-looking Yamaha RD350 is nearly fifty years old, but when the lights turn green, not much will be able to keep up. It might not be pretty, but it’s pretty fast. Built by land speed record … [Weiterlesen...]
Salvage Star: A Yamaha Virago 750 reborn as a cafe racer
The Yamaha Virago is one of those bikes that just keep on giving. Yamaha’s V-twin cruiser first popped up in the early eighties, and by the time it disappeared from showrooms in 2007, multiple … [Weiterlesen...]
Second wind: A Yamaha DT175 reconfigured for the road
The Yamaha DT175 is one of those classic bikes that look ‘just right.’ With a small tank, fat seat and raised fenders, it’s a pint-sized enduro machine that screams fun. The DT175 we’ve got here, … [Weiterlesen...]
Tokyo Drifter: A Yamaha XV750 street tracker from Japan
Forty years ago, Yamaha made a brief foray into the flat track scene in the States with its XV750 race bike. Like most go-fast, turn-left machines, it was a bit of a looker—and provided inspiration … [Weiterlesen...]
Tool Time: A Yamaha SR500 built by a machine tool company
There’s nothing unusual about building a custom motorcycle with the primary purpose of taking it to a show. But what if the show in question has absolutely nothing to do with custom motorcycles? … [Weiterlesen...]
