France’s Jerem Bikes delivers a hand-built Yamaha TR1 café racer that defies the donor bike’s awkward origins.
Some bikes lend themselves to customization, after which there’s the Yamaha TR1. Launched within the early 80s as a part of Yamaha’s broader Virago household, the TR1 is a mishmash of kinds—a cruiser-derived UJM with a V-twin motor and touring aspirations. It takes imaginative and prescient to have a look at it and see a pointy café racer lurking inside.
This 1982 Yamaha XV1000 TR1 was nonetheless in inventory kind when Jérémie Duchampt acquired his fingers on it, however the man behind France’s Jerem Motorcycles had different concepts. Throughout the first yr of proudly owning the TR1, he discovered a niche in his calendar, dragged it onto his workbench, and tore it right down to its nuts and bolts.
Jérémie has a knack for constructing bikes that look taut and aggressive, so that is the vibe he went for with the TR1. However earlier than he acquired to the enjoyable stuff, he rebuilt the Yamaha’s getting old engine and handled it to a full set of recent bearings. The carbs have been rebuilt, too, with pod filters changing the airbox.
With a dependable drivetrain in hand, Jérémie turned his consideration to the chassis. The work began with an unforgiving subframe chop and a full de-tab, earlier than what was left of the unique body was despatched off for sandblasting and powder coating. Subsequent, Jérémie fabricated a stubby bolt-on subframe to help a solo seat, drastically abbreviating the TR1’s silhouette.
The front-end was upgraded with a set of rebuilt Suzuki GSX-R forks with gold-anodized tubes, together with a pair of Brembo brake calipers. On the reverse finish of the bike, Jérémie modified the single-sided swingarm from a Ducati Monster S2R to suit—its trellis design including a contact of magnificence to the TR1. The rear shock was lifted from an MV Agusta and put in with a CNC-machined aluminum spacer.
The Italian wheel specialist Kineo constructed a set of their signature tubeless laced wheels for the Yamaha, that includes gold accents. They’re shod with Dunlop Qualifier Core rubber, with a fats 180-section tire on the rear.
At one level, the Benelli Mojave gas tank was the de facto choice for customized Viragos—however Jérémie went in a special route, utilizing the tank from a contemporary Royal Enfield 650 as an alternative. Draped in attractive black, gold, and silver paint, it fits the TR1 completely. Jérémie’s go-to seat provider, Yaya Brush & Upholstery, dealt with the fashionable saddle.
Additional ahead, a machined prime yoke from USV Racing is flanked by clip-on bars, fitted with simplified switchgear, aluminum grips, and tidy bar-end mirrors. The brake grasp cylinder is a Nissin half, whereas the braided brake strains are from Precise. A Daytona speedo sits entrance and middle, mounted in a bespoke bracket that is neatly built-in with the yoke.
There’s LED lighting all-round, whereas a Motogadget mo.unit controller and Solise Lithium-ion battery cover beneath the gas tank. Different particulars embody rear-set pegs on modified brackets, an aftermarket gas gauge, and a smattering of gold touches.
Then there’s the bike’s serpentine exhaust. Inbuilt-house with help from Jérémie’s pal, Thibault, the chrome steel headers terminate in a pair of IXIL IXRace mufflers, poking out from behind the seat. As soon as the bike was reassembled, it went to Thorn Bikes to be tuned on their dyno to make sure it will run proper.
All in all, Jérémie spent 300 hours turning his inventory Yamaha TR1 into the rowdy café racer you see right here. We might name that point properly spent.
Jerem Motorcycles | Instagram | Photographs by Jonathan Silène
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