Yamaha’s historical past is a relentless pursuit of the “Kando”—the Japanese philosophy of simultaneous emotions of deep satisfaction and intense pleasure. From the screaming two-strokes that dominated Grand Prix racing to the bulletproof reliability of their “Grasp of Torque” hyper-nakeds, the Iwata marque has all the time prioritized the soul of the machine over mere utility.
We now have witnessed the Yamaha badge remodeled into the whole lot from minimalist cafe racers to dragsters that defy the legal guidelines of physics. Whether or not it’s the quirky spine of a Virago or the legendary parallel twin of the XS650, these machines present a basis that helps even probably the most radical architectural leaps. Listed here are eight of the wildest, most expertly crafted Yamaha customs featured on Bike EXIF, chosen for his or her audacity, engineering, and sheer visible impression.
The ‘Twinboss’ RXZ by FNG Works
The Yamaha RXZ Twinboss is a bike that should not exist, but it seems to be like a manufacturing unit prototype from a fever dream. Malaysian builder Irwann Cheng of FNG Works took two single-cylinder RXZ 135 engines and fused them side-by-side to create an inline 180-degree twin. It’s a masterpiece of “what if” engineering, constructed on a shoestring funds by a person who offered his belongings to chase a dream on the Yokohama Scorching Rod Customized Present.
The chassis is a scratch-built dragster body that makes use of the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci spirals to attain eerie perfection in its proportions. Irwann spent months nerding out on the geometry, making certain the gap between the wheels matched the peak of the bike and the size of the tank. The body’s neck contains a distinctive cutout the place the highest yoke hyperlinks to the steering stem, permitting the highest tube to hint a wonderfully straight line to the rear tire.
The engine is the true showstopper. The circumstances had been break up, welded, and massaged so expertly that judges initially thought it was a inventory unit. Inside, the crankshafts had been modified to work as a male-female couple. Completed in Chameleon Brown and black sparkle paint, the Twinboss is a testomony to Irwann’s sacrifice and a masterclass in how mathematical precision can create mechanical magnificence. [MORE]
The ‘Fujara’ Virago by Earth Bikes
Making a “silk purse out of a sow’s ear” is the unofficial motto of anybody making an attempt to customise a Yamaha Virago. The Slovakian store Earth Bikes bypassed the same old cafe racer tropes by specializing in the XV920’s most unusual characteristic: its “levitating” engine. Founder Vlado Dinga labored with industrial designer Konstantin Laskov to create a silhouette that honors the three key phrases of their design mantra: freedom, wind, and air.
The result’s a monocoque fiberglass physique that sits atop the engine like a single, tight curve. Developed utilizing 3D rendering and a constructive wooden mildew, the bodywork is extremely svelte, that includes a flush-mounted gasoline cap and a recessed seat pad. By blacking out the body and the boxy swingarm, Earth Bikes allowed the freshly rebuilt V-twin mill to shine because the undisputed centerpiece of the construct.
The bike is called “Fujara” after a standard Slovakian shepherd’s flute, a nod to the straight, drag-style exhaust system that juxtaposes the curves of the physique. Curiously, Vlado selected to maintain the OEM 80s alloy wheels, however with a twist—the interior ridges had been milled out to scrub up the design. It’s a refined, minimalist tackle a donor bike that’s often something however. [MORE]
The ‘Perseus’ XV1000 by CW Zon
Yuichi Yoshizawa of CW Zon has a supernatural capability to see into the “soul” of an earthly donor and set a masterpiece free. This 1981 Yamaha XV1000 (recognized to many because the Virago) is a far cry from the cruiser-adjacent oddball that left the manufacturing unit. Yoshizawa-san has successfully break up the construct into two actions: a handcrafted, natural higher half and a high-performance overhaul of the working gear under.
The bodywork is a monocoque-inspired triumph, with a sculpted gasoline tank that echoes the silhouettes of classic Benelli and Norton Manx racers. It flows seamlessly into a contemporary tailpiece supported by a bespoke subframe and a pleated leather-based saddle. The end is solely uncooked, eschewing paint for polished metallic that highlights each hammer blow and weld, adorned solely by the “Perseus” motifs—a nod to the Greek monster slayer.
Beneath the pores and skin is a mechanical cocktail. A single-sided swingarm from a Ducati Monster S4R was modified to suit the XV1000 body, whereas the entrance finish was beefed up with S4R upside-down forks. Laced 17-inch wheels from a BMW R nineT wrapped in Pirelli Supercorsa rubber guarantee this is not only a showpiece; it’s a radical reimagining of Japanese engineering via a high-performance lens. [MORE]
The ‘Inexperienced Monster’ Snowmobile-Bike by MotoRelic
Sean Skinner of MotoRelic is often recognized for tidy restomods, however the “Inexperienced Monster” is a departure into the world of “overgrown mini-bikes.” The center of this beast is a pull-start, two-stroke Yamaha SRV 540 snowmobile engine producing practically 60 hp. As a result of snowmobiles use CVTs, Sean needed to engineer a customized adapter to hyperlink the engine to a donated Harley-Davidson five-speed transmission through a belt drive.
The body is a TIG-welded masterpiece designed to seem like a standard friction-brake mini-bike, scaled as much as terrifying proportions. The entrance finish is equally inventive, utilizing narrowed and flipped forks from a Honda ATC200 three-wheeler. Sean devised a riser-less setup that threads instantly into the fork tubes, sustaining the continual “fork-to-handlebar” line that defines the mini-bike aesthetic.
Driving the Inexperienced Monster is described as “obnoxious on each stage,” that includes heavy vibrations, open-primary dry clutch noises, and the attribute crackle of a two-stroke growth chamber. With its sparkly lime powder coating and 16-inch Henry Abe mags, it’s a whimsical, barely harmful tribute to childhood nostalgia and pure mechanical audacity. [MORE]
The ‘Orange Krate’ XS650 by MotoRelic
Earlier than the Inexperienced Monster, Sean Skinner spent six years obsessing over a special type of nostalgia: the Schwinn Stingray Orange Krate bicycle. He needed to construct a motorized, full-scale duplicate that retained the bicycle’s iconic “banana” silhouette. The mission required Sean to show himself learn how to roll metal tubing and construct a whole body from scratch, utilizing PVC pipe as a prototype to nail the swooping curves.
The engine is an XS650 twin, re-phased to 277 levels by Hugh’s Hand Built for a greater firing order and smoother energy. To duplicate the Schwinn’s distinctive look, Sean constructed a “banana girder” entrance finish from scratch, incorporating an adjustable mountain bike shock. He even fabricated a useful sissy bar with inside springs and bushings to imitate the bicycle’s seat suspension.
The end is what actually sells the phantasm. A heavy flake off-white paint on the tank, sweet orange on the body, and a white glitter vinyl seat create a retro-fabulous aesthetic. This is not only a motorbike; it’s a bit of “artwork in movement” that captures the spirit of Sixties bicycle tradition via the lens of a elegant Japanese parallel twin. [MORE]
The ‘Manta’ XS650 by Baresteel Design
At simply 23 years outdated, Jay Donovan of Baresteel Design was invited to the Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s “Bikes as Artwork” exhibition. With solely ten weeks to the deadline, he remodeled a 1979 XS650 right into a fluid, aggressive machine impressed by the Big Oceanic Manta Ray. Jay’s objective was to transform the Yamaha so closely that the ultimate product would look like a ground-up, scratch-built creation.
The chassis underwent a radical transformation, with the subframe changed by a customized tail part set parallel to the engine fins. Jay transformed the rear to a mono-shock setup utilizing a Ducati Monster unit and modified the swingarm to just accept a wider tire. The entrance finish was swapped for Suzuki SV650 forks, lowered, and polished to match the brushed aluminum bodywork.
The “Manta” physique was hand-formed from flat aluminum sheets utilizing the traditional Italian coach-building technique of wire type bucks. The detailing is obsessive: each bolt head is smoothed and domed, {hardware} is cadmium plated, and leather-based accents are wrapped across the grips and kick-start. It’s a gorgeous instance of how a younger builder can apply old-world methods to a traditional Japanese platform. [MORE]
The ‘Scheffersstyling’ GTS 1000
The Yamaha GTS 1000 is without doubt one of the most advanced bikes in Yamaha’s historical past, well-known for its hub-centered steering and “Omega” body. Dwelling close to the Arctic Circle in Norway, Roel Scheffers determined to make it much more difficult. He grafted a Honda VFR 750 single-sided swingarm onto the rear to match the single-sided entrance finish, then tucked a Buell “pull shock” beneath the engine to maintain the profile low and clear.
Roel did not cease on the suspension. He changed the unique fuel-injected motor with a 136-horsepower FZR1000 engine, fed by carbs with customized velocity stacks. To maintain the bike’s top at a mere 32 inches, he needed to relocate the radiator and oil cooler to the cramped areas between the suspension arms and the body. The entrance wheel is a “intelligent hybrid” of Honda NSR150 and VFR components, requiring intensive milling and welding to operate.
The result’s a low-slung, steady machine that appears prefer it belongs in a sci-fi movie. Regardless of the novel geometry and the “turning radius of a small truck,” Roel truly excursions on the bike. It’s a testomony to the engineering prospects hidden inside Yamaha’s most experimental chassis, dropped at life in a wood-paneled workshop within the Norwegian wilderness. [MORE]
The ‘Kind 6’ XS650 by Auto Fabrica
On the planet of customized bikes, “easy” is usually the toughest factor to attain. Bujar Muharremi and the crew at Auto Fabrica utilized the Japanese idea of Kanso, the elimination of muddle, to this XS650. The “Kind 6” is an train in impeccable industrial design, the place the tank and seat base type a single, elegant aluminum unit that flows from a lowered headstock to a minimalist rear cowl.
The engine was elevated via a single-carb conversion, with the consumption and exhaust strains designed to create an uneven steadiness that tips the attention. The stainless-steel exhaust pipes are hand-bent into good, unmuffled-looking curves, although they comprise hidden customized baffles for refined again stress. Up entrance, a Laverda SF750 twin main shoe hub gives a contact of classic mechanical soul to an in any other case futuristic silhouette.
Auto Fabrica’s consideration to “complexity intimately” is obvious within the stainless-steel fork covers and the slim clip-ons with inverted levers. The metallic is completed with aqua blasting for a complicated matte look that rejects the “shouty” nature of chrome. The Kind 6 is not only a customized Yamaha; it’s a refined piece of sculpture that epitomizes the “much less however higher” philosophy. [MORE]
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