Minus the mid-century innovations by Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki, one could argue that motorcycling might be a lost art today. With their small engines, low profiles, and street-rider stances, these lightweight hallmarks of design give new riders all over the world a way into the fray, and experienced riders the perfect minimal ride.
These days, Yamaha motorcycles are at the core of the custom scene. They offer the perfect platforms for stylish urban rides with cheap price tags.
Models like the Yamaha XS650, SR400, XSR700 and XSR900 are among a legendary line of Yamaha motorcycles that beg to be turned into café racers, bobbers and trackers—and they fill our galleries of great builds.
Yamaha’s annual ‘Yard Built’ competition was one of the first and most highly publicized custom competitions, delivering a steady stream of killer bikes. This year, the event has been a little more muted due to COVID, but the quality of builds remains high. We love this XSR700 from EXIF regulars Bad Winners, the Paris workshop…
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News from two major OEMs this week, as BMW Motorrad update the R nineT, and Honda release a new Grom. Plus we’ve got a sharp BMW R1200R custom from Deus, a Yamaha XS650 from Colt Wrangler, and a look at a new fat-tired utility bike that’s about to hit the market.
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Like most Japanese marques, Yamaha have some truly lovely UJMs scattered throughout their back catalog. Today, we’re taking a look at two of them: an SR500 and an XS500, both from Uwe Kostrewa at Hombrese Bikes in Cologne, Germany. Both Yamahas are quintessential Hombrese builds; Uwe’s taste skews towards scramblers and trackers, and his bikes…
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Communal motorcycle workshops have popped up everywhere over the last few years. They’re well-equipped spaces where people pay to use the tools and facilities to wrench on their own bikes, often with help from others. Socializing and skill-sharing are commonplace, and customers often become part of the furniture after a while. Swedish custom house 6/5/4…
Read more »We love subtle, understated style on custom bikes. But we also have a sneaking regard for machines that are aggressive and in…
Read more »Welcome to the second edition of Speed Read—our new weekend roundup that covers not just custom bikes, but also motorcycle news, gear,…
Read more »A sweet Yamaha SR500 bobber from Sweden, a bright orange Honda CBR600 from the Netherlands, a Kawasaki KZ750 cafe racer from Argentina,…
Read more »Like all good artists, the best custom builders have a handful of regular customers. They’re usually folks with an eye for quality…
Read more »Since modern motorcycles are far more complex than their predecessors, it makes them harder to customize. But a few bikes buck that…
Read more »A crisp Yamaha XT500 restomod, a BMW K100 from a Spanish motor racing shop, a classy Yamaha TT600RE tracker from France, and…
Read more »Folks who ride motorcycles today often started out on scooters, especially in Europe. But Maciej Bielawski of Poland did it the other…
Read more »A pair of Yamaha TZ racers that have never even been started up, a most unusual 1980s MZ two-stroke, a beastly Honda…
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