Review: The 2017 Yamaha SCR950 scrambler motorcycle.

Review: The 2017 Yamaha SCR950

Before, during, and after, only one thing matters: how does it make you feel? Tech specs can never do a motorcycle justice. The ride is the product. How I felt about the 2017 Yamaha SCR950 before was erased during. And how I felt after can be wrapped up in a word: hooked. This is the…

In Yamaha Italy's Garage Challenge, six builders were given an XV950 to transform.

Bolts From The Blue: Yamaha Garage Challenge

10 YEARS AGO / NO COMMENTS / CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES

After decades of enjoying the middleweight V-twin market to itself, the Harley Sportster is facing serious challenges. The two biggest contenders? The postmodern Indian Scout and the retro bobber-styled Star Bolt, which is known to Europeans as the Yamaha XV950. In the USA, Yamaha’s already run a custom build-off centered the Bolt—and now it’s the…

Yamaha Bolt custom

Yamaha Bolt by Chappell Customs

11 YEARS AGO / NO COMMENTS / CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES

Yamaha has embraced the new wave custom culture by giving its new Bolt to eight builders in North America—and giving them carte blanche to rework the bike. We’ve already seen Roland Sands’ tracker-inspired Bolt, and now it’s the turn of Chappell Customs. Rob Chappell is based in Ontario, Canada and brother Chris in Los Angeles.…