Yamaha’s Yardbuilt series is the brainchild of the companies visionary project manager, Shun Miyazawa. The series kicked off back in...
Yamaha Cafe Racer
Yamaha’s first motorcycle appeared in 1955. The 125cc two-stroke YA-1 went straight to the racetrack and started winning titles. Yamaha has built on those race credentials over the years, winning at the IOM TT and the Paris Dakar. Yamaha continues to run a successful factory race team in Moto GP.
Yamaha’s contribution to the custom motorcycle world includes the highly successful and long loved SR400 and SR500 singles we see in so many café racer builds. Other Yamaha custom favourites include the seventies XS650 twins and more recently their XSR700 and XSR900 Sport Heritage range.
“I have been riding motorcycles on and off road for more than a decade and I wanted to combine my...
“Sport Heritage” Never has the combination of those two words made as much sense as when applied to the Yamaha...
After more than 35 years of production, the Yamaha SR400 has had little in the way of design modifications. The...
Firstly a design was rendered in conjunction with Oberdan Bezzi Design which took styling cues from the Yamaha FZ750, a...
All hail Yamaha. As part of their Yard Built series they’ve been sponsoring some of the wildest, genre-pushing builds we’ve...
When great minds come together, great things happen. Often in the world of custom motorcycle building workshops keep to themselves....
Review Summary: The 2022 Yamaha XSR900 Retro Triple is a much meaner and more powerful bike than its sibling, the...
There was a time when it seemed that every other custom build to roll out of a workshop was built...
The red ‘Monster’ which was built back in 2013 for the Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show and the blue...
You could be forgiven for thinking that laying bricks and building custom motorcycles have nothing in common. But if you’re...
As with the other Yamaha XJR1300 Yardbuilt bikes the Botafogo-N was constructed without performing any modifications to the bike’s frame....
There was always a motorcycle in our house when I was growing up, but my father’s real passion was collectible...
After one full day of owning the 1979 XS650 Special Giancarlo’s called it quits. Stranded on the side of the...
Spotted this great Yamaha R5 “Giant Killer” custom on Garage Project motorcycles. After a bit of digging all I managed to...
The Blue Rhapsody takes its main inspiration from the 90’s race bikes Keinosuke saw on the streets of Japan in...
Few motorcycles have the cult status of Yamaha’s SR400. During the past decade, the SR has come into the spotlight...
This 1982 Yamaha XV750 Virago has undergone extensive customization with a range of unique components. These custom additions include a...
Jamie’s younger years were spent in the UK. He was bitten by the motorcycle bug at an early age after...
I first met the Ask Motorcycle guys when I went to the Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod and custom show in...
Looking at this custom Yamaha SR500 built in Japan turns me in to the equivalent of that crazy fish in Finding...
The Arcanum build began when I picked up a ‘78 Yamaha SR500 from a guy in Newcastle, it was an...
David Gonzalez from Ad Hoc is renowned for customizing Yamaha motorcycles. He gained international acclaim for his work on the...
Dressed all in black the Skullmonkee is easily recognisable as a Wrenchmonkees build. Tight proportions, clean lines, killer finishes...
The bike Spartak’s customer found was a rare find in his hometown of Minsk, a late eighties Yamaha XJ600. The...
This bike was built by George Woodman, a carpenter slash furniture designer slash interior architect from Biarritz, France. Yes, his...
The Modern Motorcycle Company is a custom workshop based in Melbourne, Victoria. Owned and run by Christian Condo the workshop...
Most custom motorcycles rolling out of workshops tend to be polished to perfection or feature paint jobs more expensive than...
This post apocalyptic road warrior is Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-7 ‘Thunder Chunky’. It’s the latest addition to Icon’s series of custom...
Mike, who is a designer by trade, takes pleasure in finding lemons online. Not because he likes to own basket...
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when building your own Cafe Racer, or any style of custom motorcycle for...
For the Yardbuilt 2017 XSR700 project, Yamaha selected 7 workshops from different European locations to take part in the event. Representatives from Italy,...
The mighty Yamaha XS650 has been a hot favourite in the custom scene for decades and a personal favourite of...
To transform the XV950 cruiser into a cafe racer styled machine Marcus began by dramatically modifying the bikes rear end....
Yamaha’s XS650 would have to be in the top 5 list of most customised motorcycle in the world. It’s bullet...
Andi Akbar and his Jakarta based workshop Katros Garage aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Katros Garage has continued...
We love cafe racers trimmed to perfection. Bikes built for a narrow purpose. A ride with lights removed, brackets cut...
The old saying ‘practice makes perfect’ rings true in the custom motorcycle community. Over the years I’ve seen many builders...
Shaft driven motorcycles have been around since the early 1900’s, but Yamaha’s shaft driven debut didn’t come until the late...
Brrr… Lars and Jorg of Motorradtke GbR in Germany traditionally build and maintain Superbikes for the race track. However after...
There have been many custom workshops that have evolved their brand into an apparel range. In Taiwan, the clothing label...
Well, that wraps up yet another year of amazing cafe racer builds from custom workshops and backyard builders around the...
Established by Dare Jennings, Rod Hunwick and Carby Tuckwell, Deus ex Machina in Camperdown, Sydney, produces motorcycles for the post-modern world. What the hell...
Due to the surging demand for nostalgia-infused motorcycles with a retro aesthetic, it was no surprise that Yamaha decided to...
In the early days of Yamaha’s venture into motorcycle production their YA-, affectionately known as the Akatombo or Red Dragonfly,...
This 1975 Yamaha RD350 underwent a café racer conversion in 2014. The changes encompassed an orange repaint over a black...
In Osaka, Japan 28-year-old cafe racer enthusiast Yuya Ueda has been riding his SR400 for 8 years and it’s lead...
No sooner had the doors of the 2015 One Motorcycle Show closed for another year, than the brothers Busch and...
Jesse attributes his interest in building bikes to a 1971 Honda CB175 he restored with his father at the age...
Back in 2016, Yamaha bit itself off a decent-sized chunk of the modern retro market with the release of the...
The saying ‘to bite off more than you can chew’ is one that many budding bike builders can relate to....
The Yamaha XS650 could easily be labelled as the greatest British motorcycle ever built outside of Britain. Powered by a...
Recently found XS650 Chopper website which has a load of custom Yamaha XS650 projects. Great for inspiration or to just perve on...
If you’re going to customise a motorcycle it’s always best to start out with a bike that’s got a good...
It’s getting easier and easier to build a cafe racer. It used to be that you’d either have to pay...
Yamaha produced the mighty TZ 250 from 1973 all the way through to 2004. When the model was first released...
I’ve always been intrigued by Yamaha’s MT-01 V-twin “muscle bike”. Back in 2008 I got really excited when they released...
I never thought I was a fan of muscle bikes until I rode a Yamaha XJR1300. It was in 2015...
During the mid-70s, the Yamaha RD400 was the ultimate middleweight sport bike. Known for its explosive power and lightweight frame...
Yamaha’s beloved SR400 may have ceased production back in 2021, but it remains a hot favorite amongst custom builders in...
Berry Bads Motorcycles are yet another Japanese custom tuner/builder who’s work has caught my attention. With a gallery full of Bobbers,...
It wasn’t until I featured our first Yamaha TRX850 cafe racer back in 2013 that I learned of their existence....
Back in 2005, when I first became interested in the Japanese custom motorcycle scene, finding insights into their world took...
On a recent trip to Sydney I stuck my head in at Deus (as always) and grabbed a copy of...
The Yamaha SR400 was the poster child of the “new wave” custom scene back in ’08/’09. Thanks to workshops like...
A collaboration with El Solitario seemed like the perfect pairing for Yamaha’s next Yard Built project, but as El Solitario’s...
Here’s a great segment from the cutting room floor of Cafe Racer TV. In this online episode they reveal the...
In the early 1980s, Yamaha introduced a new family of four-stroke motorcycles, with the XJ550 being one of them. These...
British vs Japanese engineering. It’s a debate that I’ve often heard between motorcyclists. It’s easy to see why each party...
Honda CB750 “Cold bitch” More home built Cafe Racers sent in by our talented readers. Thanks for sharing your motorcycles...
This Yamaha SRX600 has been meticulously transformed into a bespoke cafe racer with a sleek and unique style. It boasts...
Not content with simply building a tidy Yamaha SR based Cafe Racer, the crew at Rocker Classic Cycles decided to...
Santi García has been contributing to the build portfolio at the Barcelona workshop of La Carono motorcycles for the past...
Nothing makes me happier than featuring custom motorcycles that have been built in my hometown. Today’s café racer is the...
Adrián Campos and the crew at Spain’s Bolt Motor Co. are back again with yet another impressive build. This time...
There’s beauty in simplicity. Apple have proved that with their design approach and in the custom motorcycle world that...
After a complete tear down the XJR’s subframe was trimmed to tighten the bike’s proportions. In place of the original...
Down here in Australia it seems like Mother Nature’s hell bent on killing us all off. Our surrounding oceans are...
Some people find it a real struggle to sit still. Take Stu Lloyd for example. It hasn’t even been 4...
“We want to challenge the trope of nostalgic and aesthetically led custom motorcycles by encouraging others to experiment with the...
Vintage Steele of Brattleboro, Vermont, transformed this 1975 Yamaha XS650 into a café-racer. The bodywork, featuring the original four-gallon fuel...
The Yamaha Yardbuilt series will soon be celebrating its 10 year anniversary. Originally the brainchild of Yamaha Project Manager, Shun...
Tim Kills BSA A65 Bobber On November 3rd & 4th I co-hosted a custom motorcycle exhibition in Melbourne named Oil...
Despite its huge success, the Yamaha XSR700 is, in my opinion, one of the least classic-looking modern-retro motorcycles on the...
After spying the Yamaha XJR400 cafe racer on their website we contacted C-Racer crew member Antonis Kapetanios who was kind...
My dog doesn’t care for the Yamaha XSR900. When I arrive home on any other motorcycle the small ball of...
A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of meeting the Muharremi brothers, the duo behind the United Kingdom’s...
Unless you’re living in one of those rule-free American states where they let tipsy 13-year-olds ride drag bikes on public...
The Yamaha features the same Benelli 360 tank and custom seat combo that Greg used on the last Virago, but...
While Yamaha has previously focused on customising bikes from their Sports Heritage range during the Yardbuilt series, Faster Sons will...
Moto Nisto of Ypsilanti, Michigan, expertly transformed this 1980 Yamaha XS650 into a stunning Cafe Racer. The modifications done on...
“Stop dreaming, just start building!” These are the words you’ll find on Andy Megerle’s Instagram profile. I’ve featured a couple...
At the end of World War 2 many British motorcycle manufacturers were on the verge of closure or had already...
Cafe Racer SSpirit, located in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, is a motorcycle customization workshop founded in late 2014 by a family...
Thanks to their continued support of custom workshops, Yamaha Motorcycles have played an integral role in the growth of the...
This is the Mongrel. A custom Yamaha XT600 haling from the darker side of Sydney’s Cafe Racer scene. The Mongrel...
Opening up the emails I receive through the “Submit a motorcycle” link on the site is one of my favourite...
With 200bhp on tap and an astounding 2.5 second 0-60mph time, the Vmax V4 engine is well suited to dragstrip...
Japanese workshop AN-BU Customs has developed an instantly recognisable style of their own. Their recipe involves mixing tight proportions, with...
This Yamaha XS650 stands out as a captivating and tastefully modified representation of the popular classic Japanese motorcycle. Crafted into...
