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.
There are a thousand ways to approach motorcycle customization. Some custom builders are slaves to geometry, creating machines that boast architectural levels of mathematical harmony. Then there are artisans like Mike Chen. Mike runs the eponymous Mike’s Garage in Taipei, Taiwan. His builds often appear to be cobbled together from mismatched parts, but the reality…
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In Taiwan, small bikes rule the roost. The country is bursting with sub-200 cc commuter motorcycles, many of which are produced locally. They’re easy to handle in tight traffic, robust, and easy to maintain—and since they’re not subject to the same taxes as bigger bikes, they’re more affordable too. The utilitarian nature of these plucky…
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The 90s sportbike revival is in full swing, and custom builders like Marc Bell are setting the pace. A full-time metal fabricator with an unwavering love for retro sportbikes, Marc has built some of the best late-80s and early-90s restomods we’ve seen under the HAXCH Moto banner. If it’s got perfectly proportioned bodywork, a lust-worthy…
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Michelangelo famously said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” I’ve long suspected that Yuichi Yoshizawa applies a similar philosophy to building custom motorcycles. The frontman of the Japanese workshop CW Zon has the ability to take even the most mundane motorcycle, stare into its soul, and turn…
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Of all the Yamaha XV models released over the years, not one could be accused of being pretty. And yet, custom motorcycle…
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Is your garage looking a little empty? We’ve got four new bikes this week that might help fill that hole. Your options…
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We’ve cast our net wide this week to bring you four very different motorcycles from four different countries. Portugal offers up a…
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The iconic Kenny Roberts speed block livery gets a new twist this week, in the form of a Yamaha XJR1300 street tracker…
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Even though custom Harleys are Winston Yeh’s bread and butter, his creativity extends far beyond just the Bar and Shield’s catalog. The…
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A lone Yamaha XS650 chopper stands against a sea of Harley-Davidsons this week. Following it are a Harley XR1000 flat tracker, a…
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Motorcycling can be a selfish endeavor—and yet, motorcyclists can be some of the most charitable people around. If you’re one of those…
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We open this weekend’s proceedings with a neo-retro kit for the Yamaha Ténéré 700, before changing gears and profiling a bulked-up Honda…
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