Yard Built: Retro Lines, Adrenaline Vibes
In garages all over the world, Yamaha owners dream of creating their own customized motorcycle. We seek to enable these dreams by asking talented customizers to provide inspirational ideas on how to transform Sport Heritage models into 'Yard Built' specials. Many builders will not only inspire Yamaha owners with their ideas, but will also make custom parts and accessories available to help owners turn their dream into reality!
The latest Yard Built project sees the return of long-time Yamaha collaborator Jens vom Brauck. Founder of JvB-moto, German custom builder Jens is hailed for the minimalism of his bike designs that bring out the vision of the original within a brand-new skin.
The first JvB-moto Yard Built special was the 2015 VMAX 'Infrared', a dragster-meets-café racer that marked the 30th anniversary of Yamaha's iconic VMAX cruiser. Customised nose to tail from the sub-frame up, the retro Infrared cemented JvB-moto's distinct style within the Yard Built community.
The VMAX was followed by the 'Super 7', the first customised version of the new XSR700 that showed off the huge range of options available (and sold by KEDO Germany) to personalise the stock bike. Re-imagining the XSR700 without any cuts or welds to the frame, JvB-moto produced yet another incredible machine that boasts clean, tidy lines while embracing the raw power and agility of the standard bike.
Four years later and JvB-moto has returned for another round of dazzling customisation, projecting their vision onto the 2019 Yamaha XSR900 to create the CP3. The bike was first presented at the 2019 Café Racer Festival where it received the Best of Show prize.
Talking about his latest creation, vom Brauck was clear in explaining his vision:
"The biggest retro influence is on the lines and proportions. I am a big fan of 70s and 80s concept cars and got a lot of inspiration for this build there. The bike has an understated, clean look and has more of a concept bike 'feel' than a typical custom bike."
The CP3 captures perfectly the JvB-moto design philosophy of clean lines that enhance the stock bike as a base for easy customisation and breathe new life into it. While the retro theme is in part an influence on the CP3, JvB-moto's design stresses that the bike is a Yamaha through and through at its core, and one that is easy to customise. The dark blue Yamaha racing colour used was darkened further and made matt, highlighting the new bodywork whilst retaining the stock bike's character. Though the design is inherently minimalist, the CP3 sports a number of cutting-edge modifications that elevate it from a typical custom bike to a true concept motorcycle. Carbon fibre wheel covers house the Pirelli Super Corsa tyres, with Behringer front brake disks packing extra stopping power. Lightech footrests help reduce weight and give an assuring platform for the rider, with a new seat to accommodate the feel of the CP3.
Ultimately JvB-moto envisaged the CP3 as a reflection of the XSR900's powerful 850cc 3-cyclinder engine, unchanged in the customisation, and designed the bike to look how the engine feels to ride. The Termignoni exhaust amplifies the emotive sound of the triple and provides a small boost in horsepower, completing the CP3 package that raises the very high standard of Yard Built specials even further. Jens elaborated on this approach:
"I wanted it to look fast without looking aggressive, for it to be less retro and more minimalist, with a reduced and purposeful design."
A Concept Bike for the Customer
Yamaha's Sport Heritage range is made of state of the art technology machines with retro looks - the range is an easy access to real personalization and through collaborations with professionals like JvB-moto, the brand aims to bring this creativity even closer to the customer.
Apart from bringing a stunning new concept bike into the world, JvB-moto's CP3 above all else shows just how easy to customise and flexible the Yamaha XSR900 really is. As a result, JvB-moto is now developing a kit to enable customers to either reproduce their own CP3 or just adapt parts of it, emphasizing that the bike is a perfect fit for the vision of the intrepid customiser looking to easily make their own set of customisations to the Yamaha XSR900.
The kit includes:
- Wheel covers
- Brakes
- Footrests
- Seat
- Exhaust
- Front fender
- Fuel tank covers
- Handmade tail section with LED taillight
- Speedometer relocation kit
- Tapered handlebar and raiser
- LED headlight and cover
- Front and back LED indicators
- Number plate carrier
There is also a range of parts yet to be developed. JvB-moto expect this bolt-on kit to be available to customers in early 2020, and will give them nearly unlimited options to tailor their own XSR900.
Taking the Covers Off
Demonstrating that the highly active Yard Built scene in Germany continues to go from strength to strength, the CP3 debuted in its homeland at a July Yard Built Night in Hamburg, alongside the Hookie Co. Grasshopper, another German-made 2019 Yard Built bike. Over 150 guests from motorcycle media outlets and the customising scene came together for the unveiling of the two bikes which was hosted at KEDO, a motorcycle dealer located next to an industrial railway line that perfectly suited the gritty, backyard feel of Yard Built bikes.
Both JvB-moto and Hookie Co. attended the launch, explaining in live interviews their individual approaches to customising bikes and how they envisage the Yard Built project. The builders also discussed their plans to offer bolt-on kits and parts for customers to purchase, embracing the Yard Built concept to empower Yamaha customers to imprint their own vision onto their motorcycles.
The CP3 and Grasshopper showcase the customising potential of the XSR900 and XSR700 and just how easy each model is to change to suit personal taste. With nearly fifty Yard Built bikes created, Yamaha has shown yet again how diverse and accessible retro style is in 2019.
To buy JvB-moto parts, click here
Check out Hookie Co. here
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