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 it into something magical. This time, he's done it to the venerable 1981 Yamaha XV1000. Known as the TR1 in some markets and the Virago in others, the XV1000 featur...| Bike EXIF
The Yamaha SR150 is Taiwan's best-kept secret. Exclusively manufactured and sold locally, the cheap and cheerful single sold in droves in its heyday, mostly to commuters and delivery riders. It's no longer in production—but it's found new life in the custom scene. We've seen slick custom SR150s from workshops like Hide Work Custom, TwentyTwo Custom, and Twist.Co. But this plucky Yamaha SR150 bobber comes from an outfit that's new to these pages; Balls Custom. Based in New Taipei City, the c...| Bike EXIF
In the world of classic thumpers, the Yamaha XT500 reigns supreme. It pioneered the concept of four-stroke dual-sport bikes, won the first two Paris Dakar rallies, and garnered legions of fans along the way. It's hard to meet someone who hasn't owned an XT500, known someone who's owned one, or dreamt of owning one. Given its legendary status, the Yamaha thumper begs to be subtly and judiciously tweaked, rather than drastically modified. If you can crank up the elements that made it iconic in ...| Bike EXIF
We all have our inclinations, preferences, and particular predilections. In custom motorcycle circles, a BMW boxer or Triumph Bonneville are considered mainstream choices, while unlikely donors present a more left-field option. Yamaha’s Virago is one such machine—but it's not enough of an outlier for Jimbo Turner. Jimbo reserves his fervor for only one variant of the XV1000—the Yamaha TR1. He didn’t discover his kink straight away; dalliances with a rigid Yamaha XS650, a Honda CB, a D...| Bike EXIF