In the beginning...

In the beginning, once upon a time, in a distant land far, far away there was a motorcycle of rare barn find quality. Though not quite your typical barn find collectable classic, it certainly had the potential of one. Well, perhaps not, but it did have the potential to be customised cafe racer, of some sort.

A Yamaha SR250, baby brother to the popularised SR400 by Deus Ex Machina and SR500. Looked kinda retro, but actually a 2001 year model. Mechanically there's nothing simpler and easier to maintain. A single cylinder 4 stroke carburetored engine. Light weight, good stance and a real simple frame. Previous owner lived out in the country, so basically highway runs and maybe some dirt diving.

Nonetheless, I had every intention to chop her into pieces, molest her internals, throw on new parts and bring out more personality. My personality really.

Found her on evil eBay and had her couriered in from Victoria. Previous owner lived out in the country, which meant plenty of highway runs and maybe some occasional dirt diving.

The moment she was inside my garage, I started wrenching away. After a few test runs (with side covers removed and handle bars angled forward) to check her condition, I started working at her properly.

Much of the styling and design are based almost exactly off the SR400. You name it, and it's essentially spic for spec. The SR's have a cult following that stems from the late 1970's SR500 and the Australian filmed, Mad Max series. So, there's loads of support out there and parts for repairs and maintenance. The original SR was a low priced Japanese competitor to European cafe racers like Triumph, Norton and Moto Guzzi. Those riders would be as old as my dad. To me, that's pretty old school.

I could safely say, it is the most affordable modern cafe racer in the Australian market. Although you can't buy any specific bolt on aftermarket parts for it, which can be tricky and tedious.

On the road she felt light, but not flimsy. Solid enough, but no Triumph. Some average pull power, some struggle at mid-end and limited at top-end. The stance was cafe racer. The paint had a crisp glossy shine and the metallic base coat was iridescent. All in all, the bike was intact and practially brand new, by no means borderline junkyard material. It was clearly looked after, with no sign of scratches, wear, tear or crash damage. A perfect (budget) blank canvas.

With the help of forums and friends in the motorcycle community, I've designed my own modifications and bought exclusive parts that motorcycle shops like Deus Ex Machina in Camperdown charge like a wounded animal for. For a bike we're talking AU $16,000-$21,000. When I look closely, I see a stock bike. I'd basically be paying for an imported used bike that is of slightly above-average quality with x number of previous owners, and has had an expensive selection of aftermarket parts bolted on, a brand name stickered to the tank, flaunted in a show room to help sell t-shirts and then registered for your convenience. For a $3-4k to import, that's a whopper $17k margin and more expensive than my old BMW. A couple of bikes they 'own' aren't even built in Australia, but by the Japanese pioneers Bratstyle. I can't afford Deus or should I say, I would't pay for Deus. But, if I had that kinda cash, I would hop on my private jet, fly to the USA, drop into Chabbot Engineering and speak to Shinya Kimura, give him a cheque to build me a one of a kind bike, wait 12 months, have it delivered to Sydney, hang it on my bedroom wall and have it taken down by my butler so I can ride it on my private salt lake.

Money doesn't mix well with emotion. The total bill for this build is enormous and still growing. It holds no logical justification. Wait, maybe ROI if I sell it for a pretty penny... Nah... Aside from the manual labour, the bill itself totally outweighs the any logical price tag I could conjur. It is the best depreciating asset I have ever owned. As a guess, I'd say in 5 years this style of custom motorcycle will be mass produced at the frequency you see a new Ducati released.

Some of you may read that I'm coo-koo, coconut crazy, looney toon from looney town... Irrespectively and ignorantly I am completely satisfied with my decision. The satisfaction stems from the fact I tore a perfectly functional bike to smithereens. I unbolted every nut and bolt, cleaned every segment by hand, massaged every detachable part, felt every mechanical component, measured each electrical pulse, customised every section to my liking, tailoring each the riding position to my own bodily ergonomics and finally reassembled it all to ride and proudly own. It's my own creation. To some it may be an underpowered mongrel, to me it's an extension of my own body. I marvel at it, like the way I marveled at my genitalia through puberty.

This project has helped me appreciate a motorcycle from the inside-out, understand the complexities and dynamics of a this kind of project when it's personal rather than professional, appreciate the enormous effort that went into creating the simple pleasures weekend riders take for granted, enjoying the fruit of my blood sweat and tears by riding everyday when she comes together in full.

If you like custom motorcycles and garage builds, I hope you enjoy reading my blog.