Yamaha’s XV750 are a very popular donor for a custom bike, cheap to get a hold of and the market of bolt-on parts you can get is pretty amazing. My client James had started to do a few bits on his freshly rebuilt XV750 motor but soon felt help was needed.

The Yamaha XV750 Café Racer was to be ridden around the Gold Coast on weekend runs up the mountain, and when not in use be displayed in his mancave. As always I wanted this bike to look wild, but still be able to do what it was made for. 

My initial build points were:

• Raw: I wanted a visceral ride experience, a v-twin can deliver that in spades, I just had to build the rest of the bike to match. Sharp handling, quick throttle response, and a rumble from the pipes. A sensory experience
• Slim: Working on the Japanese v-twin, I noticed the chassis is extremely thin, I wanted to keep that profile from front to back
• Manga/Japanese Cartoon style: I wanted the XV750 to look like it could be ridden by the bad guy in a Japanese cartoon. I grew up watching Japanese animations, the visuals are stylistically sharp, with a sense of violence and aggression. Bold, and cartoonish, The XV750 had to offer something outside the norm.