Half a century ago, a café racer was a bike stripped to the essentials. Tuned for maximum performance over the short haul, it was usually a secondhand bike that didn’t break the bank and was tweaked on a budget. These days, the true modern café racer is probably a ‘street-fighter,’ a battered GSX-R or Ninja stripped of its bodywork. But we prefer the charm of bikes like this German-built Yamaha SR500, a thoroughly modern custom with a nod to the classic British style of fifty years ago.
It’s a 1979 SR500 belonging to Hannover-based industrial designer with petrol running through his veins. He’s imbued his Yamaha with a clean, understated look and boosted the dynamics without compromising usability. You could say it’s a textbook ‘new wave‘custom. Yamaha’s bulletproof single gets added pep from a Mikuni TM36 fla tslide carb and a K&N air filter. Gases exit via a free-flowing SuperTrapp megaphone exhaust with a satin finish.
The braking system is upgraded too, with Brembo P4 components and an EBC 320mm floating disc. Brembo levers are slotted onto Telefix clip-ons, and the rearsets are from LSL. Tiny indicators are built into the bar ends, and the brake light is a slim LED strip at the back.
The lower half of the SR500, all the engine and mechanical parts are coated in graphite metallic powder. If you are looking for a cost-effective and stylish bike, then look no further.
