YAMAHA SR500 BY CHAPPELL CUSTOMS

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

Chris Chappell’s last SR500 was a show-stopper. It was well received when we initially featured it, and went on to earn a spot among our Top Five Yamaha SR500s. As it turns out, he already had another one in the pipeline—with a very different spin.

“I definitely wanted to do the complete opposite,” says Chappell, “as we just hate doing the same thing twice.” So he opted to put the spray gun down for a change and polish everything instead, with the exception of the frame, which was powder coated white.

He had initially planned to paint the fuel tank, but changed his mind once the bike started to come together—deciding that a polished aluminum tank would wrap up the build perfectly.

The tank proved to be a challenge though. Despite being sold to a friend of Chappell’s via eBay as an SR500-specific part, it simply didn’t fit properly. With all efforts to return it failing, Chappell took it off his friend’s hands and made it fit by fabricating new tank mounts. He also altered the bike’s steering stops, to prevent the forks from bashing into the soft aluminum.

One of Chappell Customs‘ own Tuffside seats proved to be the perfect match for the tank’s lines; a dense foam was selected for comfort and the frame’s rear hoop modified to accommodate it. A discreet LED bar taillight with integrated turn signals was installed, with fork-wrapped LED turn signals at the front. With even the side-mounted license plate illuminated by LEDs, the bike is completely street legal.

Experience with SR500s has taught Chappell that their single-cylinder motors are prone to vibration, so he fitted clubman bars on traditional handle bar mounts with rubber bushings, instead of clip-ons, to make the bike more enjoyable to ride. The rear-set pegs are also rubber mounted for the same reason.

An ’81 model with a mere 7000 miles on it, the SR500′s engine required little engine work. Chappell simply fitted a new gasket set and a Mikuni VM34 carb with an oval cone air filter. The only other performance mod is the exhaust—a stainless steel header pipe with a reverse cone muffler, “to give the thumper that great sound.” The battery’s also been removed.

The suspension and wheels received significant attention though—starting with shouldered aluminum rims laced with custom-made fat stainless steel spokes. The front forks have been upgraded with progressive springs, and the rear shocks are dual rate Works Performance units. Dual disks at the front aid in stopping, and Chappell fabricated a brace for the swingarm to increase rear-end stiffness.

Finishing touches include a stainless steel front fender, and a particularly good looking front sprocket guard that Chappell cut with his new CNC router. He also designed a one-piece speedo and tacho mount, which incorporates all the necessary ‘idiot lights.’

Chappell describes the SR, nicknamed ‘Angel,’ as one of his “cleanest builds to date.” Even though he built it as a personal project, he’s already had interest from potential buyers. I can’t say that I’m surprised.

Head over to the Chappell Customs website to see more of Chris and Rob’s builds.

via BIKEEXIF

YAMAHA SR500 BY CHAPPELL CUSTOMS

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

It’s hard to believe that this lean, purposeful café racer started out as a beaten up 1978 Yamaha SR500—an ex-AHMRA race bike that was standing in Chris Chappell‘s Los Angeles shop. Despite the fact that it had a pink FZR front wheel, Ninja rear wheel, no side stand and no exhaust, client Andrew Ehlers saw its potential and chose it as the donor for his dream build.

Perhaps it was because Ehlers himself was just as banged up as the old SR. A collision with a careless SUV driver had landed him in hospital with multiple broken bones, and wrecked his previous bike—a RYCA CS-1 café racer. He recalls: “I really liked the RYCA, it was a light and nimble bike that was fun to ride and had a cool look. I told Chris I liked the single cylinder and how light the bike was, so that was the main reason I chose the SR.”

Everything aside from the frame and engine was ditched, and the build was under way. “Andrew was still on crutches and in an arm cast at this point”, says Chappell, “so time wasn’t really an issue.” An XS650 front end was grafted on, rebuilt with new seals and progressive springs, and powder coated mirror black. The rear end received brand new Works Performance shocks and the bike now rolls on stock SR mag wheels.

Ehlers had never been mad about the RYCA’s fuel tank, and had always wanted a more traditional café racer look. Chappell obliged by painstakingly hand-pounding knee indents into the Yamaha’s stock tank. But the biggest challenge was the seat. “We had a few café seat pans laying around and, honestly, they just didn’t fit the bike the way they should,” Chappell explains.

The solution was to build a vacuum forming machine, make a new mould and create the perfect seat for the bike, wasting a ton of materials in the process. Chappell Customs now use the machine to produce their own line of custom seats, available from their new online store, Tuffside.

The frame was de-tabbed and modified with a new rear loop, while clip-ons and ZX-10 rearsets were fitted to improve the riding position. Both the frame and the wheels were then powder coated ‘Gunmetal Pearl,’ while the exhaust header and reverse cone muffler were coated black. The bodywork was finished off in gloss black, with metallic gunmetal accents.

Chappell also fabricated a neat front sprocket guard, and modified the triple clamp to house the ignition and ‘idiot lights.’ A new wiring harness was installed and the battery eliminated to shave additional weight. At its heart, the SR is still a race bike—with a 540cc piston kit, ported head, race cam and valves, along with a new clutch, carb and intake.

Not surprisingly, Ehlers has nothing but praise for Chappell: “He really is a talented builder. He listened to what I was looking for and made all of it happen”.

Head over to the Chappell Customs website for more images of Rob and Chris’ builds.

via BIKEEXIF