TOP 5 YAMAHA SR500S

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

Everyone loves a thumper—and few thumpers are as loved as Yamaha’s popular SR500. Manufactured for just over 20 years, from 1978 to 1999, it shared the same single-cylinder, air-cooled 499cc engine as the XT500 and TT500.

Looks-wise it was styled to resemble its big brother, the XS650. While the popularity of some motorcycles has risen and fallen, the SR has remained a regular favorite within the new-wave custom scene, thanks to its easy-going nature.

It sounds clichéd to say that it was tough to pick out just five SRs for our list, but it’s true. Just this week two more great examples landed in our inbox, both of which could easily have been included. Instead, we’ve decided to give each on its own feature, so look out for those in the next week or so.

In the meantime, take a look at our top five below—and let us know in the comments what your own favorite SR500 customs are.

Deus Ex Machina ‘Oddjob’ There are a few Deus-built SR500s that could have made this list, but this one has a certain charm that’s hard to ignore. Appropriately nicknamed ‘Oddjob,’ Deus’ creative director Carby Tuckwell describes it best as “a little café hoon sled.” Visually it’s a hodgepodge of styles—something between a street tracker and a café racer, with tasteful details like the red highlights and vintage-style Yamaha racing blocks on the tank. The motor’s been punched out to 542cc and blueprinted by Carl Batey of Cafe Racer, with a Keihin FCR39 carb handling fuelling. It looks (and sounds) like it’d be an absolute blast to ride. If you agree, you could always commission your own ‘Oddjob’—according to Deus’ website, it’s available as a custom order from their Sydney and Milan locations. [More about this bike | Deus Customs]

Lucky Cat Garage ‘Single Daily Café’ According to the Lucky Cat Garage website, ‘Sonic Séb’ built this ’90s model SR roughly ten years ago ‘to commute through the Paris traffic jams.’ Looking at it, it’s hard to believe that it’s ‘mostly made of bolt on stuff’ with ‘not that much time spent in the workshop.’ Up front are clip-ons, a billet upper triple clamp and smaller dials. Go-fast upgrades include a 540cc kit from Wiseco, a Mikuni TM36 flatslide carb, a K&N filter and a Supertrapp muffler. The seat is a VD Classic unit, with custom upholstery, and the rear-sets are one-offs. Tucked away under the Lucas-style headlight is a BMW R1200C grill covering the horn, with a dice adorning the fuel tap. The tank’s been painted in a luscious black and copper scallop scheme—a classic design that’ll never date. [More about this bike]

Photo by Thomas Caplain.

Lossa Engineering ‘Solus’ Elegant and clean, ‘Solus’ is a testament to builder Jay LaRossa’s philosophy of building bikes that are stripped down and fast. With a wide range of skills under his belt, LaRossa saw to it that this SR500 received equal doses of cosmetic and performance upgrades. The motor’s been bored out and fitted with a White Brothers oversize piston, plus a few other tasty bits. Handling is taken care of by a GSX-R front end and Works shocks, while stopping is left up to Brembo brakes at both ends. The exhaust muffler is a Lossa part that can be bought from their site. The traditional café ‘bum box’ is the perfect match for the Benelli tank, creating classic lines that are complemented by a tasteful paint scheme—white, with just a dash of red. [More about this bike | Lossa Engineering]

Chappell Customs I’m convinced that the words ‘half measures’ don’t feature in Chris Chappell’s vocabulary. He pulled out all the stops to turn this ex-AHMRA racer into his client’s dream bike—including hand-hammering knee indents into the SR’s stock tank. When he couldn’t find a seat pan that suited the bike, he built a vacuum forming machine to create his own. The machine is now used to produce a whole line of seats for Chappell Customs’ online store, Tuffside. Chappell also fitted XS650 forks and Works Performance shocks to the SR500, while the engine sports a host of race ready modifications, including a 540cc piston kit. The frame’s been cleaned up, and the bike’s been finished off in generous helpings of gunmetal and black. [More about this bike | Chappell Customs]

Wrenchmonkees ‘Monkee #10′ This might not be the Wrenchmonkees’ most well-known build, but it’s certainly a fine example of their characteristic style. The donor bike is a ’78 SR500, and it was ‘Monkee’fied’ back in 2009. The engine was rebuilt, with power boosted by a Mikuni flatslide carb and K&N filter. A Brembo disc and caliper were fitted to the front for extra stopping power, along with a braided steel brake hose. All unnecessary bodywork has been removed, and a custom rear loop and seat added. Colors are understated, as per the norm for the Wrenchmonkees—a muted green tank, and matte black fenders with a subtle pinstripe. [More about this bike]

Last week’s Top 5 covered the BMW R-Series.

Via BIKEEXIF

Advantage: A sting in the tale

Who says American cars don’t like corners? As this beautifully shot film shows, the classic Sixties Corvette Stingray is right at home on the twisty Swiss mountain roads…

It’s very James Bond, this film – picturesque scenery, a gorgeous car, a tension-building score and, of course, a pistol-wielding, sharp-suited chap looking rather pleased with himself. And we would be, too, jostling a Corvette Stingray up arguably one of the most beautiful roads in the world (the old Gotthard Pass, in case you were wondering), safely ahead of a rather suspect looking convoy. If Martin and Sandro Baebler’s ‘Advantage’ doesn’t leave you itching for more, we’re not sure what will.

Video: Advantage from bsv-production GmbH on Vimeo

Chevrolet Corvettes of all eras can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

1924 BENTLEY 3/8 LITRE “HAWKEYE SPECIAL”

This is one of those magnificent cars that pops up at auction every now and then that causes a sudden spike in blood pressure that leaves me needing a lie down on the couch.

What you’re looking at is a pre-war 1924 Bentley 3/8 Litre dubbed the “Hawkeye Special”, the “3/8″ number configuration can be a little confusing however all it means is that this is a 3 litre chassis fitted with an 8 litre engine. Because why not.

Although information about this specific car is a little hard to come by we’ve ascertained that this is an original 1924 chassis with race-spec, alloy coachwork done in the early 70′s by John Guppy and Hawkeye “the Flying Swede” Wijkander. The car stands today in immaculate condition throughout, she’s street legal and fully prepared for bugs-in-your-teeth vintage racing.

The 6-pipes exiting the bonnet and running down the left side of the coachwork are marvellously Spitefire-esque and that British racing green is an almost compulsory colour choice for a car of this breeding.

The good news is that she’s heading to auction at the Monterey RM Auction on the 17th & 18th of August, if you’d like to visit the official listing, click here.

Photo Credits: Pawel Litwinski ©2012 Courtesy of RM Auctions

via SILODROME

Timeless Classics: Ferrari 250 GT California Spider

Ferrari. California. Spider. Three words that encapsulate the very essence of what driving should be all about: a race-bred automobile, sun-drenched roads snaking beside a sparkling ocean, and an open top to make the most of the warmth, the smells, the sounds and the thrills...

It's difficult to think of a machine more timelessly beautiful than the California Spider - or, indeed, one more evocative of what many believe to have been the golden era of the sports car. Born from the vision of American Ferrari distributors John von Neumann and Luigi Chinetti, who spotted a niche in the U.S. for a roadster which combined jaw-dropping looks and truly potent performance, it arrived on the scene in late '58.

Drool-worthy drop-top

Far more feisty than the touring-orientated 250 GT Cabriolet that was sold alongside it, the California Spider evolved from the 250 GT Berlinetta competition car and packed the same glorious, three-litre, 240 horsepower V12 that had brought the latter multiple wins in the Tour de France.

Combined with that drool-worthy drop-top body penned by Pinin Farina and built by Scagletti, the end result was a car which could out-pose anything on the boulevards and out-pace almost anything on the race tracks. Offered on the same, 2,600mm wheelbase as the 'TdF', just 50 of the original 'long' cars were built before being superseded in 1960 by the short-wheelbase version on a cut-down, 2,400mm chassis.

Elegance and aggression

In each case, the Pinin Farina coachwork contrived to be simultaneously elegant and aggressive, with a profile that flowed smoothly from the wing to the doors before rising sharply in a taught, muscular bulge which spoke of pent-up power awaiting release. Up front, the line of the long, sweeping nose was kept clean with a relatively small bonnet - topped by an angular bulge that helped airflow to the three, big-bore Webers.

The combination of the California Spider's looks and performance proved immensely appealing, and the cars were invariably bought by somewhat dangerous types who liked to drive hard. Probably the most celebrated owner was Hollywood star James Coburn, who acquired his short-wheelbase version in 1964, from the Belgian importer Jacques Swaters, shortly after filming the Great Escape in Bavaria.

California dreaming

In 2008, the car was sold by RM Auctions for the equivalent of £5.5 million to the British radio presenter Chris Evans - who acquired another one last year, which he is reported to have sold through Talacrest within the past few days for more than £9 million.

One lifetime, two examples of the most gorgeous Ferrari ever built? Now that really  is California dreaming.

This article is part of the 'Timeless Classics' feature series that is presented and supported by our friends at RM Auctions.