YAMAHA XJ750 BY AD HOC

David Gonzales is one of those low-key, under-the-radar builders, slowly creating a portfolio of stylish and slightly unusual bikes. Ten months ago we covered his classyMoto Morini 350; it’s now a pleasure to show his latest build, this angular 1983 Yamaha XJ750.

The XJ750 Seca was a rather odd machine when it launched. Despite the cruiser-ish looks, it was pitched as a high-tech sport bike, with revolutionary anti-dive forks and LEDs galore in the instrument panel. It has not aged well, but Gonzales’ makeover has given the old girl a new lease of life—with the help of extensive sandblasting and powdercoating.

Working in his hideout in the hills above Barcelona, Spain, Gonzales stripped the bike and refreshed the engine, which was in good condition. It’s now sporting a tank from a Derbi 2002, a small but elegant machine from the 1970s. The seat unit is from a Yamaha TZ, with an aftermarket Gonelli light now embedded in the tail.

The suspension has been shortened at the front to improve the stance, with Betor gas shocks installed at the rear. The tires are Avon Roadriders—grippy, but with a suitably vintage vibe.

The ancillaries have been tidied up with a complete electrical and brake system overhaul, and the controls have been upgraded with GSX-R rearsets and new bars and levers. And if the headlight looks familiar, that’s because it’s from a Suzuki Bandit.

Gonzales is gaining a reputation as someone who can make even the most ungainly bike look good, and he’s done a sterling job with this Yamaha. If you’ve seen a better looking XJ750 elsewhere, drop us a line.

Images by Monica Doallo. Check out the Ad Hoc website and Facebook page to see more of David Gonzales’ work.

via BIKEEXIF

SCRAMBLERS MOTORCYCLES’ SR500

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

Hot on the heels of our Top 5 Yamaha SR500s feature comes this rather sharp looking example from new Swabian outfit Scramblers Motorcycles.

Based in Schnaitheim, in the south of Germany, Daniel and Michael Bosch and Sven Paukner share a love of motocross, skateboarding and snowboarding. Originally disinterested in road-going motorcycles, the switch flipped when they stumbled across a custom café racer that inspired them. After almost four years of dreaming about building their own bikes, they’ve finally kicked things off with this 1980 model Yamaha SR500.

They’ve named it ‘KRAD XX1′—KRAD being a shortened form of ‘Kraftrad’ (German for ‘motorcycle’) and ‘XX1′ signaling it as their first official build. It’s a stunner, combining the trio’s influences with a vision to “bring bikes to the street that have a classic style and spirit—no plastic!”

Scramblers MC stripped the SR of all non-essentials, aiming to slim it down and improve handling. As is necessary with most older motorcycles the engine has been overhauled, with a K&N air filter and engine breather installed, and the wiring has been redone and simplified. The subframe has also been altered and the front and rear turn signals swapped for smaller units and relocated.

Shorter and slimmer fenders have been fitted, along with Bates lights front and rear, and a smaller speedo. The rear suspension’s been replaced with longer shocks, and the bike rolls on stock SR mags wrapped in Avon rubber. A short, blacked-out reverse cone muffler has been fitted to the wrapped header.

For paint, Scramblers MC settled on Java Brown for the tank and fenders. “We love that color very much because it always appears different,” says Sven. “It switches from dark-grey-brown, with a very little bit of green, to coffee brown.” A simple black section on the tank matches the bespoke leather seat.

The engine covers have been bead blasted, with the Scramblers MC and ‘KRAD XX1′ logos laser etched into them. It’s clear that the team is obsessive over little details—according to Sven, “plastic cable ties do not fit into our ethic”—so they made their own leather and wire ‘cable ties’ instead.

Considering this is Scramblers Motorcycles’ first build, I can’t wait to see what they get up to next.

Images by Tom Ziora. Scramblers Motorcycles’ website is currently being built—in the meantime, follow them via their Facebook page.

via BIKEEXIF

Elektrojazz: Choose the cars to match the songs

Danish band Elektrojazz has come up with a novel way to combine its twin passions for classic cars and jazz music, by creating an album inspired by the famous car chase films of the 1970s. Now the band is asking for your help…

“The idea is to name each song after one of the most memorable cars of the 1970s,” Elektrojazz frontman Anders Larson told Classic Driver. “The trouble is, with so many amazing cars from that decade to choose from, we’re having a bit of trouble narrowing it down.

“One of the titles has already been decided,” continues Larson. “The song ‘Pacer Blues’ reflects my love of the quirky AMC Pacer. The reason for this is that I know no one else would choose it!” The remaining song titles will be selected according to the cars which gain the highest number of votes, so head over to the band’s website to cast yours now.

Once the song titles have been finalised and the album is released, Elektrojazz will be giving away several copies to Classic Driver readers – we'll bring you more details soon.

Photos: Elektrojazz

Hundreds of classics from the 1970s can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

1935 RILEY KESTREL

This 1935 Riley Kestrel is a one off 2-door design, it originally started life as a 4-door but the current owner converted it to a coupé during a lengthy restoration process in 2004. Since then the car has won its class at the Riley Register Concours on 4 occasions in the past 8 years, and that’s no mean feat.

The Kestrel is fitted with the Riley 1½ litre 4 cylinder engine fitted with a high-lift camshaft and twin carburettors, it also has Girling rod brakes, an Armstrong-Siddeley pre-selector transmission and Bijur automatic chassis lubrication. The profile of the Riley is quite stunning, the low roofline combined with the long bonnet is reminiscent of the Bugatti Royale, although I suspect the Kestrel would corner a little better.