Photo: Classified Moto
There are plenty of custom motorcycle garages over in America, but the vast majority of them have a few peculiar traits in common. The first would be the fact they mostly handle Harley-Davidson motorcycles, or build them from scratch. The second is the fact they almost never have a proper way of presenting their products to the wider public, going most of the time for specialized shows fame.
A Virginia-based crew that goes by the name Classified Moto breaks that norm, as it doesn't do Harleys, and it knows how to make its bikes stars before the crowds. It's also one of the few shops out there that doesn't shy away from criticizing its own products.
If you're a biker, then the name Virago rings plenty of bells. It was introduced in the portfolio of Japanese bike maker Yamaha back in 1981 as the company's first-ever V-twin cruiser. And it was quite successful, as it stuck around until about 2007.
Over the years, the Virago family comprised many members, from the entry-level XV125 to the hard-to-find-nowadays XV400SCLX. Of particular interest for us today is a model called XV1100, originally produced by Yamaha from 1986 to 1999.
That's because one of these bikes, produced by the Japanese in 1989, got seriously converted by Classified Moto and turned into something that now wears the name Shaft.
The bike is extensively modified compared to its stock self, and quite a departure from the rides we usually get from America. That's because it's styled like a café racer, and we all know America stopped going nuts over such things long ago.
Although the base bike is a Virago, the front end of the ride was sourced from a 2004 Suzuki GSX-R1000, making the build look particularly nasty. And by front end I mean the wheel and brakes that go over it, because the triple clamp is made in-house, and we have no info on the provenance of the fork.
The fuel tank that occupies most of the field of view further back comes from a Yamaha XS400, and it sports an Acewell gauge up top. Behind the tank, a banana seat has been installed, and right between these two elements, a tool roll compartment has been fitted.
There is no bodywork pulled over the stock Yamaha engine, leaving it and the stock but modified exhaust system visible for all to see.
Looked at from afar and on a computer screen, the Shaft looks like all the other custom motorcycles we occasionally enjoy here, meaning it is interesting enough for us to give it its 15 minutes under the spotlight. That, however, is not what its maker feels, writing in plain text for all to see just how disappointing the end result was.
"I’m not gonna lie. Of all the bikes we've built, this one was probably the least satisfying. Appearance-wise, I love it when a rider is in the saddle. When it's just sitting there waiting — not so much. […] the whole project just had a weird cadence to it."
It's up to you to decide if you feel the same way or not, but before you go on letting us know all about your opinion, keep in mind one thing: someone like the Shaft enough to buy from Classified Moto. We're not told how much they paid for it, but we do know such builds usually sell from $21,000 off the lot off the shop's lot.
If you're a biker, then the name Virago rings plenty of bells. It was introduced in the portfolio of Japanese bike maker Yamaha back in 1981 as the company's first-ever V-twin cruiser. And it was quite successful, as it stuck around until about 2007.
Over the years, the Virago family comprised many members, from the entry-level XV125 to the hard-to-find-nowadays XV400SCLX. Of particular interest for us today is a model called XV1100, originally produced by Yamaha from 1986 to 1999.
That's because one of these bikes, produced by the Japanese in 1989, got seriously converted by Classified Moto and turned into something that now wears the name Shaft.
The bike is extensively modified compared to its stock self, and quite a departure from the rides we usually get from America. That's because it's styled like a café racer, and we all know America stopped going nuts over such things long ago.
Although the base bike is a Virago, the front end of the ride was sourced from a 2004 Suzuki GSX-R1000, making the build look particularly nasty. And by front end I mean the wheel and brakes that go over it, because the triple clamp is made in-house, and we have no info on the provenance of the fork.
The fuel tank that occupies most of the field of view further back comes from a Yamaha XS400, and it sports an Acewell gauge up top. Behind the tank, a banana seat has been installed, and right between these two elements, a tool roll compartment has been fitted.
There is no bodywork pulled over the stock Yamaha engine, leaving it and the stock but modified exhaust system visible for all to see.
Looked at from afar and on a computer screen, the Shaft looks like all the other custom motorcycles we occasionally enjoy here, meaning it is interesting enough for us to give it its 15 minutes under the spotlight. That, however, is not what its maker feels, writing in plain text for all to see just how disappointing the end result was.
"I’m not gonna lie. Of all the bikes we've built, this one was probably the least satisfying. Appearance-wise, I love it when a rider is in the saddle. When it's just sitting there waiting — not so much. […] the whole project just had a weird cadence to it."
It's up to you to decide if you feel the same way or not, but before you go on letting us know all about your opinion, keep in mind one thing: someone like the Shaft enough to buy from Classified Moto. We're not told how much they paid for it, but we do know such builds usually sell from $21,000 off the lot off the shop's lot.
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