Photo: Oberdan Bezzi
If someone came to a bike workshop and asked to have his or her cruiser turned into a retro MotoGP replica, some smiles and even laughter could be the first reaction. Still, things are not that hilarious, at least not if you examine Oberdan Bezzi's proposal.
The XV950 KR "Yard Built" is a feasible project, despite the radical modifications the stock bike should undergo. If you want, Yamaha could even pick up Obiboi's idea and turn it into a real Yard Built modding kit, as Bezzi estimates that the Kenny Roberts-tribute bike could be built using only bolt-on parts, thus respecting the requirements of the big project.
Such a bike would be worthy of having an RR badge, but since we're talking about Yamaha's racing heritage and the 60th anniversary of Iwata, picking Kenny Roberts as one of the pivotal figures of the '70s and the '80s only seems natural.
As we're talking MotoGP glory here, it's obvious that the stock tank must be binned and replaced with one harking back to the superbikes three decades ago. Whether choosing to build one from scratch or modifying an actual sport bike tank is irrelevant. The desired shape is fairly easy to obtain as we have Yamaha retro racers as a model.
Crafting the XV950 KR's body panels and tail section could prove a more demanding task, however. The squared off rear is less of a challenge, and it could even be tinkered from a single piece of sheet aluminium.
The front cowl and side fairings might require a lot of trial and error, but they could be crafted from fiberglass to reduce weight. Designing a mold and casting fiberglass and epoxy resin layers in it might prove more lucrative than hammering a large sheet of metal. It would also reduce the weight a bit, and when painted, it will also look impeccable.
Building the fairings and the cowl could require some specialist input from Yamaha, but the machine can definitely be manufactured if desired. And we also believe the kit would sell well, too.
Such a bike would be worthy of having an RR badge, but since we're talking about Yamaha's racing heritage and the 60th anniversary of Iwata, picking Kenny Roberts as one of the pivotal figures of the '70s and the '80s only seems natural.
Raising the bike and raising the bar
The standard XV950 should receive a completely different rear subframe that would level it up a bit. The raised seat commands modified handlebars, so they could be replaced with clip-ons for a racing look.As we're talking MotoGP glory here, it's obvious that the stock tank must be binned and replaced with one harking back to the superbikes three decades ago. Whether choosing to build one from scratch or modifying an actual sport bike tank is irrelevant. The desired shape is fairly easy to obtain as we have Yamaha retro racers as a model.
Crafting the XV950 KR's body panels and tail section could prove a more demanding task, however. The squared off rear is less of a challenge, and it could even be tinkered from a single piece of sheet aluminium.
The front cowl and side fairings might require a lot of trial and error, but they could be crafted from fiberglass to reduce weight. Designing a mold and casting fiberglass and epoxy resin layers in it might prove more lucrative than hammering a large sheet of metal. It would also reduce the weight a bit, and when painted, it will also look impeccable.
Building the fairings and the cowl could require some specialist input from Yamaha, but the machine can definitely be manufactured if desired. And we also believe the kit would sell well, too.
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