Born in 1978, the SR500 is a legendary bike. Yamaha produced the SR500 from 1978 to 1999. This single-cylinder motorcycle was used as a base for several custom bikes.
Its design is straightforward and reliable. Its power is transmitted directly to the rear wheel through a shaft transmission with a reduction of ratios.
The bike has evolved over the years, as has its brakes, injection pump and carburettor. But the essence did remain intact – simplicity and reliability.
After searching in vain for an ideal donor bike, custom house from Poland 86 Gear Motorcycles came across the Yamaha SR 500. This oldie but goldie is the perfect basis for this type of project.
It is lightweight, strong, can easily make 31.5 hp (on the conservative angle) and has an ample supply of spares still available on the second-hand market.’
Custom SR500
Let’s see what Christian Boosen, the brainchild behind this custom SR500, has to say.
You see here a Yamaha SR500, and as we were halfway, the client changed his mind. So we had to keep it in a garage and was there for two years till another client saw it.
It went through four different owners, but I’m sure it will stay with its current owner for a reasonable amount of time – if you are planning to poach it, he might not let go of his baby.
We also wanted to keep the scrambler’s original spirit intact. We achieved the vintage look thanks to the custom made seat and an original XT500 tank.
An old seat from the quad gave the overhaul treatment to finish the bike and give it unique scrambler looks. I recovered it in black leather to give it that vintage style look.
Triple tree clamps were sourced from the XT500 to provide more room for the fuel tank and manoeuvrability.
Further front wheel and front suspension arrived from the 1980s XT500. The rear wheel was left; however, the rear suspension received an upgraded new set of YSS shock absorbers longer than the original shock absorbers.
The project took one year, but the finished product is what you see before you.
After a long wait, the project finally started to take its final form. We just wanted to push the complete restoration further and add our touch of style.
In the end, we attached the famous Supertrapp series exhaust. The bike has an original front fender, and later we customized the rear fender with a TT500 replica tail light.
At the same time, the headlight is a classic replica of the enduro headlamp.
Engine rebuilt
The changes were not just in the engine compartment. The carburettor now had a new set of jets. We replaced the airbox with a K&N pod filter.
We made sure all the cables were invisible, so the wiring looms were modified. The bike doesn’t have a battery. It just has a condenser.
As for the paint scheme, we made sure we had the monochromatic white, black and brushed metal to give a 1980s feel.
Although it is not an incredibly powerful thing, the custom SR500 is perfect when you are not cranking up extensive mountain trails or taking off motocross jumps.
This fantastic little motorcycle allows you to get out there and enjoy yourself, which is what motorcycles are all about anyway!
There’s nothing like sitting on your bike at dusk with the sun setting down quickly and feeling like you can go anywhere.
Welding by Adrian Figura from Scrambler74
Photos by Bartek Zaranek Photography
via 86gear
