We’d be hard pressed to find a sexier-looking bike than Roland Snel’s Yamaha TR1. I mean, look at it, it’s off the charts gorgeous! But I guess, when you paint any lean-bodied machine in “tangerine candy metalflake” color, the hotness factor goes up 100X!
Built by Roland Snel, a guy who customizes bikes as a hobby (and got inspired by Greg Hageman’s work) , the eye-candy you see here is based on what used to be quite a boring, unpopular Yamaha TR1 from 1984. Its air-cooled 75-degree V-twin motor was in perfect condition fortunately, so a lot of attention went into upgrading parts, including new carbs, ceramic-coated MAC mufflers, Ducati 916 front fork, rear Showa shock, Öhlins steering damper, a combined digital speedo/tacho, a sleek headlight, new wheels, Brembo 4-pot brakes, and more.
The same high level of attention was applied to detailing, as you can judge by looking at the hand-brushed Yamaha speed blocks and Japanese Kanji characters on the tank, or the cleverly modified Yamaha logo. The bike also sports a beautiful Motolanna seat & Benelli tank – a flawless combo – but man, that blood-red tangerine hue on top of glossy black totally steals the show! [via]
