Yamaha TR1 ‘981’ By Neuga Motorcycles

There’s never any shortage of custom motorcycles we write about here at Men’s Gear. This one is one of the coolest we’ve come across by far. Seriously — check out this Yamaha 981 by Budapest-based custom shop Neuga Motorcycles.

The spate of custom jobs we stumble upon every week consists of cars or motorcycles that either make the base vehicle better or add something to it that completely twists the original on its head. The latter is of course more special, because it’s much harder to pull off. Thankfully, Neuga Motorcycles has done just that. They put a new twist on the iconic Yamaha TR1 by donning up a truly unique look and adding a roster of new features that make it a modern beast.

We’re looking at a completely refurbished engine here. Neuga swapped most of the smaller moving parts, gaskets, and rings for newer ones to keep everything fresh. There’s a custom front end and an upgraded cockpit as well, plus an awesome-looking new saddle that aesthetically matches the tank for a curvy powerhouse.

The Yamaha 981 features a predominantly black paint job, with flecks of gold here and there for some variety, like the bicycle chain — one of the most surprising elements here, in fact. It’s even more impressive overall when you consider that black and gold is a color combination that’s very, very hard to pull off. Have you seen gold iPhones with a touch of black in them? Nope. Even Apple can’t strike the perfect balance between luxurious and edgy. Not really a fair comparison, however: You get more of a leeway when designing motorcycles, but nevertheless, Neuga has done a lovely job here, and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.