The stunning Dissident Yamaha XJR1300 was custom built by the Portuguese experts over at it roCkS!Bikes as part of the inspirational Yard Built program by Yamaha Europe. The project also marks the bike’s 20th anniversary in a unique and undeniably beautiful way.
The main challenge with all Yard Built motorcycles is that they must be done without any welding and/or cutting. Builders need to be extra creative and come up with various solutions to transform the base models into something new, and yet keep them instantly recognizable as Yamaha goodies. Working with a monocoque one-piece tank and seat unit is both demanding and highly rewarding at the end.
For the Dissident, one of the solutions was to create a hand-crafted metal piece that goes seamlessly from behind the triple clamps to the tail, concealing the recessed LED lights. The new bar-end turn signals came from Motogadget, while the techy dashboard was provided by Motoscope and mounted on a CNC-machined custom bracket, with hand-made bikini fairing for protection. LSL was the source for all the pegs, rearsets, bars and grips.
The suspensions got modified YZF-R1 forks that now fit perfectly onto the bike’s original steering column. For the braking system, it roCkS!Bikes decided to swap it with a new one from ISR Brakes, and add Hel Performance hoses. New Pirelli Angel GT sport touring tires are now wrapped around 17-inch tubeless Kineo spoked wheels.
Flawlessly crafted, the café-racer-style leather seat fits perfectly onto the monocoque frame. For the curious, the aluminum engine covers feature glass openings which allow peeks inside. Also very impressive is the custom 4-into-2 stainless exhaust system, which simply cannot pass unnoticed. Color wise, the bike reiterates the style of the ‘70s and 80’s Yamahas, but with a cooler modern twist.
