Mackie Mac, the main man at Cambridge Pinstriping, had sold his Spitfire chop and was looking for a new project into which to sink his pearly whites and he knew exactly what it was he wanted to get—a Yamaha XV750. Now, you’re probably wondering why Mackie would choose the 750 Virago, given that they are neither particularly common nor cheap There have also been a significant number of them that have been converted into café racers; admittedly rather cool café racers, but all pretty much of a matching formula.
Well, he liked the looks, they’re mega-reliable once a few glitches have been ironed out, and he was keen to do something slightly different from the normal way of ‘caffay-ing’ the XV. But he couldn’t find one at the right price. Or, for that matter, find one at all…
However, he did manage to hunt down an XV500, which is the 750’s smaller brother that has virtually the same frame and style. Not only was it available, but it was the right price. He bought it there and then.
Naturally, it was stripped down immediately and Mackie started thinking about how he was going to rebuild it. Rather than tread the path most trodden and use a tubular subframe and boxy Yamaha two-stroke twin or Benelli Mojave fuel tank (the Italian one is especially popular), he decided to keep the standard tank and make a subframe from 3mm thick steel sheet. Cutting the sheet to shape, he created an hourglass-shaped subframe, all neatly braced and boxed in for strength. The new subframe also meant that the rear end of the fuel tank was jacked up, giving a top line that was far more suited to a sports-oriented machine and disguising the swoopy factory cruiser look.
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There's No Place Like Chrome
When settling down to write a feature for a magazine, itâs necessary to have two things, nay, three things in front of you. A computer is useful, it saves all that messy ink and blotting paper that we used in those long gone school days, a strong hot mug of tea should also be on the desk (goes without saying), and finally, a set of scribbled notes that a couple of months ago resembled a detailed description of a motorcycle, but that by now, are largely illegibleâŠ
Spike And Bob's Big Swedish Adventure: Part 5
In 1979 Hasse took Caprice to the NorrtÀlje show for the first time, but he had changes for the bike in mind and, during the winter, he picked up a jammer frame and a set of 20-inch tubes.
Black Dog Custom Show - The Black Dog, Broadmayne, Dorset
Named after the only pub in the village of Broadmayne near Dorchester, nobody there can quite remember how long the informal get together that is the Black Dog Custom Show has been going
TWEETY
Over the last couple of years, very few if any motorcycles have inspired such bafflement and scratching of heads as Dan Dugganâs Honda CX500
THE DOUBTER
Every project starts somewhere and this one began at the Bike Shed Show at Tobacco Dock in London or, to be more accurate, when my mate Matt Donaldson turned to me and said, âI bet you canât build a bike good enough for here.â Well, that set me to work!
JBS SPECIAL
Jarno comes from a family with petrol in their blood. His father races classic motorcycles and Jarno was raised on a farm where the barns are full of motorcycles instead of cows! This is his very first project, the Jarno Bastian Special
CUSTOMBIKE Messe Bad Salzuflen, Germany
Sometimes what is missing from a show is more interesting than whatâs present. With the German show Custombike celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, the event remains a showcase for European customising in all its diversityâ with the additional benefit of a focus on parts that are homologated and approved for Europe
COVERT MISSION
Itâs not often that I have to sneak in and photograph a motorcycle without the owner knowing anything about itâsomething that was made tougher in this case by the said motorcycle being kept at said ownerâs house
Carry On Screaming
As is often the case, I first caught sight of Nige Biffinâs cool Honda CB750 at a local show last summer, standing out as it did from the stock stuff and the classics present. Not surprisingly, it wasnât just the ace paint that grabbed my attention, but the obvious quality of the build throughout. I needed to know moreâŠ
Paul's Harley
Ensuring that a custom motorcycle will comfortably chew up the miles is perhaps not always one of the main priorities for every builder, but for anyone in the National Chopper Club, itâs essential. Never more so than when you happen to live in one of the far flung parts of this island which means that youâve usually got a journey to do before you even start going anywhere, as Paul, NCC National Secretary and member of Chopper Club Kernow, knows all too well. This is the story of his latest chop.
