Yamaha XV950 Racer is a Fab Factory Custom [w/ Video]

If you crave cruising with the rumble of a big V-twin flooding your ear canals but can’t live without Japanese engineering precision, the Star Bolt from Yamaha might be the motorcycle of your dreams. But what if you wish it looked more like a custom café racer? Well, Yamaha now has you covered there, too, with the Bolt-based XV950 Racer.

Taking a heaping dose of inspiration from El Raton Asesino, a custom bike created by famed German builder Marcus Walz, the XV950 Racer features low clip-on handlebars, a reshaped seat, stylized air cleaner housing, battery covers patterned after old style racing number plates and numerous other nifty custom touches. However, the proven 942cc SOHC V-twin – producing 52 horsepower and 59 lb.-ft – remains in place, and is mated to a 5-speed constant-mesh transmission and belt drive.

And if this bike still doesn’t suit your tastes, have no fear: Yamaha designed the XV950 Racer to be customizer-friendly by making it a breeze to swap out items like the mirrors, air cleaner and exhaust. In fact, Akrapovic has already come out with a bolt-on replacement muffler for this thing! Okay, maybe it’s not as satisfying as rescuing a bike from the ‘70s or ‘80s out of the boneyard and hand-fabricating custom parts to bring it back to life as a one-of-a-kind café racer, but you’ll certainly be on the road a lot sooner.

Source: Yamaha