Dave’s Yamaha WR450

Dave’s bike left the RR workshop a few months ago in raw form. He brought it back for a few detail tweaks and it looks absolutely fantastic.

Details on the bike, which has a modified XS500 frame, an early Yamaha dirtbike tank and a ripsnorting WR450 engine, plus very slick Öhlins suspension, are here. Electrically it’s equally unusual: the alternator has been rewound to convert to DC charging (the original uses AC lights) and the ignition is Ignitech. There are various other goodies: LED indicators, a warning light cluster, some through-the-frame wiring and a lithium battery, heavily protected from the high-level exhaust by trick materials.

It’s always great to see finished bikes. This one was originally built for the Malle Mile but covering something this gorgeous in dirt seems wrong. To me, anyhow.