Yamaha’s XJR 20th Anniversary party continues with the Portuguese custom builders’ it roCks!bikes Yard Built CS-06 Dissident café racer. “it roCkS!bikes were high on the list of builders we wanted to work with to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the XJR. Their unique signature style one-piece monocoque is super clean and they have shown they can build stunning custom machines without losing the heart of the original, keeping the essence of the great chassis and raw engine power. With the CS-06 Dissident, it roCkS!bikes have again built a beautiful bike,” says Shun Miyazawa, Product Manager – Yamaha Motor Europe.

Working in a small workshop just outside Porto, in Portugal, Osvaldo Coutinho and Alexandre Santos are civil engineers by day and it roCkS!bikes craftsmen by night. Their engineering skills are plain to see in the bikes they build, and in their signature monocoque one-piece fuel tank, seat and tail units that they use for all their bikes.

The Yard Built XJR 1300 ‘Dissident’ is no exception, with a single handcrafted metal flowing unit stretching from just behind the triple clamps all the way back to the end of the tail.

Apart from the bodywork, custom bits on the Dissident include a complete ISR braking system (including master cylinders for front brake and clutch, 6-piston calipers at the front, twin 340mm front discs and 267mm rear disc), USD forks taken from a Yamaha YZF-R1, Motoscope pro digital dashboard, and LSL clip-on café racer bars. The stock engine covers on both sides of the block have been replaced with lighter aluminium pieces with glass windows, revealing the heart of the beast. A small, high-performance oil cooler keeps a check on the heat and the bike’s handmade 4-2 stainless steel exhaust screams dramatically as the revs rise.

LSL Rear sets and foot pegs are added and a small metal hand made fairing with recessed headlamp. An Aluminium ‘Monza’ gas cap adds the finishing touch and is complemented by an integrated tuning fork symbol ‘medallion’ set on the tank. An artisan made leather seat unit clips into the one-piece monocoque and beautiful 17” tubeless Kineo spoke rims with Pirelli angel GT rubber keep everything the right way up.

Paying tribute to the XJR’s anniversary is the sublime paint scheme, a reinterpretation of the classic colours of the 70s and 80s with pearl white, black and gold and of course the legendary speed blocks.