Yard Built Yamaha XV950 "Fine Cut"

Fine Cut, the first Yard Built custom Yamaha manufactured in Romania.  Madras Motoparts and Tridex joined efforts in creating this Yard Built machine, choosing the XV950 as the donor bike and aiming at changing it into a unique cafe-racer. They had to play by the Yard Built rules, so the machine had to be a reversible creation, meaning that no hacking, sawing and welding could be used.

Even more, they had to spend a certain amount of money on the project, sourcing genuine aftermarket parts from the Yamaha catalog... but this was the easiest part. With aftermarket rear shocks, the diminutive front cowl, and the fork gaiters, the matter was settled, and the craze could go on.

Looking at the Fine Cut from a distance reveals only a tiny part of the detailed craftsmanship that went into this bike. We didn't even bother counting how many brass washers were installed on the bike, and most likely, neither did the builders. That is because the number is insane, with virtually every bolt receiving a custom, handmade brass washer polished to a perfect shine.

Brass was also used to craft the multiple brackets clamps and covers that were installed on the Fine Cut, each of these being manufactured and polished by hand. Some of these metal parts were antiqued to suit their position on the bike, such as the bar ends or the beautiful nervures of the wooden grips.

Brass rivets and bullet shells were also used, alongside steampunk-ish copper brass wound rings that keep the gaiters or the K&N breather in place. They might look like a Band-Aid solution, but the pictures just don't do them justice. The wrapping on the all-new headers is a single-piece unit, with the entire collectors system also being easy to remove in case the situation so requires. A single racing silencer adds a very dark, thundering tone to this v-twin, and also enhances the racy looks.

Wooden accents can be met all over the place, and we must stress the insane idea of adding laser-cut wood veneer to the spokes. The cast spokes were carefully measured and a laser was used to make cutouts that fit them to perfection.

Believe it or not, the builders used a nail file to smooth their edges out and the result is mind-blowing. None of the builders used a wood lathe until they started working on the Fine Cut, and woodwork was the toughest part. Multiple pieces were mistaken and redone and experience accumulated as the weeks passed by.

The sparkly lettering on the top wooden piece is made from lacquer mixed with brass filings, adding to the exquisite looks. With wood accents complementing the brass ones, it was hard not to think about the Fine Cut as being the motorcycle representation of a philharmonic orchestra, where wood stands for both woodwinds and reeds.

And making things crazier, Madras and Tridex used authentic glass syringes as brake liquid reservoirs, with antiqued and fire branded cork caps. The brake lines are racing-grade steel-braided ones for impeccable feel.

The front brake is, in fact, a rear master with a hand-made actuation lever for the piston. Also handmade are the brackets used for relocating the foot controls; the assembly is stock, but was moved towards the rear to obtain a cafe-racer riding position.

The tank is also remade from an old BMW unit, and a third syringe was used as a fuel level indicator, adding even more steampunk-ish vibe to the build.

The bike's ECU is fully programmable and can control the pattern and light intensity for the turn signals and brake light, plus a host of other variables that a rider might think of altering to make a bike stand from the crowd.

All the handlebar buttons are wireless, and they communicate with the bike's ECU without the cable clutter. We'de certainly enjoy watching a would-be thief trying to steal the Fine Cut, because the starting button is cleverly hidden, and tapping it in certain ways produces various results.

Madras and Tridex only had time to scratch the surface regarding the programmable features of the Fine Cut's ECU, but the future owner will most likely have a lot of fun testing where things can lead with such technology.

Source autoevolution.com