Meet my first motorcycle project
Meet my first motorcycle project; a yamaha fzr 750r from 1987. Hello classic beauty! Why on earth I am going to rebuild this bike? Because I am genuinely curious what it’s like to rebuild (and ride!) a classic motorcycle.
There is just so much history to them. I developed a soft sport for classic motorcycles, thanks to a few of my friends who own and ride classic bikes (or spend lots of time in the garage working on them). Their looks, their characteristics. They just have this charm over them. In this world in which everything seems to need to go faster and faster, it is such a relieve to go back in time. And take it easy for a bit.
GOOD OLD DAYS
A CLASSIC BIKE AS A FIRST MOTORCYCLE PROJECT
New motorcycles never seem to have enough power. Or torque. But let’s go back to the good old days in which bikes underwent a crazy development. They might not be that fast for modern day standards. But for standards of those days they were! And some of them still are, actually. The Yamaha FZR 750R I am going to rebuild still managed to reach a top speed of approximately 140 mph (or 225 km/h). I think that is pretty quick.
REBUILD THE GENESIS TO AN OW01 REPLICA
SPICING UP MY FIRST MOTORCYCLE PROJECT
So what is plan for this classic racer? The plan is to give her a slightly different look than her original form. I’ll give her the looks of the famous Yamaha FZR 750RR OW01. There were only 500 produced as homologation bikes. My FZR isn’t a true OW01 model, it is the normal Genesis model. But she does already has the swingarm of an OW01. Since she will never be an original OW01 model, I figured I might as well go full send with her new looks.
WHAT IS A HOMOLOGATION BIKE?
READY TO RACE
A homologation bike is a motorcycle that underwent a certain proces to be able to take part in a championship. The rules and terms & conditions are made by a monitoring authority, like the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme). Not only is it obligatory that bikes meet certain techinical rules.
There also had to be a certain amount of bikes sold as road bikes, to ensure the motorcycle wasn’t just made for racing. That often limited the amount of bikes that went into production to the minimum amount. That is why homologation bikes are often quite rare.
So I have found an aftermarket fairing kit in endurance style. That means it leaves room for the headlights and a tail light, to make it road legal. I am not sure yet whether I will give her the original OW01 colours. Might as well give her some funky ones! So still a bit torn on that part.
BUT FIRST
A FULL CHECK
But before going all out painting or wrapping (not sure about that either!), I will get her fully checked engine and electronics wise. Check all the wiring etcetera. She will get a full check. She didn’t run for quite some time, so it will be much needed.
I am by no means a mechanic. So I will have to ask for help a lot. Probably all the time.. but hey! We are going to tackle this anyway! So this is what it looks like right now:
CONCLUSION
I can’t wait to start this project. It will be one hell of a job. But I will keep you informed about the process. Might catch some of it on video. Not sure whether you guys want to see me on video.. but hey! I am already having fun. And I haven’t even started yet. If this is normal for builder, then I fully get why you guys store or rebuild old bikes.
Keep you posted!
