‘84 Yamaha TR1 – Moto Adonis

Written by Martin Hodgson.

Moto Adonis head honcho Daan Borsje will inform you that his aim is not just to resurrect close to dead motorcycles but to re-purpose them for the precise demands of his buyers. This leaves him with the inventive freedom to take any old busted bike and turn it into anything he can dream of and design and style and that is exactly what he’s accomplished with this 1984 Yamaha TR1. From their digs in an abandoned factory in Roosendaal the group received a call from a buyer in Amsterdam who wanted just such a bike, but a Scrambler built for his city streets and not muddy rolling hills. “It’s a difficult bike to find in the Netherlands, but we have managed to uncover 1 and give this bike a bad ass scrambler style look!” But appears are only surface deep and when you scratch at this TR1 you start to uncover far more than a handful of good quality elements and just a touch of Supermotard DNA for great measure.

Receiving the construct began was the classic customisers routine of selecting the pieces to stay and arranging them for their transformation and producing a large pile of all the bits that are headed to the scrap heap. With a bare frame to perform with the modifications could be produced to accept the alterations that were to come and any tabs and brackets that wouldn’t be utilized have been ground off and smoothed out. Once coated in a fresh lick of black paint it was out with the old subframe and in with the new. The complete unit is handmade in house from rolled steel tube that mounts to the factory bolt positions for a clean and tidy look. With it is rear hoop kicked up ever so slightly it also creates the ideal base for the seat, which is an additional Moto Adonis creation, a quick, however properly padded, Scrambler item produced from black leather with diamond pattern stitching.

When it comes to the bodywork the tuning fork logo may well be present but there is no Yamaha metal or plastic in sight! This is not a very first for Moto Adonis, on a preceding Yamaha XV construct they fitted a Honda CB400 tank and it worked brilliantly and so as soon as once more they’ve gone for a Honda tank to replace the less than eye-catching stock unit. This tank is a reworked Honda CB750 item, it is broad shoulders giving the bike a much more muscular appear. With the modifications made for it to fit the frame correctly a brilliant paint job was laid down that tends to make the most of the new bulk the tank provides while concealing it is least charming function. By maintaining the decrease section of the tank in black the crease line exactly where the side covers would have when merged is all but hidden with colour and graphics splashed only on the sides. The black vertical stripes with red lines more than the stark white base and Yamaha logo is just the right amount of colour while preserving a tough urban look.

But it is far far more than looks that Moto Adonis had been going for and the concentrate of this machine is improving it is handling abilities and super motard and higher finish superbike components are just about the best way to accomplish that aim for a bike made to rip up city streets. The front forks have been adapted to the Yamaha frame and come from the hard charging Suzuki GSX-R, the create top quality, adjustability and USD arrangement all superior to the telescopic products fitted to the TR1 from the factory. The adjustable rear mono shock that mounts into the frame is retained and is a essential design element in preserving the narrow lines of the V-Twin base. The Nissin brake caliper is from the Suzuki forks with only a single side retained and mounted to a new custom bracket. The purpose for the new hardware is the use of a larger single disc from a KTM 690 SM that provides all the bite with out the further rolling mass of a second disc.

The reason behind the KTM front disc starts to make a lot more sense when you realise the front wheel is from the same model. The lightweight and spoked rim retains the KTM hub that is adapted to the Suzuki front end before getting wrapped in a 120/70 Pirelli MT60 Corsa tyre. A sensible decision of rubber for a bike of such purposes when you consider even Pirelli describe it as obtaining been developed for “fun bikes on asphalt surfaces”. Out back far more KTM SuperMoto hardware is provided up with a drilled disc clamped by a Brembo caliper held onboard by another Moto Adonis piece of fabrication. The rear wheel like the front is also from the 690 SM but this time wrapped in a fat 160/60 Pirelli MT60RS tyre. The forgiving profile combined with the lightweight wheel enabling for drastically improved grip on corner exit as the tyre is planted hard into the surface exposing its complete width to the ground.

The engine has been refreshed but modifications stay fairly mild to keep reliability and reduce cost, but with nearly a litre of V-Twin muscle there is far more than enough energy. Two valve heads imply the air cooled Yamaha is a torquey beast and firing off turns is just what it does greatest. A custom two into 1 stainless steel exhaust was handmade at the shop and not only looks the company but adds more ponies and a brilliant burble. The air filter has been left exposed with a combination of polished covers, gloss black and wrinkle finish paint providing the engine a new lease on life. To hide all the electrics and the new battery a box was fabricated that sits beneath the seat for a clean, wire cost-free finish.

Lighting the dark backstreets of Amsterdam is the Triumph Scrambler 7 inch headlight with custom grill ought to the owner ever be chasing a rock slinging rival. The taillight is neatly hidden beneath the new seat even though tiny indicators can barely be observed but maintain issues street legal. Tiny risers sit atop the Suzuki upper triple clamp and hold the perfect Scrambler bars with Biltwell grips. Keeping the riders feet firmly planted in even the most frenzied of riding moments is a pair of motocross footpegs painted in frame matching black. Back on the bars factors are kept purposeful with just the important switch gear, single mirror and master cylinder that sends its stress down a braided line. The single digital/analogue speedo is a good modern touch to this otherwise industrial machine.

It is a great point 1 is fitted also as the thrilling tight turns and obstacles of the concrete jungle come with low speed limits and you could simply surpass them with out notice on this Moto Adonis monster. But that is what this Scrambler is all about, leaving the dirt trails to other similarly styled bikes and testing the limits of the metropolitan atmosphere. In an increasingly urbanised planet fewer people take the open roads to perform, so if you have to tackle the metro streets then what far better way to cross Amsterdam than on a objective constructed City Scrambler from one particular of the very best Dutch builders in the game nowadays.