sr85
Sydney Cafe Racers
SR500
Well where do I start…..
2 years ago I woke up… Really literally woke up and decided I’m going to get my motorbike license. So I jumped online and booked my training course (compulsory in Australia). 6 weeks had come around very quickly and before I knew it with the key in the off position I was riding around on 125cc bike being pushed very slowly by a complete stranger. My idea of bikes, speed and cruising long stretches of curvy open road where put on hold for 2 days of 4 hours each.
Soon enough I had completed the course and booked in for the online test.
45 questions in 11 minutes with 44 being right meant I had achieved the first milestone. I had received my learners and it was time to find a bike. I had been interested in bikes for a little while now although I had spontaneously decided to get my license there was always something about open faced helmets and British styled bikes. I would drive to work in my 69’ Mazda 1800 straight pasted Motociclo in St peters (Sydney, Australia) and every time I would drive past that point my eyes where fixated on the awesome vintage bikes lined up on the street waiting to be purchased, waiting to be loved. The lines of a Royal Enfield bullet would always catch my eye they reminded me of Steve Mcqueen in the great escape and I would continue to drive to work trying to escape zee Germanz.
I ended buying something very different, a combination of lack of parking space, money and knowing I wanted to start of with a bike that I did not care for.
I purchased a 1985 Honda VT250 for $500.00 with only 30k on the speedometer it lasted me a good 7 months until some form of a bug bit me.
As spontaneous as getting my license was as spontaneous as I became obsessed with Café Racers. I don’t know where it came from, none of my friends had motorcycles I was a lone soldier. I don’t even remember what happened or how it happened but I had fallen in love with an object, a mix of what one person thought was finished but the rest of the world thought was unfinished object on EBay. I fell head over heels for a 1985 Yamaha SR500 and all we had in common was age.
With in 2 days of seeing it, it was mine. It scared me at first; it was a violent machine that wanted to cut out at the lights as much as it wanted to idol excessively high. I probably shouldn’t have, but I rode it home from the north shore down south to home.
I knew it was far from finished and knew it wasn’t finished to a standard I would be happy with. I didn’t own this bike until I had made it mine. I didn’t own this bike until I had pulled apart everything my skill level would let me and put my touch on it and put it back together. At many points “my ambition outweighed my talent”.
Every week I do work to this bike and every week I feel like I am close to my idea of perfection for this bike.
Come Monday my idea of perfection has changed.
If I had to explain my bike to someone I would say it is a volatile, rude, abrupt, beautiful beast that wants to be let out.
MODS SO FAR
Hope you guys like it! always open to feedback and ideas
Mark.
Well where do I start…..
2 years ago I woke up… Really literally woke up and decided I’m going to get my motorbike license. So I jumped online and booked my training course (compulsory in Australia). 6 weeks had come around very quickly and before I knew it with the key in the off position I was riding around on 125cc bike being pushed very slowly by a complete stranger. My idea of bikes, speed and cruising long stretches of curvy open road where put on hold for 2 days of 4 hours each.
Soon enough I had completed the course and booked in for the online test.
45 questions in 11 minutes with 44 being right meant I had achieved the first milestone. I had received my learners and it was time to find a bike. I had been interested in bikes for a little while now although I had spontaneously decided to get my license there was always something about open faced helmets and British styled bikes. I would drive to work in my 69’ Mazda 1800 straight pasted Motociclo in St peters (Sydney, Australia) and every time I would drive past that point my eyes where fixated on the awesome vintage bikes lined up on the street waiting to be purchased, waiting to be loved. The lines of a Royal Enfield bullet would always catch my eye they reminded me of Steve Mcqueen in the great escape and I would continue to drive to work trying to escape zee Germanz.
I ended buying something very different, a combination of lack of parking space, money and knowing I wanted to start of with a bike that I did not care for.
I purchased a 1985 Honda VT250 for $500.00 with only 30k on the speedometer it lasted me a good 7 months until some form of a bug bit me.
As spontaneous as getting my license was as spontaneous as I became obsessed with Café Racers. I don’t know where it came from, none of my friends had motorcycles I was a lone soldier. I don’t even remember what happened or how it happened but I had fallen in love with an object, a mix of what one person thought was finished but the rest of the world thought was unfinished object on EBay. I fell head over heels for a 1985 Yamaha SR500 and all we had in common was age.
With in 2 days of seeing it, it was mine. It scared me at first; it was a violent machine that wanted to cut out at the lights as much as it wanted to idol excessively high. I probably shouldn’t have, but I rode it home from the north shore down south to home.
I knew it was far from finished and knew it wasn’t finished to a standard I would be happy with. I didn’t own this bike until I had made it mine. I didn’t own this bike until I had pulled apart everything my skill level would let me and put my touch on it and put it back together. At many points “my ambition outweighed my talent”.
Every week I do work to this bike and every week I feel like I am close to my idea of perfection for this bike.
Come Monday my idea of perfection has changed.
If I had to explain my bike to someone I would say it is a volatile, rude, abrupt, beautiful beast that wants to be let out.
MODS SO FAR
- SHORTENED FRAME
- CUSTOM REAR AND FRONT FENDER
- CUSTOM TAIL LIGHT
- CLIP ON BARS
- KEIHIN FCR39MM RACE CARBURETTOR
- CUSTOM Z50 FUEL TANK
- ACEWELL COMPUTER/SPEEDO
- RETROHEADS SEAT
- BULLETSTYLE INDICATORS
- REVERSE CONE EXHAUST
- EXHAUST WRAPS
- KN AIR FILTER
- BATTERY ELIMINATOR
- VINTAGE FIRESTONE TYRES
- DICE TYRE VALVE CAPS
- ADJUSTABLE 320 REAR SHOCKS
- BATES STYLE HEADLIGHT
- DUEL OIL FEED LINE
- BRAIDED FUEL LINE
- AFTERMARKET CONTROLS
- TEMPERATURE GAUGE OIL-STICK
- BRITISH 60S ERA SIDE MIRROR
- TRUCK HEADLIGHT GRILL
- CUSTOM PLATES SR85
Hope you guys like it! always open to feedback and ideas
Mark.
