When you live in a city where the police drive the latest supercars and even have a supercharged Kawasaki H2 in their fleet, you’re going to need something special to stand out from the crowd. But in the first trimester of the life of Dubai’s Sheriff Motorcycles, they stuck to the more conventional, turning out several beautiful and clean cafe racer inspired projects. But sometimes you just have to give the crowds and the customers what they want, and the latest batch of machines from the workshop have been true showstoppers. In fact, so impressive is “Mirage”, this their latest masterpiece, that the once humble 1982 Yamaha Virago 750 took out best in show just a week after being finished.
It’s been a rapid rise for Sheriff, who have taken an interesting approach to building custom motorcycles in the Middle East. What tends to stand out in cities like Dubai is the latest crop of superbikes, which have been kitted out with every possible accessory or dressed up to look like something straight from the MotoGP paddock. But Sheriff takes a different approach, with classic motorcycles harder to come by, they instead prefer to restore them back to their best and then craft each into a one-of-one custom. The front of the shop and website acts like an art gallery, with buyers invited to purchase the completed pieces.
This in turn makes building each bike a wholly free experience, with no customer constraints as to the styling or the budget. And it seems to be working, with half of their range already sold, so meeting demand means creating more bikes! Having picked up the Virago, it was decided that the focus of this build was to try and truly capture the essence and experience of riding a motorcycle from the ’80s, just with a more modern twist. “This unique cruiser has undergone an extensive restoration process, focusing on preserving its original charm while incorporating precision detailing and custom design elements.”
And this time there would be plenty of bling involved, the ’80s was hardly a modest decade. To achieve this, the bike was taken back to the bare frame, with the pressed steel piece and the swingarm smoothed out and ground back, so it could undergo some serious chrome work! However, The stock subframe did not survive the process, having been tossed in the bin and replaced by a much shorter hand-made tubular item that had a nice dip in a chrome bath. The frame even features several laser-cut ‘Mirage’ logos and the shaft drive assembly was given a rebuild before bolting it back together.
To give the cruiser a more cafe racer vibe and drastically improve the handling, the front suspension needed one serious overhaul. So all of the stock parts have been scrapped and the right bearings fitted to allow a full Yamaha R6 conversion to be performed. Having ensured perfect fitment, the fork tubes, front wheel and triple clamps were given the chrome treatment, while the lower legs, brake calipers and the inner section of the brake discs have all been returned to a raw metal finish. At the rear of the bike, a modern shock brings the handling up to scratch and then it’s more chrome and polishing for the factory wheel and hub.
In keeping with the theme of old and new, the tire selection is classically styled, and it’s obvious this bike was always set for the show circuit. The bodywork is kept minimal but boy is it flashy, with the front fender beautifully shaped to give the modern forks a classic metal covering, rather than using the R6 plastic piece. The fuel tank has been lovingly restored, not showing a day of its age and even the filler cap looks better than new. While the rear fender is a gorgeous tyre-hugging steel item, neatly affixed with hidden mounts.
Previously Sheriff had stuck with traditional hues, but an ’80s theme calls for something bold and bright and nothing hits that spot like Day Glo Orange. To give some contrast, the second colour is a mild cream,whicht is separated from its fancy friend by a super neat black pinstripe. To give the tank something extra to catch the eye, brass cut badges have been added to the look, and this sets another train in motion. One that saw the rearset mounts, headlight bezel and a host of the engine covers sent out to be dipped in a polished brass finish, and you’re going to need your sunglasses on if you get too close.
That engine has been meticulously rebuilt and while the polished side covers might steal the show, it’s the fact that every bolt, oil line and metal clip has been replaced with new items that proves just how serious this Sheriff is about detail. The battery and the main electrics are neatly hidden away in a custom box and a small pod filter exits the left side of the frame. But it’s the exhaust that you can’t take your eyes off, meticulously pieced together, it wraps around the engine before merging the two pipes and running to the rear along a straight path, with hidden baffles and a brass end cap. To finish off the build a single saddle in cream leather shapes the perfect saddle, which allowed this Sheriff to ride off into the sunset, having stolen the gold at just its first show.
If you like what you see and have some money to burn, this beautiful build is up for auction on Collecting Cars.
