‘Do what you love, help along the way’. It’s not just a great ideal by which to live one’s life, but also serves as the motto for the global humanitarian charity, Waves for Water. The group has dedicated itself to providing clean drinking water to those most in need and responding to natural disasters that compromise that vital elixir of life. Now for the second time, David Chang, founder of the immensely popular CROIG (Café Racers of Instagram) has pooled some incredible talent to create an amazing motorcycle. The idea is simple, build a killer custom creation and give it away to a Waves for Water donor. For this build, Yamaha has gotten heavily involved with their Yard Built program and given the project the name ‘Yard Built for Good’. The result is this beautiful Yamaha XSR900, inspired by the iconic Tech21 Yamaha FZR750 that King Kenny Roberts rode in the 1985 Suzuka 8 Hours, and destined to deliver water to the world.
One of the many amazing initiatives run by Waves for Water is their courier program, which supports travellers who roam the far corners of the earth, to deliver life-saving water filtration systems to communities in need. Just this program alone has seen vital water filters delivered in more than 90 countries, and it was while completing this incredible work that CROIG’s David Chang was first inspired to make an even bigger difference. Back in 2019 after his travels to South East Asia, David decided to organise the build of a custom HD Sportster 48, with amazing input from the custom community coming from the likes of Sosa Metalworks, J Shia from Madhouse Motors, Jay Donovan, Joe Mielke, Andrew Blaschko, and Kristen Lassen
Thousands of dollars were raised for the cause and the sweet Sporty was given away to one very lucky donor. And now David has done it all over again, this time teaming up with Yamaha to secure the 2022 XSR900 for the build and bringing on more of the best in the game, to create a killer custom for a crucial charity. An amazing moment in Yamaha history provided the inspiration, when in 1985 a retired Kenny Roberts turned up out of nowhere in Japan, to partner with local hero Tadahiko Taira, to compete in the Suzuka 8 Hours on their Tech21 FZR. Roberts set a blistering time in qualifying to take pole position, and even after a horror start, the team led all day, until the engine called enough with less than 30 minutes to go. Honda would win the race, but Yamaha had made a big statement.
So, to recreate a modern version, David turned to Dragos Toma and Alex Ferreirinha at Strange Industries in Los Angeles to do the main spanner work on the build. The first task for the team was to rip the XSR apart, removing all of the stock bodywork, the rear subframe and a host of factory parts and pieces, until they had a blank canvas on which to work. Then things switched into the high-tech realm, as the guys transferred the image of that canvas into digital form and began the process of designing an entirely new look for the XSR. This process not only allowed them to come up with a completely fresh panel kit for the bike, heavily inspired by those iconic FZR endurance fairings, but also to know the exact measurements and components they needed to make them fit.
And this is where the ethos of the build and bringing it to life come together, rather than just using reinforced plastic or even highly expensive carbon fibre, the guys decided to use a product called AmpliTex. Already used in everything from motorsport to the aerospace industry, the natural fibre is sustainable, lightweight and ultra-energy-efficient in its production. The range of flax-reinforced fabrics can be used in all of the same applications as carbon fibre, and nowhere does it look better than in bringing that fantastic front end to life. And despite the radical design, the Yamaha frame remains uncut and unmolested, with clever brackets used to attach all of the new panels.
The tank cover attaches over the top of the factory fuel cell, so there is no need to mess with pumps or regulators to get the bike running, and that slick tail end attaches to a custom-built subframe, which is completely hidden by the number boards. Then it’s a real race bike transformation, with the removable headlight cover, brilliantly capturing the look of King Kenny’s FZR. Taking inspiration from the modern world of motorsport, a custom aero wing sits underneath and if ever there was the perfect bike to wear the razor-sharp Rizoma mirrors, this is it! The entire visual look of the Yamaha was then brought to life, with the racey graphic design by Ryan “ROADKILL” Quickfall, sprayed over the Bcomp natural fibre; she looks fast standing still!
But David didn’t just want the bike to look great, he wanted it to perform that way too, and nothing gets the brilliant triple of the XSR900 going like a full system from Akrapovič. To add a neat custom touch, a new intake rams fresh cold air through into the inlet, all neatly integrated into the factory Deltabox frame. Of course, you can’t have a race replica that doesn’t perform as one should, and some big ticket Ohlins suspension provides all of the adjustability to tune the bike for road or race. And making the most of the handling package, unsprung weight is then cut drastically and looks enhanced to perfection, thanks to a set of Rotobox carbon fibre wheels which have been wrapped in Bridgestone Battlax rubber.
Further giving the Yammie the race bike vibe and the controls to match, a full suite of Gilles Tooling components have been fitted up, with their clip-on bars for steering duty and a set of adjustable rearsets to get the rider perfectly positioned. The entire bike is a credit to David, Strange Industries and everyone involved in making the Yard Built for Good Yamaha XSR900 a reality. But it’s more than a wicked set of wheels, it gives you the opportunity to get involved and help deliver vital clean water to thousands of those most in need around the world. And if you follow the link and donate at least $10 to Waves for Water, then you could be the lucky winner of this custom chariot built for a bloody good cause.
[ CROIG | Waves for Water ]