Cigarettes Will Kill You is both the name of a great ’90s song and an indisputable fact, but boy did the marketing teams behind the manufacturers of those naughty sticks come up with some truly incredible racing liveries. The Rothmans GP bikes and cars, the Marlboro men of McLaren F1 and Yamaha’s Wayne Rainey, and the indisputable king of paint schemes, the famous black and gold of anything supported by John Player Special. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a custom motorcycle with those colours, so it was a nice surprise when an email arrived all the way from beautiful Costa Rica from the team at MotorAll Customs. There they have built this truly stunning 1982 Yamaha Virago XV750, and it’s more than the livery that makes it so special.
When you hear of Costa Rica, your mind tends to wander straight to the stunning beaches and some of the world’s best waves, which can be found along the country’s western coastline. But head inland to the capital city of San Jose, and here you find the jewel in the crown of Central America’s capital cities. The architecture is remarkable, the vibe warm and friendly, and the economy is strong, which has meant that for the last decade, Greivin Fernandez has been able to produce one brilliant custom bike after another for his loyal client base.
The latest creation to roar out the door of the MotorAll Customs stable is this Yamaha XV750, and the discerning owner wanted more than just a pretty face; although he got that too. Most of the bikes that Greivin works with are Japanese, and the XV range has proven a popular pick with his clients over the years, so it’s a bike he knows well. That means his first port of call is to strip some kilos from the ’80s cruiser, as 238kg full of fuel is simply too much when you’re aiming to have a good time. So, rather than mess around, the donor bike was literally stripped down until all that was left was a bare engine and the main frame.
This leaves not only a huge pile of parts on the floor, including the truly awful mag wheels and ginormous two-up seat, but sets the tone for the build which is to only add back what is absolutely necessary. The factory rear subframe is quickly dealt with by a grinder and then an all-new unit has been built, with simple and yet stunning lines thanks to the flowing round bar supports and the neatly hooped tail. This drastically reduces both the visual and real length of the bodywork, leaving no room for a spot to hold a number plate, so a new support is added with a thinner diameter bar coming off the swingarm which also sports a mini fender.
The front fender follows a similar theme, with round bar used to create a set of mounts from the lower legs of the forks, and a blade like item added over the top to neatly hug the tyre. But the big bodywork changes are seen in the two key areas, and the large Virago fuel tank has been kicked to the corner and swapped out for the ever-popular Benelli Mojave conversion.
Smaller, lighter and with drastically superior lines, the only downside is the excess amount of frame on show, which is neatly dealt with thanks to the cohesive colour choice. A hand fabricated tailpiece in true cafe racer style is a stunning match and features a pair of recesses for the taillights.
Time to get things rolling and with those ‘only in the ’80s’ wheels in the bin, a new set is created by changing the 19/16in diameter pair for a set of alloy hoops that measure 17 inches at both ends. The front is built around a custom hub that is laced together with stainless spokes, while the rear retains the stock shaft-driven hub, and uses custom inner rings to bring the conversion to life.
The new size means you have your pick of quality sportbike rubber, and sticky Bridgestone tyres in 110 and 150 sections have been chosen for the job. To let the braking really bite, a set of 310mm R1 rotors have then been added to the pointy end, with 4-piston calipers from Nissin doing the clamping.
To set the stance Greivin didn’t want to drop the bike to the ground, this is a machine made to be ridden hard, and rebuilt GSXR-750 forks ensure the front end can be dialled in to perfection. The rear is just as impressive, with a fully adjustable shock sliding up the guts of the frame and the finned reservoir aiding the shock oil to retain a sensible temperature.
The high seat and lower bars are not for looks, that Bridgestone tyre needs plenty of weight over it to perform, and custom rearsets get the rider locked in. The bars are decked out with Brembo levers and master, small billet switch blocks and the entire bike has been painstakingly rewired using an Ultima kit.
The weight has come down significantly, so to make the horsepower climb higher, a new set of performance carbs now draw via a custom intake which is rammed with air thanks to a Kuryakyn Hypercharger. The exhaust gets a major upgrade too, with a large pair of stainless headers hugging the motor tight and then exiting via a pair of serious slash cut mufflers.
Finally, the paintwork and the entire bike has been hit with either satin or gloss black, before the gorgeous gold is laid down to form that most famous of livieries, with a small change to the logo. Even the seat is dressed in gold for this Costa Rican cafe racer, and it’s all clean air as she heads to the hills to carve up the corners, and then heads down to explore that most famous of Central American coastlines.
[ MotorAll Customs | Photography by Mau Araya ]