Sean Skinner is the Jekyll and Hyde of customized bikes. Generally he builds tidy restomods that present restraint, and different instances he builds idiosyncratic machines that put his creativeness on full show. This elegant Yamaha RD350 avenue tracker sits someplace within the center.
Sean runs MotoRelic as a one-man band, out of a small storage behind his home in Hamilton, Virginia, USA. This challenge was commissioned by a buyer who had picked up a 1973 Yamaha RD350 for $350 (a correct barn discover) and needed it became a avenue tracker.
“Usually, getting a motorbike for $1 per cc is a superb deal,” says Sean. “However when he despatched the photographs, I felt like he overpaid. It was the crustiest, most forgotten bike I’d ever seen.”
“We had fun, and I informed him ‘If it’s not locked up, then it is going to be nice.’ His thought for the construct would solely require me to maintain the body and engine—all the pieces else would go to the dumpster. He was ready to spare no expense on this construct, which made my job far more enjoyable!”
“When the bike arrived, we had one other snicker, however then received right down to enterprise speaking about his dream. He needed a light-weight street ripper with 19” wheels, true flat monitor Hoosier tires, a customized tail and seat, a tracker-style entrance plate, and a fire-breathing engine. He rolled out and I started working, not understanding how the bike would evolve into what it’s immediately.”
Sean began by yanking the Yamaha RD350’s motor out, boxing it up, and delivery it to classic two-stroke specialist, Ed Toomey. “We mentioned the consumer’s wants and nailed down a correct checklist of issues that Ed would do to this little powerhouse,” he tells us. “I then proceeded to order a pile of goodies for the construct.”
With the naked body on the workbench, Sean set about placing collectively a trick new rolling chassis. The front-end wears a set of Suzuki GSX-R750 forks, gripped by Cognito Moto yokes. Cognito provided the 19” wheels too, matching Excel rims to their proprietary hubs.
The upgraded wheels included a rear brake disc conversion, so Sean put in a Brembo caliper and designed a brand new brake pedal meeting and grasp cylinder mount to actuate it. “Since there was a Brembo on the rear, the client felt just like the entrance wanted to match,” he provides. “Goodbye Tokico, hiya Brembos! Who am I to argue?”
Sean’s plans for the again finish of the RD350 concerned a mono-shock conversion, however then his buyer sourced an aluminum from Trac Dynamics. Constructed with a two-inch stretch, the brand new twin-shock swingarm left loads of room for the 19” rear wheel. A pair of HyperPro shocks was put in to finish the setup.
“With the chassis now in curler kind, I started working designing how I needed the bike to look,” says Sean. “I had a Honda Ascot tank that basically screamed ‘tracker,’ however it was pretty huge for this skinny girl. I made a decision the facet profile was excellent, so I reduce the tank in half, narrowed it two inches, and fabricated all of the mounts to make it match the body.”
“The tank has an fascinating form on high with totally different angular panels, so I needed to let that circulation again to the tail. I formed the tail part out of aluminum to match the highest of the tank, and gave it some model down the perimeters. The body then obtained all of the mounting tabs to carry all of it in place.”
“Honda added a recessed space to the again of the Ascot tank for his or her manufacturing facility seat. I used that space to form my seat design, permitting a seamless circulation from tank to tail. Counterbalance Cycles stitched up the wealthy brown leather-based.”
The RD350’s modified bodywork left no room for the OEM facet covers, considered one of which doubles up as an oil tank for the Yamaha two-stroke’s ‘Autolube’ oil injection system. To exchange it, Sean fabricated an ultra-slim reservoir that takes a quart of oil and doubles up as a rear interior fender. An externally mounted tube reveals the oil degree.
There have been smaller duties on the bike that required equally inventive options. Sean needed to suit grippy enduro footpegs to the RD350, however didn’t wish to lose the OEM rubber footpeg mounts. So he modified them to undertake the trendy pegs as a substitute.
Extra of Sean’s tidy metalwork could be seen up entrance, the place a quantity board-style headlight nacelle homes an Eagle Lights LED and a Motogadget Chronoclassic speedo. Simply behind it are ProTaper risers and bars, fitted with Motogadget switches, grips, bar-end flip indicators, and mirrors (which have been eliminated for these photographs).
The growing old RD350’s wiring was binned too, in favor of a brand new loom and a Motogadget mo.unit mind. Spiegler Efficiency provided the Motogadget bits, together with a tiny Kellermann LED taillight.
With the construct approaching the end line, Sean known as on Danny Knight at Knight’s Kustoms to put down a livery that’s out of this world. Utilizing Yamaha’s conventional blue, yellow, and black palette, the design is a reinterpretation of basic RD350 graphics.
Lastly, Sean handled the enduring two-stroke to a coveted Jim Lomas chrome steel exhaust system, which he was fortunate sufficient to seek out at Financial system Cycle. All that was left to do, was learn how effectively the freshly-rebuilt engine would carry out…
“As soon as the beast of an engine got here again from Ed Toomey, the bike was prepared to tear—and rip it does,” says Sean. “First gear is a critical handful. At 6,000 rpm, the totally ported engine respiratory by means of 28 mm Keihin PWK carbs will get on the pipe and lofts the entrance wheel with some critical aggression. Second isn’t any totally different—whereas staying on the pipe she screams to life making you are feeling just like the bike is attempting to toss you off the again.”
“It’s smiles for miles whereas tearing up the again roads. The sound out of these JL pipes is healthier than any symphony on the Sydney Opera Home. Mixed with the scent of 100 octane low lead airplane gas, it feeds all of the senses when you’re attempting to deal with the reins of this wild horse. Rattling good instances!”
MotoRelic | Instagram | Photos by Jonathan Thorpe
