Just over a year ago, the last SR400 rolled off the production line in Yamaha?s Iwata factory, marking the end of an astonishing 43-year production run. It was always a steady rather than big seller, with most sales in the domestic market?which is why virtually every Japanese custom shop has built multiple SR400s over the years.
One of those shops is Wedge Motorcycle, run by Takashi Nihira. He?s in the upper echelon of the Japanese custom scene, and famous for his big budget builds. And when he?s not working on commissions from manufacturers such as BMW, his high-end bikes win awards at Japan?s legendary custom shows.

But it?s affordable machines like this 2007-spec SR400 that keep the cash flow going at Nihira?s Tokyo workshop. ?This is a shop project bike,? he tells us. ?I originally built it for a customer, but the customer was letting go of it. So I bought it back, reconsidered the style, and updated it.? ?The concept is ?compact?,? he adds. ?By using smaller exterior parts and adding ?volume? around the tires, it makes the bike seem visually smaller.? The stance is absolutely spot on.

Nihira has given the OHC single cylinder engine plenty of love, even though it?s just 15 years old. He?s overhauled the cylinder head and block, replaced the piston rings and valve stem seals, and installed a new Keihin FCR flat slide carburetor for smoother response and a touch of extra power.
A newly fabricated stainless steel header pipe gets the exhaust gases out of the way, an...