At some stage, the tide turned against Yamaha?s SR400 and SR500. It might just be that I?m in Australia and we?ve been saturated with years of Deus-built specials. But there?s been a rising level of snark towards cafe racers built around Yamaha?s evergreen classic. It seems that these days it takes a lot to impress people with an SR. That?s because every conceivable thing you can imagine has been done to them. They've been chopped, hacked, turbocharged, supercharged, bobbed, flat tracked and of course, cut down into cafe racers. Without a doubt, Yamaha has built the default motorcycle of the custom scene - and it seems like every workshop, sooner or later, has a shot at modifying the simple little bike.
But, dear reader, should you" Is it worth tracking down one of Yamaha?s cheerful little runabouts for your next custom project" Has the bike become a staple of the scene because of its own merits, or is it just a cheap, uninspiring start to a project"

Well, we?re here to help you find out, in our latest Cafe Contenders review.
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