Retro-futuristic styling and walloping performance is a mouth-watering match, and this tasty Fireblade from France is gourmet fare. It comes from Atelier Sur Les Chapeaux De Roues, a workshop in the small village of Tréméven, in Brittany in northwestern France.
The shop is run by solo operator Manuel Jouan, whose work is on a par with many of the bigger European outfits. If you remember the name, it?s probably because he caught the eye of Yamaha a couple of years ago, and was selected to create a very funky BW200 for the Yard Built project.

This CBR1000RR is our favorite SLCDR build to date though, because Manuel has sailed through the notoriously tricky task of reworking a modern superbike.
For a liter-bike, the Fireblade is actually a smooth, refined and accessible ride?despite the aggressive MotoGP-inspired styling. If there?s a weak point it?s the styling, and that?s the main issue Manuel has addressed.
?This is a 2007 CBR1000RR,? says Manuel. ?My customer arrived with the bike at the workshop after a crash. He didn?t know if he wanted to rebuild it while keeping it stock, or make a custom. I advised him to let me transform it, with a futuristic style.?
The CBR is most definitely not in need of a performance boost, with around 170 hp on tap from its compact inline four. There?s only about 450 pounds to push around when fueled up. So Manuel has focused on radically new visuals, plus a smattering of subtle but effective component updates.

?My customer let me do...