Made in Taiwan and only sold locally, the Yamaha SR150 was a hit among commuters and delivery riders. But it was a bike bought for its affordability and practicality, not its looks. Resembling the legendary SR500 only in name, the stock SR150 looks just like you’d expect a delivery bike to; blocky and bland.
That hasn’t stopped workshops in Taiwan’s blossoming custom scene from tearing into the snack-sized SR to make it easier on the eye. And this stunning SR150 café racer shows just how much potential the donor bike has.

It’s the work of Twentytwo Custom, the custom branch of the Taiwanese motorcycle culture and apparel brand, Persist Motorcycle Company. When Twentytwo first opened shop, they promised themselves that their fifth build would be an internal project. This is that build. ?The owner of this Taiwanese-made Yamaha SR150 is one of our own staff members, Red,? explains Twentytwo founder, Dong Lin. ?She has been in charge of the design business at Persist for nearly three years. Most of our visuals come from her designs.?

Given her sharp eye and her role in the company, Red obviously had a lot to contribute to the design. ?Twentytwo ’05’ is an attempt to fuse and pay tribute to all her favorite things,? says Lin, “like sci-fi movies, cyberpunk comics and 90s JDM street racing cars.?
?Out of nostalgia, and a passionate love we have for this domestic-made model, finding a way to preserve the soul of its original look wa...