Olivier Ortolani has a flair for the dramatic. This is a guy who once wrapped a Ducati Panigale 1199 S in hand-shaped polished aluminum bodywork, so there’s no line he won’t cross. Which is exactly why his newest client was happy to let him loose.
The owner of this 1982 Yamaha TR1 didn’t have a donor bike in mind when he first visited the Ortolani Customs workshop in Nice, France. But he liked what he saw, and wanted his own ‘Ortolani.’ So he sourced a TR1, then rode it for six months to make sure there weren’t any gremlins lurking.

Olivier’s client specifically wanted something sporty that’d be a joy on the twisties in his region. So although this TR1 catches the eye with sculpted forms and the ultimate 1980s-style front wheel, there’s some trick engineering going on too. Once Olivier had stripped the 1,000 cc v-twin down, he began switching out its running gear. The TR1?s handling was never top drawer, so this one has a full complement of Triumph Daytona 675 R bits. That included the Daytona’s adjustable Öhlins suspension, wheels and brakes.

At the back, Olivier took just over an inch out of the swing arm, and modified the shock mounts to realign with the chassis. Up front, he paired the Daytona suspension with a set of custom-made triples from USV Racing. And he installed wet weather tires from Continental.
If you’re trying to figure out what’s going on with the front wheel, it’s been d...