The XSR700 landed in their laps via Dutch watchmaker TW Steel, as part of the Sons of Time project. Working in collaboration with Yamaha, TW Steel pairs a new bike with a builder and creates a limited edition watch to match.
We’ve already seen Diamond Atelier’s XSR900, and then Arjan got the call. There was no brief, but the bike’s livery needed to complement the watch. ?Our aim was to get a low, fast and mean kinda cafe racer,? he says, ?since the bike leaves the Yamaha factory as a street scrambler.?

He got the forks to fit using the MT-10’s lower triple, and a custom-machined aluminum top clamp. Other chassis upgrades include an Öhlins rear shock, and a pair of fiery red Kineo spoked tubeless wheels. They’re wrapped in Continental Race Attack rubber, with rear bumped from 160 to 180 wide. Then it was time to massage the rest of the XSR into shape. Just like with Yamaha’s own Yard Built program, TW Steel had asked that the frame not be cut or modded in any way?but they said nothing about the bodywork.

Lower down, the airbox has been replaced by a set of DNA filters. A carbon SC Project muffler handles the aural side of the experience, connected to the headers via a custom-made section.
Ironwood have carried the XSR’s aggressive new stance through to the front end, with a gnarly dual projector headlight, and a Motogadget dash, recessed into the top clamp. The grips and bar-end turn signals are also from Motogadget, and the c...