Yamaha?s annual ?Yard Built? competition was one of the first and most highly publicized custom competitions, delivering a steady stream of killer bikes. This year, the event has been a little more muted due to COVID, but the quality of builds remains high.
We love this XSR700 from EXIF regulars Bad Winners, the Paris workshop that includes Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc amongst its clients. Builders Walid and Benoit worked off a 2D concept called The Disruptive, produced by the Photoshop design specialist Barbara Motorcycles.

The project had an unusual gestation: Walid was one of the judges for a Yamaha promotion called ?Back to the Drawing Board,? and Yamaha asked him to turn the 2D Barbara concept (above) into a 3D reality. Bad Winners have now gone one step further and made this custom available as a kit. The striking design is inspired by the Yamahas that raced on American flat tracks in the 1970s, hence the gold and black colors. And the XSR700 is a terrific starting point: it?s light, reliable, huge fun to ride, and loved by owners and journos alike. If there?s a fly in the proverbial ointment, it?s the styling?and Bad Winners have fixed it.

The XSR700’s stock setup includes a fuel cell covered by plastic panels?but this has been ditched in favor of a one-piece carbon fiber fuel tank. The tail piece is finished off with a slim leather seat, and everything bolts to the Yamaha’s stock mounting points.
Like an increasing number of pro builders these...