Gorgeous Yamaha XV750 Cafe Racer Flaunts Livery Inspired by Old-School Racing Colors

Among them, we’ve got MotorAll Customs hailing all the way from Costa Rica. The San Jose-based shop is run by one Greivin Fernandez, who came up with this sublime XV750 cafe racer a few months back. His starting point was a 1982 model from Yamaha’s lineup, and calling the mods extensive would be a bit of an understatement. Greivin’s source of inspiration for the livery is fairly obvious.

He borrowed the stunning black and gold colorway from the John Player Special racing liveries of yore, which is incredibly well executed on this classy Virago. Oh, and the paintwork is just the icing on the cake, mind you, so let’s dig deeper and see how the transformation process has unfolded from start to finish. First things first, the bike was completely dismantled as soon as it got to the MotorAll shop.

This left Greivin with a blank canvas on which he could let his imagination roam free, and it all started with a nice bit of structural work at the back. Where the stock Virago subframe had once been, we now see a bespoke item that radically changes the creature’s anatomy. It lays the foundation for a perfectly level bone line, in keeping with what you’d expect from a quintessential cafe racer.

Atop the new subframe lies a compact tail unit with small LED lights recessed into its sides, but then there is that neat solo saddle sporting black Alcantara and gold stitching. The license plate will henceforth live down low on a swingarm-mounted bracket, which is also tasked with supporting a small rear fender. Our protagonist also went to town with the suspension in that area.

Gone is the XV750’s twin-shock arrangement, making room for a fully-adjustable piggyback monohock mounted nice and close to the frame. At the front, we’re greeted by the inverted forks of a Suzuki GSX-R750, held in place via custom triple clamps and accompanied by a new front fender. Greivin fitted an aftermarket LED headlamp, as well, while swapping the stock fuel tank with a Benelli Mojave unit.

As you can imagine, a whole load of work was needed to make the tank fit its new host, but it was definitely worth it in the end. The MotorAll treatment also involved some heavy lifting down in the unsprung sector, where you will now find a pair of laced 17-inch wheels replacing the OEM parts. They feature stainless-steel spokes and grippy Bridgestone tires around their rims.

Front-end stopping power is generated by the drilled 310 mm (12.2-inch) discs of a Yamaha R1, together with Nissin four-piston calipers. Take a look at the cockpit area, and you’ll notice a whole load of aftermarket goodness in the form of clip-on handlebars, Brembo control levers, and underslung bar-end mirrors. A fresh digital dash also makes an appearance, bringing the updated cockpit equipment full circle.

The ergonomic package comprises new rearsets, too, all coming together to create an aggressive riding posture fit for a cafe racer. Greivin performed a complete rewire to really bring the motorcycle’s electronics into the 21st century. Although there is no word on the internal powertrain work, what we can see is the custom breathing equipment at both ends of the combustion cycle.

Starting with the intake, there is a higher-spec carburetor inhaling through a Kuryakyn Hypercharger air cleaner kit. The filtration hardware scores bonus points for looking seriously imposing, and then you’ve got that bespoke exhaust pipework running on the same side. It was configured as a two-one-two layout using stainless-steel, ultimately ending in slash-cut silencers guaranteed to sound as good as they look.

The air intake has a snazzy hot rod vibe about it, which is perfectly suited for the thunderous soundtrack made by the exhaust. With everything coming together as planned, the project’s author proceeded to tackle the JPS-inspired paint job we’ve mentioned earlier. Black is the predominant color just about everywhere you look, but the frame, swingarm, and rims were done in a matte finish while the bodywork is gloss.

Subtle gold detailing is present on the bodywork and lower engine covers, in the form of pinstripes, JPS tank badges, and MotorAll Customs logos. Greivin Fernandez really knocked this project out of the park, but it isn’t the first instance he’s stunned the custom bike world with his world-class builds. Thanks to him, what had once been a chunky cruiser is now a sporty cafe racer with looks to die for.