One-Off Yamaha XJR1300 Cafe Racer Flexes Wooden Tail and R1 Running Gear

The bike was put together by Pritchett and Sons, a lesser-known shop located in Wollongong, New South Wales. It’s run by a young lad named Keeley Pritchett, who’d been heavily involved in the art of motorcycle customization ever since his teens. The guy’s dedication to the craft was fierce right from the start, so it was only a matter of time before the public and press took notice.

His work still doesn’t quite get the attention it truly deserves, though, and we want to play our part in changing that. A close inspection of his caffeinated XJR might just be the best way to go about this, as the specimen is a perfect demonstration of what he can pull off. It all began with a 2002 model from Yamaha’s lineup, which wasn’t stock nor in the best condition upon arrival at the shop.

Previously, the donor underwent some interesting modifications that were lacking in execution. It came with the inverted forks, beefy front brakes, and five-spoke wheels of an R1 – all nice to have but needing an expert’s touch. Furthermore, the XJR1300 rolled into Keeley’s garage with a pretty shoddy custom rear end, which was promptly ditched during the initial teardown.

The Aussie did away with the standard fuel tank, too, but he kept it in the family during his search for a suitable replacement. Stumbling upon an XJR module from a different model-year, he wasted no time picking it up and revising its underside to work with the ‘02 XJR variant. With a perfect fitment achieved, Keeley fashioned a pair of metal side panels for a smooth visual transition between the tank and seat.

Right behind the black leather saddle, you’ll see one of the most intriguing features characterizing this machine. We are, of course, talking about that wooden tail section shaped out of maple, with LED turn signals hanging on to its flanks. Only the top portion of the tail is made of wood, though, and its underside gives way to aluminum plating complete with four LED taillights.

A plain license plate bracket is also present in that area, but so is a carbon fiber battery box stashed out of view. Rear-end suspension duties are now assigned to a single piggyback shock absorber, which connects to a repurposed R1 swingarm down low. We notice a custom wheel hugger attached to the latter, as well, and Keeley swapped the rear brake disc with an aftermarket part.

At the front, he fitted bespoke triple clamps made of billet aluminum, along with a small custom fender in between the upside-down R1 forks. The way ahead is lit up by an aftermarket LED headlight, attached to the upper fork tubes via tailor-made mounting hardware. Further back in the cockpit, we find clip-on handlebars and a selection of premium accessories from Motogadget.

These include fresh grips, glassless bar-end mirrors, and a digital Motoscope Pro dial, all joined by plain switchgear and new control levers. CNC-machined rearsets bring the motorcycle’s ergonomic setup full circle, and our protagonist hasn’t overlooked the powertrain, either. With plenty of torque and just over 100 hp on tap, the 1,251cc inline-four engine didn’t exactly need any internal upgrades to shine.

Keeley simply gave it a once-over to make sure everything was still in good shape, then he busied himself with the intake and exhaust mods. Air flows in through a set of aftermarket foam filters, but the real star of the show here is a custom stainless-steel exhaust system. It runs a four-into-two configuration toward a pair of high-mounted silencers on the right.

Lastly, the chosen color scheme is a monochromatic, yet undeniably elegant affair, merging silver and black beautifully all throughout. The wooden tail unit immediately stands out in stark contrast to these muted hues, embellished with black pinstriping for visual continuity. With his closing act out of the way, the mastermind at Pritchett and Sons could finally sit back and admire the fruit of his labor in all its glory.

The neo-retro cafe racer he came up with is a masterclass in purposeful customization done right, and we’ll be sure to keep an eye on where the future takes him. Underrated builders are often just as talented as the big names on the scene, so we’re always delighted to bring their work into the spotlight. I mean, it would be a real shame for motorcycles like this XJR1300 to fly under the radar, wouldn’t it?