Since it began, Yamaha’s Yard Built program has broken new ground, leading the industry with unique and inspiring collaborations with some of the world’s top custom motorcycle builders. Following a series of successful builds in 2015 to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the XJR, Yamaha has again broken new ground, collaborating with Japanese selvedge denim company Iron Heart to create the first Selvedge denim inspired Yard Built motorcycle. Founded in Japan in 2003 by Shinichi Haraki after 25 years working in the industry for brands such as Edwin, the Iron Heart vision is to make beautiful clothing, pure in function and constructed in the highest quality fabrics, not restricted by the dictates of fashion. Haraki san was joined by Giles Padmore in 2005 and the partnership continues to grow the Iron Heart brand to today, cherishing craftsmanship and quality combined with innovative design for a global fanbase. Yamaha Motor Europe Product Manager Shun Miyazawa is the driving force behind the Yard Built program, working continuously to find external creative forces to collaborate with to keep innovating. “Haraki-san and I have been friends for some years, primarily based on our mutual respect for the other’s belief in the importance of craftsmanship in the construction of our products. Iron Heart and Yamaha share a respect for traditional, timeless design where appropriate, blended with innovative, cutting edge technologies to create products that combine the best of both worlds. We wanted to work with Haraki-san for some time, and finally this year we have had the opportunity.” “What I wanted to achieve was a beautiful café racer that fits perfectly into the Iron Heart universe,” commented Shinichi Haraki. “The bike is designed to be for a mature rider, not a kid. My inspiration came from 70s and 80s Japanese and European bikes that look like real bikes. Nothing has been modified or added that makes it shout more than it should, there is no design influence without function, it’s a real bike for grown ups.” “Iron Heart has a huge respect for hand craftsmanship mixed with modern technology so we wanted to show that on the bike. We worked closely with Japanese customhouse Ken’s Factory to blend the two and bring the concept to life. The timeless craftsmanship is seen in the handmade parts such as the beaten aluminium front fender, fuel tank, seat base and tail and side covers.” “The technology is represented by the Kineo tubeless rims which are lighter and the CNC machined pieces that add to the design. The overall build represents the philosophy of Yamaha and also the Iron Heart brand. For paint I wanted deep indigo blue and we made use of the classic Yamaha Speedblock design with an Iron Heart twist.” “The final bike respects the technical side of the XJR,” concludes Haraki-san, “so all the functional engineering aspects are preserved so people can enjoy both fast riding whilst still being to have a relaxed cruise down to an Iron Heart store to get some attention and look good!” The final result of the collaboration between Iron Heart and Yamaha is indeed a stunning ‘grown up’ café racer. Showcasing everything both Yamaha and Iron Heart stand for in respecting hand craftsmanship and timeless design mixed with the latest technology. Expertly realised by Ken’s Factory in Japan, the Yard Built XJR1300 by Iron Heart features a CNC machined aluminium clock case, front and rear indicators, grips, headlight bracket, front fender and foot pegs. Lightweight Kineo wheels allow a different size tubeless tyre to be added and handle bars from Magura change the riding position. As you would expect from an expert in denim, the seat is hand made from 21oz selvedge denim and set with pure silver rivets. A beautiful titanium manifold feeds into custom twin stainless steel mufflers to provide a suitable soundtrack and the bike is finished in a deep indigo blue paint job with Yamaha Speedblock and pin striping. The Yamaha and Iron Heart logos and motifs are cleverly represented in gold leaf and the Speed block design and stitching on the denim seat are in the Iron Heart brand signature orange. Ken’s Factory realised all the modifications to the XJR without any cutting or welding to the frame. They will release a full set of aftermarket parts for this build so that those that wish to recreate this über cool machine can do so. Bike Shed Archive | Yard Built Instagram | Yard Built web Selvedge denim fans head here Iron Heart Parts from this build available soon from Ken's Factory Words: Gavin Matheson | Images: Yamaha Motor