That was the phone call I got a few weeks back and the answer was a resounding YES. I'm not a famous or even full time builder, so to be asked by an OEM to be involved at this level is an incredible compliment that I do not take lightly.
A few emails and some paperwork later and I was at Yamaha corporate picking up a fresh Bolt.
Thank Nice Yamaha guy, can I get a token to get out of the parking lot now?
Initial trip back to the mothership. Bike is compact and clean looking, but otherwise I know very little about it.
Brought it home that night. It made friends with the rest of the crew.
Spent the new week getting to know the machine. Commuted a bunch (Bike is fun as hell to ride) and did a ton of research on the drivetrain. Much of which is derived from the Star 950, meaning fuel controllers and other peripherals may already exist. That'll make things a bit easier as Yamaha has set a deadline of July 31 for completion. I've only built a few things that quickly and all of them were platforms I was very familiar with. Let the fun begin!
Did a Home Depot run right before I took it apart. I need to buy another one to use as a commuter!
Time to get to work. Not sure what the plan is, but the bike is already speaking to me. Really low slung rear end is saying it really does not want to be a Cafe or Scrambler (the latter of which was my initial choice).
Two part tool kit. Would never see even one of these on a Harley!
Underneath that is ECM and battery. No pesky oil tank to deal with. I'm liking that. Rear fender end right where it looks like it ends.
What? A two barrel? Both good and bad. Cool as hell looking, but means existing air cleaners will not likely span the twin orifices. File that one under future challenge.
Got under the tank and pulled a fender strut as well. Now thinking something bobberish might be in order. Going to ruminate on it this weekend.
More to come.
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