custom motorcycle by el solitario keeps the original yamaha frame untouched

custom motorcycle by el solitario keeps the original yamaha frame untouched
all images courtesy of yamaha

yamaha teamed up with spanish customhouse el solitario for the final ‘ XJR1300’ build of 2015. the ‘big bad wolf’ (BBW) track monster was created with no cutting or welding to the frame of the standard bike. everything except the tank, handlebar, rear light, and frame was custom made, weighing just 183 kilograms. 

no cutting or welding was done to the frame

classic co. helped with fabricating the carbon fibre tail section, motor air rams and the belly pan, as well as all the aluminum brackets for the needed modifications. UK based dymag developed the carbon fibre wheels especially to fit not just BBW but also the stock ‘XJR 1300’. ISR in sweden did a lot of the machining to make the custom disc rotors and the rear brake caliper bracket. finally, the el solitario ‘big bad wolf’ custom graphics and paint was the work of london artist death spray custom. 

“el solitario is not familiar with 4 cylinder bikes so at first we couldn’t understand the challenge’, explains david loner from el solitario. ‘for months we tried to answer the same question: how could we take it further? ground zero would be to ask the correct question. asking what scared us the most, the answer was performance and technology. both were unknown and expensive paths for us. suddenly aversion turned into curiosity and we had our challenge. we are motorcycle poets, not engineers, so countless hours of research, and the love of our friends, made it possible to find the best partners in the world of fast bikes, and with their help, we developed one of the gnarliest muscle bikes ever to be seen in recent years.’

the carbon fibre tail section  the brash front face