yamaha XSR700 hanko custom motorcycle by george woodman garage

the rear end of george woodmans custom yamaha motorcycle is carved from solid wood and comes fitted with a custom black leather seat. dubbed ‘hanko’, he has clad the ‘XSR700’ in wooden panels made from macassar ebony that was curved using techniques found in skateboard construction around its jeep headlight, radiator sides and over its chain.

all images © george woodman garage

yamaha enlisted george woodman as their ‘yardbuilt’ builder for the wheels and waves festival 2017, and supplied him with a stock ‘XSR700’ as a blank canvas. the furniture designer/carpenter/interior architect from biarritz, france, wanted to create a bike that celebrated two of the japanese companies key business sectors, motorcycles and musical instruments. he was influenced by the ‘revstar’ range of electric guitars. hanko is a japanese symbol, which is used as an alternative to a signature, and can also be found on the back of each ‘revstar’ guitar’s headstock.

woodman’s project ‘hanko’ motorcycle is much more than mere excercise in aesthetics. the rider can feel refined handling enhancements via öhlins front + rear suspension, and a set of pirelli ‘diablo supercorsa SP’ tires. ensuring the rubber is utilized to its full potential, the yamaha’s 689 cc twin engine now breathes through a set of k&n filters, and roars through an ixrace ‘Z8’ exhaust system. the rider’s position on the ‘XSR700’ has also been revised by installing a set of clip-on S2 concept handlebars and some rear set pegs from gilles tooling, to achieve a café racer-style.