Description
Motorcycle is in excellent condition. Built by one of the best custom motorcycle builders in the country! Mr. Hageman built a similar motorcycle for Billy Joel a couple years ago.
A lot of fun to ride, uns like a champion, nd sounds great! Please read the Pipeburn article on the bike for more information:
‘81 Yamaha XV920R- Hageman MotorcyclesPosted on March 9th, y Andrew inCaf? Racer,Classic.30 Comments
Most custom bike shops would gnaw off anarm to build a ridefor biking royalty like Billy Joel. It’s the kind of jobthat can really put a shop on the map. Soit says a lot about a builder when they not only complete such a feat, ut then set themselves the task of going one better – just because they can. Welcome to the mind ofGreg Hageman; one of the world’s greatest Yamaha customisers and builder of today’s gobsmackingly classyXV920R.“It’s an ‘81 XV920R,” mentions ‘the Hage’ as we chat to him on the other side of the world. “I picked it up over a year ago and developeda plan in my head for it. I wanted something similar tothe Vinago bikeIbuilt for Billy Joel, ut maybea touchsimpler, ighter, aster and a little more gritty. A bike that was kind of showing its age, ut in a graceful way.”Gregbuilt this bike for himself, o hehad an enviable amount ofcontrol over the design and engineering. “I shaved close to 150lb/70kg off of the original bike; if it wasn’t needed it was gone, ncluding a section of frame in front of the swing arm. I had been wantingto do this mod for years and have been following a builderandracer in Germany named Sepp Koch who has mastered this weight-reducing tweak.”“If you look at the Viragos he builds and races, ou’ll see he shaves every possible ounce of weight off of these bikes; then he actually takes them to the track.” Sep assured Greg thatthe frame mods would still leave the bike plenty strong, s the original design used the engine as the stress member that the rest of the bike then hangs off. “It also gives the bike more of that Vincent look. You’ll note I drilled the heck out of this bike, oo. I like to think that itlooks like some alloy-eating termites have got to it.”The bike’s suspension upfront is includesprogressive fork springs, re-valve and a dropped stance. The rear consists ofa special Hagon shock made to Greg’s specifications. Thewheelsare a 19 x 1.85 for the front and an 18 x 2.15 out the back, ith new alloy-shouldered rims and stainless spokes. The tires getting their push on are Dunlop K75s.“I wanted retro-style tires, ut not some useless old bricks. With the power to weight ratio of this thing, he rear tire will still break loose shifting into 3rd, o rubber connection is crucial.”Unsurprisingly, reg chose his favourite Virago carbs; a set of MinkuniVM34s with velocity stacks, ylon filters and brass screens. Next, he exhaust. ‘It’s amodified Mac with a repro pea shooter muffler. The handlebars are clip-on Tarozziswithshorty levers. The electrical set-up is pretty sparse; there’sonly an LED headlight,tail lightandstoplight. There’s no hornorsignals,just the basics to keep things simple.” Amen to that.The seat is a design Gregcame up with to try toemulate a little touch of Black Shadow styling. By the looks of it, e’s hit the nail square onit’s little HRDhead. The Fenders are stainless steel for both the front and rear. And from all reports, he bike ended up being a blast to ride. It alsolooks beautifully differentfrommost of what’s being put out right now. “It’s very quick and hopefully just a little classy,” says Greg.“Unfortunately, ike all the bikes I build for myself, come to the point where bills need to be paid and garage spaceruns out. So I sold the bike to a buyer in Denver, olorado. I have to keep the business moving forward and don’t have the luxury of constant cash inflow, s I’m a one man show.”One man or one hundred, f ashop turns out builds like this as regularly as our Mister Hageman, e’re pretty sure their future’s going to be lookingbright. We look forward to his next build, hich should be along any minute now…
I bought the bike a couple months ago (before the Pipeburn article) and put less than 100 miles on it.
Also published at eBay.com
