I built my first custom bike in 2016 (a Honda CX500) and have since then always looked for new projects. In 2017 I stumbled upon this apparently not running 300€ Yamaha FZR 600 from 1991. As I had never owned a sportbike before and was drawn to the typical 90s Japanese double headlight look — I went and bought it. The only fault it had was a dead battery — that was an easy fix. I focused mostly on cosmetics as everything else was in really good shape, giving it a high-gloss finish with golden and anthracite accents and an updated exhaust for a little more power and crazy good sound. The most standout feature on this bike is the custom upholstery for the seat and tank sides, made of genuine perforated leather with gold stitching. The overall look was inspired by the Japanese road racing scene, where small bikes like the black & gold Yamaha FZR 250 were used for illegal racing in the curvy hills all over Japan, inspiring the name “Tokyo Ghost” as if it was used in a motorcycle-related manga. I also built a custom front race fairing and actually rode it in one classic race event. It was sold shortly after for 1,650€ to a young guy as his first motorcycle. I could not believe how happy and almost paralyzed he was by the appearance of the bike. All the pictures were taken with a 90s retro aesthetic in mind, resembling Asian motorcycle magazine photography.
