Yamaha XSR 700 Yard Built - Workhorse - 2018 — Specifications

At €22,000, one might think this is a standard Yamaha XSR 700 with a few optional accessories. But this machine is something else entirely, a radical creation from the Yard Built program. It was the preparateur Brice Hennebert, from Workhorse Speed Shop, who transformed this entry-level model into a dragster designed to dominate the Factory Class of the Sultans of Sprint. The objective was clear: to break the codes of usual projects, often more aesthetic than performant, to build a pure competition motorcycle.

The base is the 689 cc twin-cylinder engine, known for its generous torque and lively character. But here, everything has been disassembled, reworked, and optimized. The crankshaft is lightened and balanced, the oil circuit modified, the clutch replaced with a Suter model, and the injection retouched. The advantage of this XSR 700 in competition? A very low weight, torque always present, and a new aggressiveness. The frame has been lowered by 150 mm, the swingarm customized and extended by 100 mm, and the footrests repositioned towards the rear. The silhouette then becomes low, long, ready for the straight line.

The aesthetics are not to be outdone, with an aluminum bodywork made by hand, painted in the blue and yellow colors of Yamaha Sonauto, a direct tribute to Christian Sarron’s endurance FZR 750. There is also a carbon battery, a complete racing braking system, and even a NOS injection controlled by a Max Extreme Nitrous Controller. It is a machine where every component has been chosen or manufactured for performance, down to the seat and paintwork entrusted to specialized artisans.

This project illustrates a new path for the Sport Heritage segment, where the pleasure of customization meets the demands of racing. The Sultans of Sprint are events that celebrate this mix: design, speed, and community spirit. This Workhorse XSR 700 will be ridden by various guests, such as endurance world champion Niccolò Canepa, during races in Italy, Belgium, Germany, and France. It is not made for the museum, but for the stopwatch.

For the average motorcyclist, this motorcycle is an inaccessible fantasy, a race prototype that far exceeds road use. But it serves as extreme inspiration, showing what the small Yamaha twin can become when enthusiasts push all limits. At this price, you are not buying a motorcycle, you are investing in a concept, a radical statement of intent. Yamaha, with this Yard Built, proves that it can still surprise and excite the community of enthusiasts for unique machines.