I’ll just come out and say it, this is the coolest one-off cafe racers I’ve ever seen. I love almost everything about this build. It’s bursting with noteworthy features – all of which are beautifully executed. This one-off factory-esque SR400 is an interesting combination of old and new, boasting features like LED lighting and upside-down forks as well as old-school brakes and a retro-style half-fairing. When this build first graced BikeEXIF earlier this summer I fell in love with the thing and couldn’t be ore thrilled to feature it here now that it’s gone up for sale.
This epic Yamaha build is a product of a collaboration between Portuguese builders Nuno Capelo – who worked as an architect prior to starting Capelo’s Garage in 2016, you may remember his Pantah 350 cafe racer from early 2016 – and Ricardo Santos who was a professional chef before opening his own motorcycle business: Elemental Rides. In 2016, Yamaha Portugal kicked off a contest inviting builders to enter designs with the winner then ultimately being given the chance to customize an SR400. Unfortunately by the time Nuno and Ricardo had sent off their collective entry the contest had been canceled. Luckily Yamaha was so taken with their design that they gave them an SR to bring said design to fruition.
I was surprised to learn that Capelo and Santos had an extremely modest budget – something you would never guess when looking at the duo’s final product – but the Portuguese builders got to work in Santos’ shop, stripping the little SR down to a rolling chassis. From this point the pair began exploring ways to improve the 399cc machine’s performance without adulterating the stock air-cooled single. They accomplished this by tossing aside the SR’s stock suspension and replacing it with an upside-down fork off a Yamaha R1 with K-Tech internals, and a set of Showa piggyback shocks in back. They would also reinforce the subframe and throw on 17-inch wheels – fore and aft – wrapped in sport-oriented Michelin rubber. The stock single disk brake up front was also chucked out to make room for a 260mm four-leading shoe setup taken off a Yammy TR3 racer, before the brakes and clutch received a conversion to a hydraulic system.
The bespoke bodywork is where this bike really starts to shine. The two builders wanted to “keep the tail section very light to look at” so a custom fiberglass tail-unit was made from a hand-crafted foam mold. An acrylic finned rear light – which serves as the brake-light, tail-light, and signals – sits beneath the rear-section, only visible when on. This is a really clever way of playing with the silhouette of the new tail. The new fiberglass tail section also creeps up onto the modified stock fuel-cell where a tach and clock are sunken into the tank along with idiot lights and a Monza-style fuel-cap. A micro-analog temperature gauge sits at the top of the tank between the fuel-cap and the top of the triple tree.
The actual saddle itself is a split design with an extra sliver running up the tank to protect it from being scratched. Capelo and Santos opted to upholster the seat in cork fabric with matching cork fabric grips. “Portugal is the world’s biggest producer of natural cork, so we’ve wanted to use that material for some time,” the duo explained. I’m not personally crazy about the cork material, but I can understand, appreciate, and respect why the two builders went that route – plus the rest of the build is just so damn cool so I can’t hold it against them.
A front fairing was used that is apparently a modified version of the unit found on Capelo’s Pantah build, (Capelo’s Garage actually sells said front fairing too). 28 little holes were punched into the front of the fairing in a hexagonal shape with 11 of those holes putting out LED lighting. On the left side of the front a larger single round LED headlight was dropped into the fairing, complete with hi/low beams and running lights. The fairing also houses a GPS-based speedometer front and center. The two builders also incorporated a meshed front fender, modified side covers, bespoke markings on the engine casing, and a pair of rear-sets and clip-ons – with bar-end signals – to give the custom SR a more aggressive riding position.
The Portuguese pair also fabbed-up a bellypan that incorporates a sleek underslung stainless steel exhaust into its shape. The original concept art was sporting a dual version of this design, but the pipe on the final product isn’t too far off. “It brings the SR400 close to the ground and gives it a very muscular look,” the pair explained. The drilled holes and use of mesh on the bellypan definitely adds to the overall cohesive and uniform appearance of the build, with cut-out holes and mesh sections being visible in a myriad of other places on the one-off SR.
The paint job is probably the last thing to address on this build, and while black and white may seem like a relatively straight-forward livery, there’s a little more thought behind it than you might think. The rounder more flowing parts of the build have been hit with a coat of matte white while the sharper more aggressive and more contemporary sections are wearing matte black. The logos of both shops also adorn the bike in several places along with Yamaha’s classic tuning fork logo.
Because this stellar build is powered by a little 399cc single, it tops out at around 80mph, but this gorgeous little runner would be a perfect bike for running around town or doing short urban sprints. Another aspect of this project that I really connect with is the fact that Capelo and Santos are close friends, and as fun as it is to build a bike, it’s way more fun when done with friends. The price is admittedly a bit steep, but just look at the damn thing. Professional grade builds don’t come cheap and this SR is about as professional as it gets. The SR was given to the two buddies brand new and has since only had 400 miles put on the odo. I seriously can’t urge you enough to go check out more photos of this build because one or two cant even begin to do it justice as there are just so many little details to notice and appreciate.
NEXX Helmets also put together a cool little video for its YouTube channel of the Portuguese-built SR in action that’s worth checking out if you’re as obsessed with this bike as I am:
You can find this objectively awesome cafe racer for sale here on The BikeShed in Porto, Portugal with a price of $14,200.