US readers know this bike as the Bolt, but in Europe it’s designated the XV950. Either way, when it debuted in 2013, it was probably the first true Japanese rival for the Harley Sportster. Yamaha decided to show potential customers how it could be modified by featuring the Bolt in their Yard Built program – one of my personal favorites was Greg Hageman’s Bolt Scrambler, but that’s a story for another day. In Europe, Yamaha partnered with Marcus Walz to create a custom, and “El Raton Asesino” was his effort. Now it’s for sale in Germany.
Here’s something you usually don’t get when you buy a custom bike – a video from an OEM explaining the story behind the build:
I actually think the above video is helpful, but then Yamaha took the completed motorcycle and made this short flick, which shows that you can still produce nonsense even when you have a decent budget:
I’m going to pretend I never saw that second video. Still, the bike itself is interesting and it was shown to the public for the first time during EICMA two years ago. Highlights of the work include a new rear subframe, prototype 18″ Marvic magnesium wheels, prototype Ohlins fork springs and rear shocks, custom bodywork, LSL clipons, Tarozzi rear sets, MotoGadget gauges, and more. It’s clearly had a lot of work done, the question is just if you like said work or not! As the bike has only really been used for Yamaha promotions, it has less than 50 miles on it. For more on this bike, check out Yamaha Europe’s page on the build.
This is definitely more expensive than the usual customs I share with you, but it’s also one of the few with OEM support…so find El Raton for sale in Mannheim, Germany for $27,031 here on The Bike Shed.