Custom-Built Yamaha XV750 Must Be One of the Sportiest Viragos Out There

2 months ago - 28 August 2024, autoevolution

With his bold custom projects and unfaltering consistency, Jeremie Duchampt quickly made a name for himself on the bike-modding scene. He runs Jerem Motorcycles in France and has experienced a big surge in popularity over a relatively short period, which doesn’t come as a surprise given the quality of his work. In today’s coverage, we’ll be having a look at Jeremie’s take on the Yamaha Virago platform.

The specimen shown above is an XV750 pieced together some time ago, with a 1983 model from Yamaha’s range acting as the basis. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though, because the donor looked seriously neglected upon arrival at the Jerem HQ. Our protagonist took it apart to see what he was working with, then he sand-blasted the XV’s main frame in order to remove any rust.

On the other hand, the stock subframe was deleted altogether, making room for a looped custom module that’s been built from scratch. Attached to the new rear framework is a full suite of LED lighting components, and a gorgeous handmade saddle can be spotted up top. Rear-end suspension duties are now assigned to a modern piggyback monoshock from Sachs.

Jeremie fitted a pair of solid disc covers to the rear wheel, as well, together with a swingarm-mounted license plate bracket. The motorcycle’s driveshaft got rebuilt inside out, but we’ll get to the other powertrain mods a bit later on. At the front end, the XV750 features billet aluminum triple clamps from USV Racing, which grab hold of a Ducati’s upside-down forks. Stopping power in that area is extracted from radial Brembo calipers and wave-style discs.

The braking equipment is operated via stainless-steel hoses and worn by the repurposed front wheel of a Ducati Diavel. Both rims are enveloped in Metzeler Lasertec tires with white Jerem Motorcycles lettering on their sidewalls. There is a custom fender located in between the forks, but then you’ve also got that premium LED headlight placed on bespoke brackets.

Up in the cockpit area, Jeremie installed a digital Koso dash and a keyless RFID ignition setup from Motogadget. Clip-on handlebars make an appearance, too, wearing Brembo control levers and underslung bar-end mirrors. The clip-ons are appropriately complemented by CNC-machined rearsets, thus bringing the Virago’s ergonomics well into cafe racer territory. Now, the engine-related work was just as extensive as what we’ve discussed so far.

As the original V-twin powerplant had one foot in the grave, Jeremie decided to perform a complete engine swap. He installed a similar XV mill with low mileage and in much better condition, while also adding a pair of Dellorto PHF 32 carbs topped with aftermarket pod filters. On the exhaust side of things, the bike carries a neat stainless-steel setup that’s been fabricated in-house.