http://www.adbmag.com.au JANUARY 2018| 109http://www.adbmag.com.au AUGUST 2016 | 109Iwantedtodosomethingalongthe
lines of the Troy bikes, but I wanted
to put my own twist on it
“Theywereafactoryteam,soIgot
the factory carbon that they ran on
theirframes.”Mattweldedtheframe
upsohecouldaddafactorycarbon-
fibreskidplateandclutchcoverguard.
Forthehubs,Mattmimickedthe
factoryYamahaonesandhad
lightweight TCR billet hubs machined
in America. “Looking at the bike, most
people wouldn’t notice them unless
youlookreallyclose.”Otherpartsthat
MatthasincludedareProCircuit
magnesium clutch and ignition covers,
Pro Circuit titanium footpegs, Renthal
sprocketsandaDIDchain.
It’s the finer details that separate
Matt’sbikesfromyouraverage
backyard build. He pays close
attentiontodetailandgoesaboveand
beyond to stay faithful to his vision.
Takethegraphicskitforexample.
When people see factory race bikes,
it’susuallythegraphicsthatstandout
first. So to make a bike look authentic,
thegraphicsmustbeperfect.Of
course,thisisn’teasytodo,butMatt
hasgainedanallyinMickfrom
NineTwoDecalsinQld.
“It’sreallyhardtofindpeoplewho
cancreatethesethingsthataren’t
around anymore and make them
spot-oncorrect,”saysMatt.“Peoplelike
Mickarearealkeyelementbecausethe
graphicsaresuchabigparttothis
build.”Andwhenyouseethegraphics
and compare them to photos of the
originalbikesbackin2000,it’sclear
that they really have nailed it.
Ofcourse,Mattwantedtoputhis
ownlittletouchesonthegraphics,
muchlikeamusicianwillputhisown
spinonaclassicsong.“It’slikeputting
yourownartistictouchonsomething
that is already so awesome,” he
explains. One example is the rear
guardgraphics.“Ithoughttheywerea
bit boring, so I put some colours in to
makeitlookalotnicer.”FRAME WELDING
Whilethebuildwentsmoothly,Matt
admitstheseatprovedtobesomewhat
ofachallenge.“Icouldn’tgetan
original,soIhadtomakeone,”he
explains. “But I like this one better
thantheoriginal,soIwasreallyhappy
with that.”
He also believes being in AustraliaIt’s not the length that’s importantThe frame had to be modded for the carbon bitsDID chain and Renthal sprocket transmit powerMatt went a bit nuts on the seatcover designMatt has a way with sourcing parts
that are not easily available. The year
2000 happened to be the one that
Showa A-Kit suspension was
introduced and Matt managed to get
hold of an original works A-Kit 49mm
fork and A-Kit shock. “It’s a massive
upgrade to the bike in the way it
handles,” says Matt. “I wanted really
good suspension, but I wanted it to be
period-correct.”
Next up was a full Pro Circuit
exhaust system. “I put a Pro Circuit
exhaust and muffler on the bike, with a
carbon-fibre muffler wrap like the
works teams used.” Carbon-fibre was a
theme throughout the bike to make it
as close as possible to the factory bikes.
has its downside when trying to build
a bike like this. “You’re on the other
side of the world and these are
American bikes so it’s always going to
be hard to find parts.”
Behind the stickers and bolt-on
parts, Matt puts a lot of effort into the
real nitty-gritty stuff like the frame,
engine and suspension. But, because
he is stuck for time, he uses experts to
help him out.
“I had to modify the frame to fit all
the factory carbon-fibre parts,” he says.
“It gets pulled down to nothing and
then I have a fabricator to make all the
brackets to make the parts fit.”
Krooztune serviced the suspension
to make sure it was in perfect
condition. “We’re talking about
17-year-old works suspension. They
pulled it all apart and inspected
everything. They fixed it up and did a
little work to the shock.”
For the motor, he had a mate help
him, although he admits that while the
rest of the bike is quite trick, the motor
is actually pretty stock. “We pulled the
cylinder off and it was pretty buggered.
We put a new cylinder and head on it,
as well as new piston and rings. I also
checked the rod but it was still in
good condition.”
Although Matt has put his own
spin on the Yamaha of Troy bike,
spotting the differences is no easy
task. “The main ones are the clutch
and ignition covers. I’ve used Pro