62 PERFORMANCEBIKES.CO.UK|MARCH 2018
Spark plugs
These beautiful stubby plugs helped resolve the
clearance issues between the front tyre and
forwardcylinders’plugs,buttheycost£45ashot
andrequirespecialcapsat£35each.
Brakes
The Sonauto YZR500 ran Brembo brakes in 1991,
but the factory Marlboro team actually ran the
AP Racing ‘blue spot’ calipers, which was an
upgraded part. Jerry has used 2000 Yamaha
YZF-R1 blue spot calipers with an R1 master
cylinder to give an authentic period look.Wheels and suspension
Thethree-spokewheelsarefroma2000Yamaha
YZF-R1andsoaretheforks.Theshockisfroma2006
YZF-R6andthereplicahasthesamesuspension
linkages and shock mounting points as the R6. The
headstock and top and bottom yokes are R1, but the
head bearings are specially machined by a firm in
America to fit the oddball dimensions of an R1 stem in
aTZRheadstock.ThesteeringdamperisanÖhlins
unit,mountedtotheframeaspertheYZR500.Seat locators
You just have to love the seat locating plugs, which
Jerry machined himself onafriend’slathe.It’sthesmall
detailssuchasthesethatcanonlybegainedfrom
having such close access to the original bike that make
his special such a stand-out.Swingarm
TheYZR500hasagull-armswingarmononesidetoclearthepipes,
buttheTZR3MA’sswingarmisn’tthisstylesoJerrymodifieda
2006YZF-R6unittofitintotheTZRframe.YoucanuseaTZR3XV
swingarm, but as it has more bracing than the YZR500’s and only fits
a150-sectionreartyre,itwouldn’thavelookedright.Jerryalsomoved
therearcaliper’smountingpointfromthetoptothebottomofthe
swingarm,becausethat’swhereitwasontheGPbike...