Yamaha R1 Transformed Into Unlikely Desert-Shredding Hero
American stunt rider Aaron Colton turns his Yamaha R1 Superbike into a desert bike during his latest project
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Stunt riders can usually be relied on to do exciting things on two wheels, and American performer Aaron Colton has not disappointed with his latest adventure.
Fitted with a stunning stainless steel SC Project exhaust, his Yamaha R1 is built with all the race tech you would expect including brakes from EBC and Ohlins suspension on the front and rear. The part of this build that isn’t so common for an R1 are the tyres fitted, which are designed for off-road riding.
Usually, we see motocross or adventure bikes take to sandy terrain, but this R1 shows that anything is possible with the right tyres, but above all, the right rider. As you can see from his social media photos, the R1 was stretched at the rear, something American motorcyclists are known for doing during builds.
Once the build was complete, Colton detailed how the idea of this build came around, while also hinting at his next project: “Building this R1 Superbike was an incredibly satisfying experience. I had been wanting to document a Superbike build for a long time. The feedback from everyone along the way has been amazing!
“The original destination was not the common one but that’s what made this project unique. The idea to bring this project to life came about at the Indy 500 after building a relationship with the Dunestars crew. They were an amazing host for the whole project landing in Michigan.
“I had a smile on my face every minute I was riding at Silver Lake! I can’t remember the last time I went through two tanks of fuel in a day. Another set of wheels was built for this and it will be no stranger to the asphalt on future drift projects but who knows, Glamis is just a few hours away…”
Other small details you might not notice at first glance include the change from the standard windshield protector to a smaller, blacked-out version. Regarding the monster tyres that were fitted, the front and rear are both Bridgestone tyres with an S23 200/55/17 on the front. On the rear, Colton has a Battlax AX41 adventure tyre.
If you like this, we’re quite confident you will like seeing a Suzuki Hayabusa flying up the sand dunes, after all, why not take one of the largest and heaviest bikes up sandy terrain for fun.
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