Yard Built XV950 ‘ULTRA’ from Swiss builder GS Mashin

Here’s another cool Yard Built bike based on the Yamaha XV950. This is the work of Swiss builder GS Mashin and the result, the Yard Built XV950 ‘ULTRA’, is not something that could easily even be recognised as a Yamaha if it wasn’t for the yellow, white and black colour scheme. We think it looksk pretty trick!

Here’s what Yamaha says about the project:

Founded three years ago by ‘Niners’ crew member Tom Mosimann, GS Mashin blends solid, hand craftsmanship with eye catching new design ideas. Working from a small garage in Bern, Tom works to deliver truly different bikes within functional and technical requirements, meaning everything he builds is fully roadworthy and not just eye candy.

The Yard Built XV950 ‘ULTRA’ is no exception, looking radically different from the standard XV950 it’s a truly custom machine that follows the Yard Built principles requiring no cutting or welding to the frame to realise the concept. Inspired by Gothic architecture, Tom worked to create a low, racy looking machine with big narrow wheels and clip-ons in a stand out colour scheme.

I love what Tom has created with the XV as his base,” stated Yamaha Motor Europe Product Manager, Shun Miyazawa. “I’m really happy that despite going for a really radical look, he shares our principles that a custom machine needs to retain the most important function; rideability. He’s kept the soul of the XV950 and wrapped it in a really original look without any cutting or welding to the frame. What is perhaps also very impressive is that 95% of the work he does is completed with just a few tools, an angle grinder, a bag of sand and a hammer!”

The Yard Built XV950 ‘ULTRA’ fairing is handmade from 1.5mm steel sheet with the mounts cut from a stainless steel pipe. A small Bates floodlight sits inside the fairing with the two Highsider turn signals. The custom fuel tank is also hand crafted from 1.5mm steel with the upper edge made with a trimming press. The lower section is cut from the original XV950 fuel tank. One of the standout elements of the build has to be the super clean prototype rear suspension units built by K-Tech, based on their signature style Bullit units.

The hand crafted steel tail unit wraps around a Shin Yo rear light unit and the seat is again a hand made affair with leatherwork by Jose Rey Saddlery. The beautiful aluminium upper fork crown is machined by Asic Robotics and is super clean without the holes for the risers. The wheels are a work of art, the original hubs were used then 18inch back and 21inch front rims were added with new spokes, with ABS!

The final result stands out as another totally original build in the Yard Built line-up, putting GS Mashin firmly on the custom map.