Philippe Lagente's '81 Yamaha SR500 Brat

I'll let you in on a little secret. We're planning some big things for 2013 here at the ol' Maison de Tubes Flamboyants. Now I don't want to give too much away, but I think it's fair to say that this year will be our biggest and best ever. Resolutions? We've made them. Plans? We've got 'em. Bigger. Better. More. Faster. Louder. Seriously, Scott and I are like the proud parents of a kid that's just been accepted into Cambridge. Except we don't sleep in the same bed - well, not since that one time in bike camp... but I digress. So, taking all impending amazingness into consideration, we could hardly start the year on a dull note now could we? Hell no. Please raise your red plastic cups, sound your plastic bugles and pop your party, um, poppers to welcome our first bike for the new year, Philippe Lagente's spectaculaire '81 SR500 brat.

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1985 Yamaha SR500 Café Racer

A while back we had our inaugural ride day north of Sydney and we spent quite a bit of time fielding questions from the punters regarding various aspects of the day's proceedings. There were the questions about the dirt sections. Questions about the meet points. Questions about the weather, and questions about the timings. Then there were the questions about the fuel stops. Most of them came from a single email address and we started to shoot the poop with this guy who seemed a little obsessed with exactly how far it would be between refills. "My tank only holds four litres," he told us. One single, lonesome gallon? What kind of bike has a four litre tank? "It's an SR with a Honda Monkey tank on it," replies Mr. Refills.

Woah. Wait just a single freaking minute here, talkative email dude who is surely trying to have a comical lend of our senses. Did you just say "an SR with a MONKEY TANK on it?"

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Raider Motorsports SR "Norton Manx"

Just a quick update - those of you who enjoyed the Raider Motorsports/Moz Rissman article we posted recently might be keen to hear some news concerning the latest creations from the Coffs Harbour shop.

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SR500 Street Tracker

This 'designer' SR500 street tracker was built by Steve Hillary at the Red Max Speed Shop for the opening party of London fashion store Present. Red Max are based in Hampshire, U.K, and are involved in the fast growing Shorttrack racing scene in Europe. They may have a passion for trackers, but they also build some nice cafe racers and bobbers. Redmax made the custom parts, fabrication, SR tank and the seat was custom made by Bratstyle. The eye-catching paint job is by the talented guys at Death Spray Customs, although the design is by Japanese fashion designer (based in London) Eley Kishimoto and is appropriately named "flash" print. If you think the design looks familiar it's probably because it featured recently on a range of Ruby Ateliar helmets. But it doesn't stop there, you can even buy matching shoes, skateboard and backpack to go with your helmet. Hit the link to see the Red Max SR500 Flickr page. [Found on Sideburn Blog]

Motor Garage Goods SR

Motor Garage Goods are an up and coming Japanese custom shop in Itami City, near Osaka. Like most Japanese shops they love the ever so popular SR400. They have done a great job creating this awesome SR in true cafe racer style. It's low, light, lean and mean. Not to mention a beautiful paint job with matching fairing and tank. We also love that fat stainless Yoshimura muffler that looks like it packs a mighty bark. For more from these guys check out their sweet gallery including some Harley Davidson's that are hotter than wasabi.

M&M's SR

This isn't a bike built by the chocolate maker, it's from a custom shop in Japan that goes by the name M&M Motorcycles. Based not far from Yokohama in a city called Kanagawa. Like most Japanese shops they specialize in SR's, W650's and TR's. We really dig this yellow SR tracker. Judging by their website they seem to build mostly street trackers. They also have a blog and a shop that are worth checking out. The shop has some interesting things, ranging from ashtrays through to motorcycle parts and clothing.

Matsumaru SR500

This beautiful SR500 from the the guys at Matsumaru Speed & Customs in Japan won best domestic bike a few years ago at Moon Eyes Hot Rod show. So simple and understated. We love everything about this bike. Do yourself a favour and check out the Matsumaru Gallery. There's so many bikes on their site for inspiration or just to drool over. If you like the SR500 check out this short video at the Moon Eyes Show shot by DBBP.

Bratstyle SR500

Having recently received my SR400 from Japan I can't stop searching for pics of them for inspiration. So when it comes to SR400 and SR500's one of the best places to go is Bratstyle. They are a Japanese custom shop that have a very distinctive and rideable style. They especially love their Sr400's, XS650's and W650's. Check out their gallery for more eye candy. One of the first purchases will be a set of old-school Firestones like the ones on this SR500 aptly named Godspeed.

Erwin SR500

The much anticipated Chop Cult has launched. The site has a fresh feel and some even fresher bikes. We found this immaculate purple 1979 Erwin SR500. Built by the talented Kim Boyle, we are having trouble taking our eyes off it. We thought the beautiful Blue Moon Kustom tank looked familiar having seen it on their blog recently. For more details on the build and more beautiful pics by Wes Drelleshak check out Chop Cult.