PROJECT CORNER PAUL CLEAVES' YAMAHA YZF750R

Welcome to our project-themed paradise. A place where readers like you take a few snaps, tell a few tales, and get to show us what they've been grafting away at in their garages. This month, Paul Cleaves shows us the fantastic-looking Yamaha YZF750 he's been building...

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Why this bike?

I have always had a soft spot for the YZF750. When I returned to biking in the 1990s, Scott Russell was tearing it up and I loved his style and the look of his race bike. Then there were the Cadburys Boost team bikes and, of course, the great Noriyuki Haga. As the bike was nearing the end and I wanted something new and shiny, I ended up getting a GSXR750WV.

Skip forward 20 years or so and I saw photos of a blue Yamaha endurance bike and thought it looked really cool; I guess it rekindled my desire to own one and make it my own. At about this time, one of my trackday buddies decided he was going back to racing. I think he owns half the classic Ducatis in England and wanted to ride his 748R in a few of the CRMC rounds. When I looked into it, 750cc 1990s bikes had just become eligible for classic racing, so I thought why not join him and finally build the bike I'd been contemplating.

What's the end goal?

So, the goal is twofold create the bike I always wanted back in the day and then go racing in hopefully a more relaxed environment befitting a man of my age and ability. The plan is to get the bike through eligibility scrutineering (not as easy as you think, by all accounts) and do a couple of Classic racing rounds this year. I will see how that goes and take it from there. It is obviously all very 'analogue' in comparison to my modern bikes so there will be a fair amount of retro learning for me to do without all the traction control safety kit. I am hoping it will help me learn to listen to the bike a bit more and generally benefit all my riding... and hopefully it won't prove to be too painful in the process!