Futuristic Buell XB Sports a Silky Smooth Alloy Body

Panel Vision

Harley-Davidson's involvement with sportbikes dates back to the ill-fated Buell series. Masterfully engineered, they were ahead of their time but held little appeal for the average enthusiast. Not so for Rad Yamamoto of Ask Motorcycles in Fujisawa, Japan, who applied his futuristic vision to this award-winning Buell XB—one hand-beaten panel at a time.

Photos Courtesy of Return of the Cafe Racers 

Organic Authority

Invited to the 2016 Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Show, Yamamoto was determined to present something different. His approach was based on a simple design premise executed in sheet aluminum. In conversation with Return of the Café Racers, the foremost authority on the genre, Yamamoto outlined his artistic vision in broad strokes stating, “I tried to refer to organic shapes.”

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Hard Harmony

Yamamoto's dedication to creating radical new bodywork for the XB paid off with a 'Best in Show' award and a personal commendation from the Mooneyes judges. Yet, his success was hard-won. He elaborated, “The shape of the Buell’s frame tormented me till the end! I finally found harmony when I positioned the body panels as close to the engine as possible.”

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Confident Knowledge

From the beginning, Yamamoto's intent was to produce the flowing metal forms by hand using traditional metal-shaping techniques. In order to ensure success in this endeavor, he enlisted the help of metal craftsman Christian Sosa of Sosa Metalworks in Las Vegas, Nevada. A two-week 'mini-apprenticeship' gave Yamamoto the necessary knowledge and confidence to engage in the difficult project.

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Fairing Heat

The smooth alloy skin blends aesthetics with practical considerations. In its stock form, the Buell XB is a naked streetfighter-style motorcycle. A common concern when adding a fairing is the heat build-up from its Sportster-based engine. Yamamoto explained his simple, yet hard to implement the solution, “I had to equip the fairing with functional air scoops on both sides of the bike.”

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Rolling Curves

The death knell for the XB came in 2009 when Harley-Davidson terminated its relationship with Buell Motorcycles. Despite being an advanced design, the bike was considered something of a flop. This failed past only added to Yamamoto's results. With deceiving simplicity, he transformed the XB into rolling art, applying fluid curves to the angular frame resulting in a balanced look.

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Street Fancy

Yamamoto's creation was more than just a flight of fancy, it was also a client's street bike. To this end, the turn signals were retained but hidden under the front fairing and in the back, under the hand-formed tail section. The rear suspension was fitted with a Nitron mono-shock, and Beringer brakes were added for maximum stopping power.

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Subtle Delight

The all-important riding position is courtesy of Aella rear set footpegs and clip-on handlebars. Necessary metrics are provided by a MotoGadget MotoScope Pro digital LED screen, housed in a carbon fiber dash. Carefully crafted in raw aluminum, Yamamoto's XB is a subtle delight that hides nothing. It is also a glimpse into the future, albeit one that never materialized for Buell.

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