⛔ Review of Yamaha Bolt 950 Custom "Neo" by Smoked Garage

Neo Avant Garde

When our client initially proposed the colour scheme for this bike, suffice to say I was not too enthusiastic… “Fluoro Yellow – are you sure, dude??” The last thing he wanted was a “YamaHarley”, so yeah – he was sure. Beefy, low, mean, black, aggressive… all key descriptives used in the brief. And Fluoro Yellow Wheels. Yep.

I was skeptical from the beginning, not entirely sure I would like this build. But now that it’s finished, I love it. It grew on me as the build progressed, and damned if I wouldn’t love to have this sitting in my garage at home!!

First thing was first, get it as low as we can. The exhaust needed to be distinct and loud enough to turn a few heads, but he didn’t want the pipes to be a feature, instead we discreetly hid the muffler underneath the chin spoiler, which was a one-off handmade for this build. It was also important to fatten up the forks, so a set of fork sleeves were custom made to give the front end a nice beefy look. There was a bit of work in getting them to fit without bottoming out, but we got there!

The next challenge was giving the bike that low bobber look, whilst allowing for a pillion at the same time – who doesn’t want the opportunity to throw a pretty girl on the back of your sweet custom to show off?! So shorty shocks, a custom re-enforced fender and hand made one-off seat were fashioned to fit.

Next the colour scheme – matching yellow pinstripes as highlights to compliment the powdercoated wheels, matte black sides, and a matte charcoal finish on the top of the tank.