Yamaha’s first collaboration with legendary bike builder Shinya Kimura has resulted in the stunning ‘Faster Son’, a true testament to the Japanese manufacturers bike building philosophy. Kimura and Yamaha worked together to create a motorcycle that proudly represents the truxse riding capabilities of Yamaha’s latest technology, perfectly blended in a timeless vintage style that pays tribute to the great Yamaha motorcycles of the past.
“Always at the front of my mind is making motorbikes that I want to see, that I want to ride, and that I can have fun with,” commented Shinya Kimura. “It makes me happy to create timeless beauty without following trends and fashions.”
“I have an emotional attachment to Yamaha,” Shinya continues. “The first large motorbike I bought was the DT1-250cc. I also loved the SR series and I’ve always owned one or two of the SR400, SR500 or the XT500 since I was a teenager. Because of this my passion, or philosophy if you like, towards designing Yamaha motorbikes, is especially stronger and more personal than compared to other manufacturers. The Yamaha designs are very delicate; I’ve always had respect towards Yamaha because of their design policy. It is a great honour and delight for me to finally be able to collaborate with them and do something together.”
Shinya also reflected on the combination of heritage combined with modern technology, saying “The old products have something very good in them, they are very purely designed. Their mechanism, sometimes not perfect though, reflects the makers’ passion for making the best work for each generation. The beauty of the old motorbikes is that passion is visible and tangible. However,” he continues, “it wouldn’t be right if you replicated the old designs and started selling just because they looked cool. Respecting old design and assimilating them, and then creating something new should be the way to go for those who create and build today, including me. Therefore I can greatly agree with Yamaha’s concept to release products with the latest technology, that also respect the heritage of classic bikes and of course make it fun to ride!”
For the ‘Faster Son’ build, Shinya worked with the latest parallel twin motor form Yamaha’s modern line up, finding heart and soul in the torquey, engaging power source. “I thought that someone who really loved motorbikes made this engine,” he commented. “Not only do the numbers show its efficiency, but also the feeling with the engine, the way it spins up and the sound it makes appeals to all the biker’s senses. If you really love riding a motorbike, this engine simply excites you as soon as you get on, whether you like vintage bikes or new ones.”
When it came to designing the ‘Faster Son’, Shinya Kimura put himself in the mind of a Yamaha designer and asked himself what he would build if he wanted to create a bike that would satisfy Shinya Kimura. “To me the XS1 and XS650 are very symbolic, they represent Yamaha’s design philosophy,” he continues. “They are bikes that never look dated, and continue to look beautiful in everyone’s eyes; that’s what I hope to inspire in current motorbikes. What I kept in my mind the most was; I was aiming to create a line for the bike that flows, in another words, a harmony, just like the XS1.”
“I wanted to express my own taste without spoiling the important functions such as riding, stopping, speeding and cornering when creating the ‘Faster Son’,” said Shinya. “The engine is the latest technology from Yamaha; it’s not like the vintage engines with beautiful cooling fins, but the overall design of the bike does not obstruct the newest design element or the nostalgic element but rather flows and blends the two together. I looked within myself to make sure the function, form, and my personal design philosophy did not conflict with each other, respecting the Yamaha philosophy to create a design that would be harmonious with every detail from the engine and frame, to the forks and suspension.”
all images courtesy of YAMAHA