Lord Drake’s Neoracer V-Max
Words and images courtesy Lord Drake Kustoms
Custom bike builder Francisco Ali Manen, the owner of Lord Drake Kustoms, has no limits and proof of this is a totally different bike to what we are used to – a Yamaha V Max 1200 from 1992 that he has given a new life to…and what a life he has given it!
With more than 30 years behind it, this completely customized Yamaha V-Max 1200 has re-emerged with a new aesthetic thanks to the work of Fran Manen and his team at Lord Drake Kustoms with facilities in Malaga, Spain.
Despite being already a historic bike, the V-Max V4 is still a beast of acceleration and when it reached the hands of the LDK team in Vélez Malaga (Spain) it was in a fairly acceptable mechanical state. But its owner wanted it to have a new life, a more modern look and that was where Fran Manen decided that in this project, in addition to changing the aesthetic appearance, some of the bike’s features could be improved, such as the suspensions and brakes.
The first thing was to completely disassemble the entire bike, then the first thing that was done was to install a new inverted fork with two brake calipers, with uprated brake discs on the front, which has undoubtedly improved the braking, not to mention the new aesthetics.
Next, a tracker-type handlebar and a LED headlight were installed, somewhat different from those usually seen on current modified bikes. As final details on the front, a metal fairing and a minimalist front fender were installed, both hand-made by LDK.
A lot of work has been done at the rear… The entire subframe has been cut and a spectacular tail unit with an integrated seat has been handcrafted, which is also removable thanks to the original opening systems that this bike has to access the gas tank. Finally, new Ohlins shock absorbers have been installed, a hand-made license plate holder made by LDK, LED indicators, new modified exhaust pipes or the Motogadget digital speedo to highlight some details
As for the finish, the bike had to be simple and not have a garish paintwork, as it had to highlight the muscles and lines of this powerful Yamaha V Max Neoracer by itself…. For this reason, the entire bike has been painted in matt graphite grey and black and the seat has been upholstered in imitation alcantara.
The result speaks for itself… a historic bike, which has gone from being a V4 beast with an old and perhaps somewhat outdated look, to being a new, modern Yamaha V-Max Neoracer with the feel of a naked bike, café racer and above all a beast of a bike.