Yard Built series spawns XV950 'Speed Iron'

Yamaha’s obsession with their ever-expanding Yard Build series sees yet another bike bolster the ranks in the shape of this XV950 based ‘Speed Iron’.

Built in Italy by Moto di Ferro, it was conceived by custom builder Marco Lugato. After a career in racing followed by some years honing his craftsmanship in various workshops, Lugato founded Moto di Ferro (Iron Motorcycle) in 2009 to turn his ideas into reality.

The collaboration with Yard Built came about following an encounter in Wheels & Waves between Marco and Yamaha Motor Europe’s Product Manager Shun Miyazawa and Marketing Coordinator Cristian Barelli.

“As we met and talked in Biarritz with Marco it was clear we shared the same passion and love for motorcycles,” said Cristian Barelli. “One of the most important aspects for us when considering Moto di Ferro to work together on this collaboration was that Marco doesn’t consider this to be just a one-off machine, but a concept he can build based on the XV950 for multiple customers. I’m really happy with the ‘Speed Iron’. It has a clear Moto di Ferro design whilst retaining the simplicity and performance of the XV950, it’s a beautiful bike that is still very much fun and rewarding to ride.”

The concept for ‘Speed Iron’ comes from Marco’s passion for speed. He wanted the street bobber styling, but not at the expense of the Iron being able to negotiate corners. Thick tyres were important but not at the expense of rideability. The rims are Borrani, while the fatter front end is taken from Yamaha’s VMAX in the form of a complete fork transplant – including braking hardware. 

A handmade aluminium tank and rear seat unit take the weight down and complement the handmade aluminium side panels. An Acewell odometer provides just the right amount of data for the rider and an Arrow exhaust adds the soundtrack. Clean simplicity is the mantra, and it certainly achieves that.

Moto Di Ferro also plan to make various parts from the ‘Speed Iron’ build available commercially so that XV owners can pick and mix parts to create their own version.

You can see the full Yard Built series online if you’re looking for inspiration for your own build.