TRX850 Vintage Café Build
The Yamaha TRX850 holds a soft spot for us - not just for its 270-degree crank twin and its cult-classic '90s charm, but because this was the bike we built right before Kelpi officially came to life. It left the workshop in 2019, clocked just over 20,000 km in the years that followed, and eventually found its way back home for a full refresh almost five years later. The plan was simple: a service and tidy-up. What it turned into was a quiet resurrection.
The bulky fairing and tall 80s-style tail that defined the original TRX were stripped away early on. In their place, we shaped a new subframe, fitted a slimline café tail, and brought the silhouette closer to what the TRX always wanted to be - lean, mechanical, and shaped by the engine rather than the plastics around it.
The tank, tail and front guard were resprayed for the 2024 revisit in BMW Pyrite Brown, a metallic, bronze-brown colour that shifts beautifully in the sun. Against that warm tone, the silver, chrome and raw alloy details pop everywhere they should. Navy and polished alloy accents across the wheels, tank emblems and sprocket cover add just enough contrast to feel discovered rather than announced.
The seat is one of our favourite pieces on the bike: a kangaroo leather trim work using our ridgeback pattern in 2019, rugged and visually distressed from half a decade in the elements, giving it a worn-in texture that balances the glassy paintwork.
The cockpit stays classic with a few choice performance upgrades - chrome bars, levers, headlight bucket & speedo (Acewell 4453) on machined alloy triples and risers.
Restoration & Customisation
Most of the mechanical work happened twice: once during the original build, then again through the 2024 revisit. Originally it had needed a fuelling overhaul, from the carbs to the petcock to lines, and all that was working nicely five years on. That said, there was plenty to optimise; airbox and intake manifolds overhauled, the clutch was rebuilt, valve clearances adjusted to spec, cooling system flushed and larger alloy racing radiator fitted. Wiring was cleaned up, with a new chrome Acewell speedo integrated in. Up front, the factory brembo brakes were rebuilt, paired with braided lines on rebuilt brushed alloy forks now running Racetech gold emulators for a sportier feel to suit the R6 shock conversion it's paired with up the back. We finished it off with some Pirelli Angel GT II tyres - they just give solid modern performance whilst also lasting for years.
A custom billet top triple tree sits above the forks, and the mufflers were made in-house with a deep, smooth tone similar to the old Honda SP1's. Vortex rearsets sharpen the riding position, while brushed alloy and chrome details across the fork legs, swingarm, chainguard, risers, mirrors, radiator and fuel cap keep everything visually tied together without over-styling it.
The end result is a bike that reads vintage but rides far better than stock. Rebuilt or upgraded brakes and suspension have a lot to do with this, but weight is another component. Predominantly between the exhausts, front fairing, rear tail, battery and running gear, we were able to drop 21kg off the factory bike, at 185kg fully fuelled. It’s still every bit the oddball performance twin Yamaha hoped it would be, and it's a personal favourite for heading up the mountain on.
The Finished Machine
This TRX isn’t a showpiece; it’s a rider’s bike with honest metal and considered decisions. A blend of 90s performance heritage and early café style, shaped by two moments in Kelpi’s own timeline: the build that happened by the founder just before the brand existed, and the rebuild that lets it live on with everything we’ve learned since.
