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Custom Bike Review: Custom 2003 Yamaha Road Star - From RoadBike October 2006  Agent Orange By Sam Whitehead, Photos by Bob Feather So you say your eyes are sharp? When was the last time you had the peepers tested? Well, then you should have no problem tackling this simple question: What color is this motorcycle? If you answered orange, guess again. Perhaps it’s time you went to the little-known, but highly esteemed, Scott Britt School of Color Coding. “I wanted to build a black bike, so that’s what I did,” states Scott, arguably the grandest old pooh-bah of custom metrics in this country. Yes, folks, you heard that right — the rocking rigid that stands before you is, in fact, not an orange bike. Forget everything you thought you knew. You’re wrong, and Scott is right. “It’s really a black motorcycle with orange trim, not an orange motorcycle with black trim.” Semantics, thy name is Scott Britt.
Actually, if you really want to get technical, the orange on this hot rod (what very little there is, of course) isn’t just orange, but rather a lovely hue of Home Depot Orange. Who, you might wonder, would want his sick, high-end custom coated in Home Depot Orange? Why, NASCAR champion and Speed Channel’s 2005 Driver of the Year Tony Stewart, commander of the infamous orange #20 Home Depot stock car. Truth told, Tony didn’t really have any say in how his motorcycle would look. He was simply given the thing as one of his prizes for being Driver of the Year. “They used to give the winners a stock Harley or a Victory,” Scott explains. But last year, Speed Channel decided to award a custom bike, and they came after Scott to do the build. “I’ve probably built more custom metrics than anybody in the US, since I’ve been doing it for over 30 years. Still, I was flattered that they asked me.” The trouble was, when they initially approached Scott, the Driver of the Year had yet to be determined by the panel of 12 journalists who pick the winner. That left Scott with the dubious task of building a custom without a clue as to who he was creating it for. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. “We knew the winner would be somebody in the motorsports world,” Scott admits. You don’t say.
Scott and his crew got the project fired up by liberating the engine and electrical system from a wrecked 2003 Yamaha Road Star. To achieve the desired tire-smoking grunt, the guys bored out the 1600cc motor to 1720cc, fitted it with a large 45mm Mikuni sucker, and added a Dyna ignition, straight pipes, and a chain drive. While the boys were working their magic on the Road Star’s heart, Scott got in touch with one of his favorite frame makers, a man whom he’d rather not reveal “because everyone will just go straight to him and say, ‘Make me one of them’.” There’s a reason why Scott is keeping his man under wraps. “That [skeleton] has become the flagship frame of my store, Britt Motorsports,” Scott says. After more than three decades in the game, Scott certainly knows his business. The frame you see on this bike, however, is not the original frame that was delivered to Scott. Upon arrival, it was sawed in half, motor mounts were installed, everything was re-proportioned and rough-cut, and then it was sent back to the framer. “The first frame was really made for an American motor,” says Scott. “It existed as nothing more than a raw cradle, a mock-up for a mock-up. After we cut it up, my guy made another frame based on that model.” It was around this time that the gang at Speed Channel and the Driver of the Year Award finally had a name for Scott: Tony Stewart. That gave Scott all the direction he needed to personalize and complete the project. (Here’s where we return to that orange conundrum.) “When I heard who won, I considered making this an orange motorcycle that replicates a racecar,” Scott says. “But then I realized everything Tony owns is orange, and I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want it to be one more orange something in his garage, so I reversed the color scheme. I did a black body with orange wheels and an orange gas tank sporting his name and number.” There you have it — Scott’s master plan. Friday, April 27, 2006 was a big night at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama. Not only were NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Jack Roush, and Humpy Wheeler being inducted into that hallowed shrine of speed, Tony was getting crowned Driver of the Year. “They handed Tony a very nice, large trophy and a Rolex watch,” Scott recalls. “Then they said the other award is a custom-built Yamaha by Britt.” With those words, they unveiled the “black” bike in question.
Tony spun around, eyed his new ride, and beamed. “Man, I love those orange wheels.” Later, the champ spoke of the bike’s superb craftsmanship and retro cool. “A beautifully built, old school, one-a-kind machine, it’s better than a trophy, and I’m glad it’s mine. Obviously, the color is good, too. Orange and black are pretty appropriate.” Clearly, Tony’s eyes don’t deceive him. RB SPEC SHEET OWNER Tony Stewart HOME Columbus, IN BUILDER Scott Britt, Britt Motorsports YEAR/MODEL 2003 Yamaha Road Star TIME TO BUILD Two months COST TO BUILD $25,000 CHROMER None PAINTER Scott Britt and Eric Motz ENGINE DISPLACEMENT 1720cc PISTONS Patrick Racing/JE HEADS Stock CAMS Stock CARB Mikuni 42mm HSR AIR CLEANER Forcewinder XR-2 EXHAUST Britt Customs FINAL DRIVE 530 chain with Britt Customs Transbrake
CHASSIS FRAME Britt Customs Radius 250 RAKE 42" neck, 5" trees STRETCH 4" out FRONT SUSPENSION Pro-One SWINGARM Rigid REAR SUSPENSION None FRONT WHEEL DNA 60-spoke 21 x 2.5" REAR WHEEL DNA 60-spoke 18 x 8.5" FRONT TIRE Metzeler ME 880 90/90H-21" REAR TIRE Metzeler ME 880 260/40VR-18" FRONT BRAKES Thunderheart REAR BRAKES Spiegler FENDERS Fat Katz ACCESSORIES HEADLIGHT 4.5" billet TAILLIGHTS Küryakyn TURN SIGNALS Küryakyn FUEL TANK Independent Gas Tank Co. HANDLEBARS Carlini SEAT Britt Customs/G&G Trim Shop HAND CONTROLS Joker Machine MIRRORS Arlen Ness FOOT CONTROLS Supreme Legends TAG BRACKET Britt Customs |
Since the bike was obviously going to be given to somebody with a clear appreciation of raw power and speed, Scott laid down the law. “I told my guys [at Britt Customs] that I wanted a real hardcore, dependable tire smoker.” Naturally, that meant a metric mill. Anyway, Scott wouldn’t work with a Harley no matter what you paid him. In fact, despite a lifetime in the motorcycle industry, the man has never ridden a Milwaukee beast. “Don’t get me wrong,” our metric devotee points out. “I love people that ride Harleys, but I’ve just never had the desire. I mean, I’ve sat on those things, and they’re very heavy. When I crank them up, they clunk and vibrate, and I can only think, ‘Damn, I’ve got nice motorcycles over here, so why would I want to ride this Harley?’” Scott’s our kind of guy.