One Down Four Up's SR500 Budget Build

One Down Four Up’s SR500 Budget Build

One Down Four Up is a custom bike building shop in Redding, California.

OFDU is run by a fun young couple who’s idea of a good custom motorcycle is one that embodies both good design and function. Here’s a look at their recent mini-build, a Yamaha SR500 street tracker.

They bought this 1978 SR500 for Gabrielle to ride while they did a ground-up build on her DT250. Shortly after, though, they decided to give it a little makeover. No engine mods, as the SR500 engine is a strong ones. The cosmetic changes include new paint and body work, custom Yamaha badges, new seat with leather upholstery, flat track bars from Emgo, a new smaller headlight, LED taillight, wiring cleanup, and miscellaneous odds and ends. I’m partial to the color combo, as we all know I’m a fan of white/ivory and gold.

“All in all we ended up with a relatively cheap reliable daily driver that I can take on and off road. I didn’t expect to enjoy this bike as much as I do but nothing beats kicking up this thumper. These photos are just a little fun we had last week on a quick Sunday ride. The weather has been dreadful up here in Northern California but we got out in the drizzle and made the best of it.”

The Shinko 705 rubber gives it some edge off pavement.