56º North September 2017 | Page 34

Marcus Walz: Yamaha XV950R drag-style bike

Bike competes in Essenza Sprint races as an ambassador for

INTERMOT customized

The INTERMOT team has new goals in its sights as it starts preparations for INTERMOT 2018 with a new bike. “We aim to develop INTERMOT customized into an international meeting place for the bike scene. This is only possible if we recognise that we are part of this scene and play an active role in its events. Our new bike, a Yamaha XV950R drag-style bike converted by Marcus Walz, will represent us at festivals and Essenza Sprint races as an ambassador for INTERMOT customized. I am already looking forward to our appearance at Glemseck, where I’ll be on the starting grid as the rider of the INTERMOT bike”, says Christoph Werner, member of the Executive Board and Vice President of Koelnmesse.

Following on from the Ducati Scrambler he converted into a café racer, Marcus Walz is now responsible for the INTERMOT bike for the second time.

On this occasion, Marcus and his team worked on a Yamaha XV950R and built a new bike in two months – the result is breathtaking. After being stripped down, trimmed back and tuned by Walz, the original machine has evolved into a hot piece of kit, or better still: a drag-style bike.

So, what are the bike’s most remarkable features? In terms of extravagance, definitely the modified Yamaha fuel tank and the completely redesigned “drag-

style” tail section. The fuel tank has been handcrafted from steel and the team formed the all-important tail section entirely from a single piece of aluminium sheet.