Shed builder Liam Lucien is “a proper DIY type of person” who enjoys mechanical tinkering in his spare time, and for his first-ever custom motorcycle build he chose a 1996 Yamaha Virago XV535. “Initially I wanted to build a café racer from an XV750, but it is so hard to find a monoshock version in the UK, so I went for the XV535 with a view to bobber it,” Lucien says.

He loves the straight-pipe exhaust, though his neighbors don’t, and he loves the stock rear fender that he cut down to complement the passenger pillion, but he especially loves the fuel tank, which he painted himself. “This has all been a big experiment for me to see if I have the skill to match my passion for working on bikes. It was a big risk, because if I messed it up I’d be stuck with a ruined bike, but thankfully it came out great and I love how the bike looks, and I can’t wait to start my next project.”