Like many other custom bike builders of his caliber, Greg Hageman has been fond of two-wheelers for as long as he can remember. The man was raised on a farm in rural Iowa, and he was just ten years old when his interest in motorcycles became something bordering on obsession. It did so as soon as he sat on the saddle of his family’s 1972 Honda CB100 for the first time, eagerly spurred on by his older sister.
The last of them was put together in 2018, and it’s what we’ll be inspecting in the paragraphs that follow. A Yamaha MT-07 from 2017 (also known as the FZ-07 in the U.S.) was chosen as the basis for this build, then torn down upon arrival at Hageman’s base of operations. The model was a very solid donor from a mechanical standpoint, with 74 hp delivered by its 689cc parallel-twin and a curb weight of just 179 kg (395 lbs).
Our protagonist could therefore focus mostly on the cosmetic side of things, but he and Michael decided to keep the factory fuel tank covers in play. Greg did get rid of the various add-ons worn by the MT-07 up top and on the sides, replacing them with a selection of carbon fiber alternatives sourced from Powerbronze. Things got even more interesting at the back.
Photo: Don Gawf
First, the subframe was heavily reworked to achieve the desired proportions, and it is now flanked by bespoke number boards for a pinch of tracker flair. We come across a new solo seat a bit higher up, fronting a small tail section that’s been fabricated in-house using steel. Its rearmost portion is home to one of our favorite things about this build.
We’re referring to the twin circular LED taillights fitted behind a mesh cover, flaunting a distinctive supercar look you won’t normally see on a motorcycle. The machine’s rear-end equipment is finished off with a Puig wheel hugger and an unobtrusive license plate holder. At the front, the aftermarket sorcery continues with a state-of-the-art LED headlight and a compact fender from Rizoma.
The cockpit area houses a Yamaha XSR’s digital dial and a low-profile handlebar perched on ProTaper risers, as well as bar-end mirrors and elegant Biltwell grips. Greg went to town in the footwear department, as well, replacing the original MT hoops with some twin-spoked units supplied by Exact. Their rims are cloaked in grippy Pirelli Phantom rubber fore and aft.
Photo: Don Gawf
Along with its factory wheels, the specimen’s OEM brake discs have also been ditched to make room for Brembo substitutes, which are squeezed by the stock calipers. Gone is the exhaust system initially worn by this Yamaha, and Jake Green of Mantra Moto came up with a neat stainless-steel replacement that looks the part. It terminates in a pair of slash-cut mufflers from Cone Engineering on the right.
At the intake side of things, Hageman fitted an aftermarket airbox removal kit with K&N air filtration technology, before tasking 2WDynoworks with remapping the ECU. He performed some purposeful suspension mods, too, installing a premium fork cartridge kit up front and an all-new monoshock on the other end. All these parts came courtesy of Ohlins and are sure to make the MT-07 handle like a charm.
Last but not least, the paint job was outsourced to the experts over at Moe Colors, who’ve finished most of the upper bodywork in a livery nodding to Kenny Roberts. The speed block design and number two are clear references to the racing legend, but a gold hue was picked as the base color instead of yellow. With the paintwork applied, Michael was called in to see the finished build.
He was absolutely stunned by Greg’s handiwork and glad to have entrusted him with yet another custom project. Not everyone would call the stock MT good-looking, yet this particular specimen from Hageman MC is a lot easier on the eye, for sure! We dig the visual pinches of supercar influence found throughout the motorcycle, and they mix with the King Kenny color scheme rather nicely.
