So that's that then, politicians are rallying around to drive nails into the coffin of the custom bike scene in Paris. Well done, a round of applause. Grinding, welding and spraying are apparently activities that should take place in the suburbs or countryside and it's now even harder for fabricators and craftspeople to ply their trade in supposedly one of the most artistic and creative cities on the planet. One man who refuses to lay down and wave a white hanky is Walid from Bad Winners. He's working on innovative solutions to enable him to operate in an ever restrictive city. But one simple way around the low emission regulations is to work on newer bikes, like Yamaha's rejuvenated SR400 which these days comes fitted with ice cap friendly fuel injection. This 2014 model had its fuel tank removed and swapped with one from a Suzuki GN400, along with all of the electric fuel pump gubbins. A Power Commander makes the most of the slightly un-corked exhaust and releases a few more ponies, in standard trim the SR's performance is slightly fluffy to say the least. The EFi and ECU require disproportionate amounts of wiring, one of Walid's pet hates, so he put a new loom together that's not only less cumbersome but now also talks to the Motogadget components. Namely a Motoscope Tiny and M-Switches. The headlight will be familiar to classic rally car fans.... a Cibie Oscar. The subframe is of course looped, topped with a full grain black leather saddle. Upgraded shocks prop up the rear while the forks have been significantly shorted for an aggressive stance. Avon Roadrider's provide plenty of grip on Paris' congested streets whilst looking stylish yet understated. Hand rolled aluminium mudguards fore and aft should keep the muck away from the radiant red paintwork. There have been a host of high end builds that have rolled off the Bad Winners bench of late but breaking the mould isn't always necessary. Continuing to enjoy custom bikes in a city bound by bureaucracy definitely is, vive le Bad Winners! See more metal from Walid's workshop here Bike Shed Archive | Web | Instagram | Facebook