If you were one of the happy thousands that made it to Sideburn's epic 2015 Dirt Quake IV back on that scorching hot July day, then amidst the mirth you will have witnessed a raft of inappropriate machines tackling the shale oval. Scooters, choppers, TT race bikes and most any two-wheeler in-between was attempting to go fast and turn left with some success, some failure and plenty of chaos. Amidst the flock of duck-out-of-water machines however was a collection of motorcycles that were born sideways. The Redmax Speedshop stall displayed a sample of their custom built Triumph, Harley and Norton based machines on which years of R&D have resulted in a thick parts catalogue to cater for most aspects of flat track racing. These track orientated racers are inherently handsome beasts, their purposeful nature and complete lack of fripperies leaves them damn close to the essence of a motorcycle. Steve Hilary, founder of the Devon based outfit has been racing for years and know a thing or two about how to put together not only a quick bike, but that speed is nothing without beauty. The latest tracker to leave the Redmax Stable was built for a lucky customer, Brandon. This project began simply with a Yamaha XS650 engine, just about every other element came fresh from the Redmax factory floor or stock room, starting with one of their own GNC replica frames. "It's our lightweight monoshock job , fitted with a Ducati rear shock and R6 forks" Steve explains. This was their first fitment of the Yamaha engine to that particular frame and an opportunity for Steve to design and fabricate the parts for similarly paired future projects. Of course, as with all Redmax builds, the stock engine was not simply dropped into the modified frame, it was treated to a healthy helping of Speedshop experience and attention to detail. "The engine is a fully restored and tuned unit from Smedspeed , with a 750 HC kit and a re-phased crank , and flat slide mikunis… She goes like stink with much less vibration than you'd usually feel with an XS!" A Redmax Flattrack tank and a Knight seat unit were selected and dispatched to painter Alan in Southampton for a subtle grey and black transformation. The seat unit was then fitted with a pad from upholsterer Glenn, Redmax's main man for all buttock supporting needs. The electrics are all hidden under the seat in a droppable tray. Redmax tracker bars, bates headlamp, retro Swift digital speedo and a quick action throttle make for clean, high 'n' wide controls. Tarozzi rear sets were fitted to the freshly blacked out frame complete with a removeable peg to enable kickstarting. "It has an aero fitting pip starter button as a feature, see if you can spot it?" teases Steve. Key to that tracker stance are the wheels, black Excell rims were laced to Talon hubs with stainless spokes and shod with the essential Dunlop K180 tyres. Disc brakes arrest the momentum both for and aft, this is after all a tracker for the street not just the dirt. The exhaust is again a one-off creation fabricated by Redmax in stainless steel with hidden, removable baffles. Steve says it was one of the most time consuming elements of the build with many hours eaten up getting the shape and line of the pipes just right. Time very well spent. "So the bike turned out as a very sharp, ultra light street tracker which everyone loves and is real sweet to ride! It's subtle and you may walk past her in a crowd, but she's a keeper and you'll want to take her home! Brandon is one happy man". No doubt many of those brave Dirt Quake riders, aboard their inappropriate steeds, left that day with dusty dreams of returning to tackle the oval on a machine just like this sublime XS from Redmax Speedshop. See more from Redmax here Bike Shed Archive | Web | Facebook