Michael's SR500 "Lambada"

Michael Eichler grew up skating, snowboarding and camping in the mountains and hills of south-west Germany, and at the age of 15 he was introduced to the world of two wheels on his first bike, a Hercules Prima 5 with 25cc and a full 25kmh top speed. It was great fun at the time…
“A lot has changed since then. Now I’m 30, live in Kentish Town, married to the most wonderful girl, and hardly get a chance to camp or Snowboard. But my passion for two wheels didn’t fade away since I was 15. Quite the opposite in fact. Last year we had enough and decided to hit the roads of Edgware to get a couple of full licenses (turned out the lady loves the bikes too, fantastic!) We just wanted to be able to ride if we felt like it.
“Fully Qualified, we were all over the moon but something was missing… We didn’t quite see the appeal of riding a bike in town. And there were still those beautiful hills and their twisty roads back home. And as we keep going back to hang out with friends and family it kinda made sense to get a couple of old bikes to ride around on for when we are there.
“Most modern bikes don’t appeal to me. And spanking a lot of cash on a bike which I’d only ride a few weeks a year seemed wrong. I was after something fun, light-hearted, agile to throw around town, a bit rough to be able to go and play in the dirt, go camping with or just to go and pick up some good ol’ German Rye for breakfast. It had to be all German Bauhaus “Form follows function” and all that.”
“Having said that form and style were still massively important to me. I believe it’s much more that a “cool look” I believe a certain style of bike gives you a certain feeling when riding it too. I used to work as a Graphic Designer and am now an Art Director which I think had a huge influence. Not in quality (I’ve never designed or touched a bolt on a bike before, so it ain’t no technically sophisticated machine… my German engineer cousins would probably be ashamed). But I think it influenced the approach. Building something with a clear idea behind it… a purpose. And trying to reflect my own style so I’d feel at home riding it.
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LAMBADA SR500

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model - YAMAHA SR 500 [48T]
year - 1989
design + built - MICHAEL EICHLER
build time - 3 WEEKS

engine - 500cc SINGLE CYLINDER
chassis - YAMAHA
handlebar - MOTACC 1 SUPERBIKE
grips - ARIETE
lights + indicators - CRD
fenders - CUSTOM