Deus ex Machina finesses the Vespa GTS 300, Untitled Motorcycles rescues a beat-up Zero FXS, and Brooklyn’s The Lurkshop goes buck wild on the Suzuki DR650. In motorcycle news, Ducati updates the XDiavel with their V4 Granturismo engine to turn it into a 168-horsepower super cruiser.
Vespa GTS 300 by Deus ex Machina If you haven’t sampled the Vespa GTS 300 yet, you’re missing out. It’s nippy, handles surprisingly well for a scooter with 12” wheels, and looks killer. It doesn’t exactly beg to be customized—but that didn’t stop Deus ex Machina Australia’s Jeremy Tagand from taking a crack at it.
To the uninitiated, Jeremy’s Vespa GTS 300 Super Sport could be mistaken for a factory bike. But that’s its charm. Instead of making radical changes, the French wrench nipped and tucked the Vespa in tasteful ways, creating a stylish runner that’s a cut above your garden variety Vespa.
The biggest job was ditching the scoot’s bulky taillight and turn signals, which involved filling in and smoothing out the indented housings that they lived in. Jeremy trimmed the rear fender too, then installed a pair of Kellerman LEDs that do double duty as taillights and rear signals.
The front end received the same treatment, with tiny Kellerman units sitting atop the original mirror mounts.
Jeremy also removed the Vespa’s front fender ‘fin,’ leaving the bodywork super sano from front to back. The cockpit was treated to a drop-in digital dash from SIP Scootershop, plus Motogadget grips, switches, and bar-end mirrors. A smoked LED headlight completes the set.
Nicknaming the scooter ‘Don’t Panic,’ Jeremy settled on a black-on-black livery for his creation. Colourfuel stepped up to the plate, hitting the Vespa with touches of satin and gloss black.
The seat uses a mix of plain and perforated Alcantara and leather sections, and all of the previously chromed bits have been powder-coated black. YSS Suspension, Michelin tires, and a barking Akrapovič exhaust add a smidgen of performance.
Jeremy sums Deus’ Vespa GTS 300 up as “not loud, not showy—just effortlessly confident.” We concur. [Deus Ex Machina]
Zero FXS by Untitled Motorcycles The simplicity and tightly packaged design of most electric drivetrains make electric bikes more modular than their petrol-powered prototypes. So it’s curious that we don’t see more bolt-on custom kits for them.
This modified Zero FXS from Untitled Motorcycles makes a strong case for that approach. In stock form, the FXS is a zippy supermoto with 106 Nm of maximum torque and 46 hp on hand, in a package weighing just 133 kilos [293 pounds].
Although the Zero FXS looks good enough out of this box, this particular one was in dire need of a makeover. It had been stolen—and then recovered, thanks to its built-in GPS-based anti-theft tracker. But the thieves had been less than kind to the bike, leaving the bodywork mangled.
Adam Kay at Untitled’s UK workshop yanked the damaged parts off, before handing the bike over to Jack Lennie to 3D scan the whole thing. Next, he designed three new parts—a headlight shroud, a ‘tank’ cover, and a tailpiece.
The idea was to laser cut and fold each part—but before Adam created the final metal pieces, he prototyped them out of foldable plastic. “It looked cool right away, especially in its bright blue test color,” he tells us. “The customer loved the shade, and just like that, the final color was locked in.”
Once the design was translated into metal, Adam welded each edge to give each section a seamless finish. Glenn Moger added the seat pad, while Arni at Pro Kustoms handled the stunning satin blue paint job. Adam’s go-to electrical guy, Paul, wired in a new headlight, taillight, and Motogadget turn signals.
The design is minimalistic, but it’s not devoid of details. There’s a UMC logo cut into the headlight ‘grill,’ plus slots at key points to make wiring work easy. And because the kit uses just three pieces, it can be fitted in minutes—provided you’re happy to drill and tap a few new holes to mount it to.
Adam’s just produced one kit for now but he’s keen to do more… if there’s interest. [Source]
Suzuki DR650 by The Lurkshop “Our thing is sleepers,” explains Ross Miller—founder of The Lurkshop in Brooklyn, New York. “We love a bike that works better more than just looks better.”
This Suzuki DR650 encapsulates this philosophy in stylish retro fashion. The 1991-model DR650S was brought in by a customer who was happy to let Ross run wild with it. So he and his crew cranked the late 80s / early 90s vibes up to eleven, and packed the venerable dual-sport with scores of hidden upgrades.
For starters, the DR650’s engine was bumped up to 670 cc with a high-compression piston, an upgraded cam, a ported head, reworked valves, and a programmable ignition. With a Yoshimura flatslide carb and GPR exhaust in the mix, it now makes a stonking 54 hp at the rear wheel.
The forks are off a Suzuki DR-Z400, but they’ve been rebuilt and re-valved to suit The Lurkshop’s customer, while a Hagon shock sits at the back. The wheels are 17” supermoto items from Gale Speed, wrapped in Dunlop Q5S tires. Custom details include the steering stem, some machine work to make the back wheel fit the Suzuki swingarm, a rebuilt rear linkage, and Beringer brake components.
Visually, the DR650 is a neon dream with fresh graphics, a freshly powder-coated frame, and color-matched finishes on everything from the dashboard to the brake calipers. A custom seat from Volcano Industry complements the paint job, and, according to Ross, there’s also a “music box that plays all your favorite anime themes when the ignition is turned on.”
Sure to turn heads, The Lurkshop’s Suzuki DR650 reportedly has the go to match the show. “Cause of the cam, it just keeps pulling,” Ross testifies.
“Rips the front wheel off the ground rolling off and on in third and handles like a demon. Stops hard with one finger.”
“Looks like a DR650, handles like a 125 supermoto. Everything is tight and fast.” [Source]
2025 Ducati XDiavel V4 If the Ducati XDiavel has never made much sense to you, look away now. But if you’re gaga for Ducati’s monstrous ‘sport cruiser,’ we’ve got good news—it’s now more bonkers than ever.
The Borgo Panigale firm has upgraded the XDiavel V4 with their V4 Granturismo engine, matching cruiser ergonomics to MotoGP-derived performance. The 1,158 cc motor delivers 168 hp and 125.5 Nm of torque, features a counter-rotating crankshaft, and helps bring the XDiavel’s overall dry weight to just 229 kg [505 lbs].
The redesign goes beyond just an engine swap. The XDiavel V4 sports a relaxed riding position with better seats for both the rider and passenger. It comes in ‘Black Lava’ and ‘Burning Red,’ with the same muscular aesthetic that we’ve come to expect from the Diavel series.
Design highlights include front turn signals that are integrated into the side panels, full LED lighting, and a contrasting finish on the wheels that looks particularly swanky against the single-sided swingarm. Think of it as a two-wheeled American muscle car with Italian flair.
The XDiavel V4 also gets upside-down forks, Brembo Stylema brakes, and a comprehensive electronic rider aids package. Cruise control and a quick-shifter are standard equipment, as is launch control. Aftermarket accessories include a kit to move the foot pegs further back, a tail cowl that turns the bike into a single-seater, a ‘comfort’ seat, panniers, a passenger backrest, and a whole lot more.
As if the Ducati XDiavel V4 isn’t unapologetic enough, Ducati has given it a quad-muffler exhaust system to make its intentions clear. Is it overkill? Perhaps—but we love it. [Source]
