If you’re into 1970s racebikes, you’ll love this Yamaha TZ750-inspired XSR900 from Jeff Palhegyi—it’s one of the best Yard Built customs yet. We’ve also got the latest creation from Woolie at Deus, an XT500 scrambler 25 years in the making, and a Ducati Monster with more angles than a pretzel. Enjoy.
Yamaha XT500 by Andy Rolfe After a twenty-five year hiatus, Brisbane, Australia based Andy Rolfe decided to get back in the saddle. In an impressive way, no less. Working from a few scattered boxes of parts, he’s cobbled together a meticulous Yamaha XT500.
Just about everything on this build has been stripped, cleaned, catalogued, refined or replaced. The engine, once coated in Tremclad (dirt and all), was vapor blasted and rebuilt three times before everything was ‘just right’ in Andy’s eyes. The electrics were upgraded and re-routed to de-clutter as best as possible.
The tank, an original unit, has had more dents and dings removed than anyone can remember—but looks impeccable in its new polished state. As does the frame: any burrs, scratches or nicks were taken care of, and the rear hoop has been shortened to match the saddle’s profile perfectly.
Apparently Andy toyed with throwing in the towel a few times over the seven-month build. We’re glad he didn’t—and he probably is too. [More]
Yamaha Yard Built XSR900 by Jeff Palhegyi Designs Both Wes and I are big fans of the Yamaha XSR900. Aesthetic foibles around the tank area notwithstanding, the sport heritage Yammie triple is an absolute riot to ride fast—and it’s a decent donor for a custom build too.
Jeff Palhegyi may have just set a new standard though. Unveiled at the AIMExpo earlier this week, Palhegyi’s Yard Built XSR900 project ticks some serious style boxes. Drawing inspiration from the iconic TZ750, Palhegyi worked some magic on the brute’s new suit. Everything was built from scratch: the tank, tail, cowl and lower fairing were all hand crafted using a mix of alloy and FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) to deliver a tailored fit and tasteful homage.
The XSR900 also received performance upgrades along the way, in the form of Dymag wheels from the R1 parts bin—with hubs revised by Palhegyi himself—plus Graves Motorsports clip-ons, a titanium exhaust kit, and Sato rearsets. [More]
Honda CBF600N by Octane Motorcycles Iñaki Bellver and Carlos Lopez are doing something pretty unusual in custom bike building. Working out of their Spanish shop, the duo are creating ‘practical motorcycles, for everyday use.’ And if that doesn’t blow your mind, check out the finished product.
Working from a rather pedestrian Honda CBF600N, this cafe racer conversion was built for speed, comfort and bulletproof reliability. The speed comes from waking up the inline-four with a new set of cone filters, re-worked carbs and a custom four-into-one exhaust system that exits stage right. To hold that speed in the twisties, this Honda now rides on Kawi suspenders and wheels. The forks, rims and both sets of brakes all come courtesy of a benched Z750 and look right at home here.
Comfort comes in the form of flat, wide bars up front that keep most of the cafe aesthetic without turning the rider into a hunchback. Of course, the seat helps too and that new saddle is decently padded, complete with an integrated hump that not only hides the electrics but accentuates the work on the new subframe as well. Other niceties include the custom aluminum rearsets and the rolled, stainless steel fender.
Oh, and since Iñaki and Carlos are full-time engineers, rest assured that this is one CB that won’t rattle to bits anytime soon.
Triumph T140 by Deus Customs When Michael ‘Woolie’ Woolaway gets his hands on a new project, you know the finished product will be a technical marvel. And a few creative boundaries will be no doubt be pushed as well. His latest, built under the Deus banner, is a modern take on a 1978 Triumph T140 that’s raising eyebrows for all the right reasons.
As is Woolies’ custom, this thing is as much a runner as a stunner. The 750cc twin has been ported, polished and rebuilt with top shelf go-fast bits. Megacycle cams activate lightened lifters. The cam gears have been beveled and drilled and the intake runners are handmade to maximize gains from the Mikuni flat slide carbs. Those breathe through unobstructed velocity stacks and draw fuel from an expertly shaped aluminum tank.
The frame itself is pretty special too: a handmade oil-in-frame unit with a wishbone section at the rear, to accommodate a custom Jimmy Wood mono-shock set-up. Up front, Öhlins forks handle the bumps, and the braking is top notch too. A Beringer 6-piston unit handles the bulk of work, with a Brembo kit clamping on the rear.
We’re told this latest Deus Customs creation has earned a spot as a centerpiece in its owner’s house. Let’s just hope it gets ridden and doesn’t stay hidden. [More]
Custom Ducati Monster S4R by Anvil Motociclette The Italian collective is known for its fashion forward design language and some serious skills in the garage. So when they decided to rework one of my favorite bikes, I knew it would be a stand-out.
First things first: you need to have a pretty steady hand and a decent gob of confidence if you’re going to let welded seams dominate the look of a build. Which apparently, for Italian duo Alessandro ‘Phonz’ Fontanesi and ‘San’ Marco Filios, wasn’t an issue when they created the Warthog Mille. Stripping the Ducati Monster of nearly everything save the iconic trellis, Phonz and Marco drew inspiration from the frame’s shapes and the raw power of that 996 derived L-Twin.
Untold hours later, the one-piece bodywork started to take shape. And what a shape it is. Symmetrical, multi-faceted, expertly fused and absolutely cracking. The tail may not have received as much visual detail but Anvil’s engineers reworked it to be the new fuel cell feeding this Monster, albeit a limited supply.
The suspension and braking have all been rebuilt to deliver modern performance, and thanks to some ECU work and that Zard exhaust, the Warthog can run wild.