Certain motorcycles truly stand out as having captured the zeitgeist of their heyday, and an even smaller few survive the toll of time and never fade from popularity. Yamaha’s XT500 is one of those rare machines, a motorbike that is not only loved but seems to elicit fond memories for many. Fred North has always adored the classic Enduro bike, but rather than ride a decades-old wreck, he decided to find someone to craft him something just a little bit special. Enter Jeremy Tagand, the chief builder at Deus Ex Machina’s House of Simple Pleasures in Sydney, Australia. He’s not only built a beast of a bike out of a 1981 Yamaha XT500 but may have just created the ultimate super single.
“If we had a dollar for every story we’ve heard about the Yamaha XT500, we could probably buy this bike back. Tales of adventure and her wily sister, misadventure. Of duct tape and zip tie repairs. Of broken ankles, nostalgia, and running out of skill—we’ve heard it all,” Jeremy smiles. And it’s true, many of us can recall times on an XT that have ended both in smiles and also in some serious stacks; it’s just that kind of machine. So, as the customiser and owner sat down to discuss the build, they asked themselves a simple question: “What would the 500 look like if it were released today, and how would it perform?” From there, the ‘North Star’ began its journey, a true total transformation.
The first task Jeremy set himself was to drastically improve the handling of the big XT, as suspension technology has come a long way in recent years. The front forks were taken from Yamaha’s enduro weapon, the WR450F. But the gold on the USD units had to go, so the forks were DLC-coated and re-anodized to get the colour scheme right. On the inside, Shock Treatment shortened the forks and treated each side to new springs and a re-valve. To get these high-end pieces of kit to fit the old frame, a new set of triple clamps was CNC-machined, and the offset was set to the original spec.
To bring the rear end up to scratch, Jeremy made another purchase, and bought an alloy swingarm from a Kawasaki KLX250. This had the front section polished to a mirror shine, with the axle plates done in black, neatly matching the bike’s signature colour scheme. “The swingarm was machined and spaced to accept the XT’s new custom YSS Hi/Lo piggyback shocks and chain alignment,” Jeremy tells us. With the classic frame sprung with the latest tech, it was time to get the bike rolling on a new set of wheels. The quality continued, with each end fitted with a set of Hahn billet hubs, the rear featuring a cush drive as specified by Jeremy.
To keep the theme of modern function with classic form, a set of Buchanan’s rims and stainless spokes were chosen for their lightweight, but before they were pieced together, the factory gold finish was achieved with matte anodizing on the rims and black gloss on the hubs. Once they were back in the shop and laced together, the decision was made to wrap them in a set of road-legal flat-track tyres. “Drums were fine in 1981 but simply won’t do forty-odd years later. Hydraulic front and rear brake conversions from the same WR450F were persuaded into position.”
Now having the ultimate roller, it was time to build up the engine into a true super single, and there is nothing like the advice of a legend to make that happen. Following the recipe of Carl Batey from Australia’s Cafe Racer, Jeremy got to work. The bulletproof engine sports a high-compression piston and a fully balanced crank. The top end has the works, with the ported and flowed head rebuilt with a custom camshaft, oversized valves, and heavy-duty springs and retainers. Then to manage the thermal load, a high-flow oil pump was fitted and a new cooler was slotted into place.
The stock airbox stays right at home, but the cover has been slotted for better breathing and then fitted out with a K&N filter. All of that fresh air then flows to a thumping Keihin FCR 39mm carb, while on the exhaust side, a custom header pipe has been matched to a screaming SC-Project silencer. “Rex’s Speed Shop supplied a rewound SR500 stator, flywheel, digital ignition, and 12V conversion, which is what allows us to run the Xstart electric start kit on this bike.” The rest of the electrics are trick too, with Motogadget supplying their mo.lock FOB system and a mo.switch pro that bolts to the tracker bars held by Rizoma clamps.
A Motoscope Tiny serves as the only gauge, and Kellermann blinkers keep things legal. The final part of the electrical package forms the first big change to the looks, with a Kozo headlight nestled in a JVB surround. “Last but not least was a fresh lick of paint. The tank was sent off for a fresh polish before receiving new (but not new) paint. The rest of the fenders, side covers, frame and fiddly bits are all finished in solid black.” From start to finish, the build took Jeremy around 18 months to complete. But as it leaves Deus Ex Machina and heads into Fred’s safe hands, North Star truly is the culmination of a lifetime’s love affair for all involved, and this is their shared Magnum Opus.
[ Deus Ex Machina ]