The Honda XL500 has achieved near-legendary status. Its front wheel is a ridiculous 23 inches, and it?s far too heavy for serious competition?but the engine is bulletproof and lives up to the old ?stump-pulling grunt? cliché.
The guys at Deus Japan are fans of the XL500. So when they were looking for a street-legal machine to campaign in local vintage motocross and sand flat races, Honda?s big rig was high on the list of candidates.

When Matthew Roberts, Director of Motorcycle Operations, got wind of a cleaner-than-usual example, he snapped it up.
?The monster two-strokes of that era demanded total attention and nerves of steel to avoid a trip to the hospital,? Roberts says. ?But the Honda just makes you smile.?

It?s the moto equivalent of a Clydesdale horse: easy to ride, but with bucket loads of torque from idle. So Deus? approach was to shed some weight and add more capable suspension. It would make the beast a force to be reckoned with, on- or off-road.

After checking the local VMX regulations, the search for suspension travel, handling and style began. ?We had to keep the engine and main frame,? says Roberts, ?and the drum brakes at both ends, and the twin shocks. But beyond that, we could walk on the wild side.?
Up front a set of late 80s XR600 forks have been grafted on. The stem and yokes were machined, so the steering bearings and headstock could be kept standard.

The 43mm forks offer full adjustability without any flex?handy for when man and machine ...