By all accounts, the new Yamaha Ténéré 700 is a smash hit. Its 689 cc parallel twin motor is a total peach, and its no-frills approach, off-road chops and rally racer looks add to its mass appeal. But we never would have pegged it as a platform for customization.
Deus ex Machina Italy saw potential in the T7 though. They’ve given it a massive shot of retro rally raid style?resulting in a radical and stylish machine that doesn’t sacrifice a stitch of performance.

Redesigning a modern dual-sport is a bold move, but the Deus Italy team was clever about it. They took the kit build approach, by binning the T7’s stock plastics, and creating a whole new set of bodywork to sit on its solid bones.
Deus Italy worked with Camal Studio, who helped them design a new body kit using 3D software. Next, they 3D printed prototype parts to make castings, so that the final pieces could be shaped with fiberglass?and so that they could be replicated. (Deus might offer this as a plug-and-play kit if there’s interest.)
Central to the bodywork is a bulbous tank cover that hints at the ‘camel’ tanks on the Yamaha desert racers of old. It fits over the T7’s OEM fuel cell, and mounts to existing mounting points on the frame. It’s also perfectly lined up with the original filler tube, with a new gas cap rounding it off.

Further back is a new tail unit, featuring a boxy, elongated design that’s reminiscent of the 1980s XT600 Ténéré. The...