In the world of classic thumpers, the Yamaha XT500 reigns supreme. It pioneered the concept of four-stroke dual-sport bikes, won the first two Paris Dakar rallies, and garnered legions of fans along the way. It’s hard to meet someone who hasn’t owned an XT500, known someone who’s owned one, or dreamt of owning one.
Given its legendary status, the Yamaha thumper begs to be subtly and judiciously tweaked, rather than drastically modified. If you can crank up the elements that made it iconic in the first place, while nipping and tucking it in all the right places, you’re on the right track. And that’s exactly what Jeremy Tagand at Deus ex Machina Australia has done with this Yamaha XT500 restomod.

Dubbed ‘The North Star’ after the bike’s owner, Fred North, this 1981-model Yamaha XT500 is a textbook example of how to honor a classic, while also dragging it into the modern age. The XT’s icon status isn’t lost on Jeremy, so retaining as much of the original’s DNA as possible was never a question. ?If we had a dollar for every story we?ve heard about the Yamaha XT500, we could probably buy this bike back,? he quips. ?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’s first port of call was to give the old XT500 a rolling chassis worthy of its legacy. New Yamaha WR450F forks went...