In two weeks, Yamaha will go public with a new adventure bike?a production version of the T7 concept that a small group of European journalists tested back in June. Why’s that relevant" Because it’ll be powered by the same 689cc, parallel-twin motor as the XSR700.
We can argue about the looks of the XSR until the cows come home, but everyone agrees that the engine is a gem. It’s punchy and predictable?making it just the ticket for a mid-sized dual-sport. The crew at Maria Motorcycles agree: after taking the XSR700 for a spin they fell in love, then turned it into the jolly mud-flinger you see here.

The seed was planted just over a year ago, at the Art & Moto event in Portugal. Maria Motorcycles ran into Yamaha’s marketing director, and asked him if they could try the XSR700 out. ?It was a new bike at the time,? says Maria’s Luis Correia, ?and we always like to try new bikes to have a diverse experience, and with that, more technical knowledge.? ?It was a 50km run with many curves and a very technical track, and it was really surprising how agile and fast it was for a entry level bike. A really fun bike to have?and perhaps to modify?those were our thoughts!?

Fast-forward to this year, and an invitation to build a Yard Built XSR700 arrived from Yamaha Portugal. Despite having just four months to complete it?and ten other projects on the board?the Lisboetas accepted the challenge.
Right off the bat, the guys wanted to steer the XSR ...