There was a subtle takeaway from this year’s EICMA show: adventure motorcycles are more popular than ever. As well as the regular slew of new model upgrades, we saw a hefty dose of nostalgia in concepts like the Husqvarna Norden 901 and Scrambler Ducati Desert X.
While modern dual-sports have become angular and over-designed, those two designs hark back to icons like the original Honda Africa Twin, Cagiva Elefant and Yamaha Ténéré. Older bikes that we love, because they remind us of simpler and more stylish times.

So here’s another, even sweeter reminder of the way adventure bikes were: a delicious 1991 Yamaha XTZ 750 Super Ténéré, from Marco Saldarriaga in Colombia. He’s played his cards right here, keeping the Ténéré’s general vibe, but with a contemporary edge and key performance tweaks. Marco knows a little bit about adventure bikes. He’s started the grueling Dakar Rally twice and finished it once, and his company, Mastech, manufactures aftermarket dual-sport parts.

As a bonus, the Super Ténéré came to Marco with a fully overhauled motor, ticking one thing off the list. So he turned his attention to rebuilding the carbs, and installed a full exhaust system from Arrow to make it run even sweeter. And he treated it to a new wiring harness too.
Then it was time to beef up the Yamaha’s aging suspension. Marco grabbed a set of enduro-specific Öhlins RXF 48 forks, and paired them up with aftermarket triple clamps from Off...