SHERPA TRIBUTE: Yamaha Scorpio “Tenzing” by Backyard Customs Bali

“Custom bikes are a unique form to express ourselves, you are what you ride.”

The Sherpa are a people of Tibetan ancestry, native to the mountainous regions of Nepal and the Himalayas, who are legendary for their elite mountaineering skills. They were absolutely critical to the early explorers of the region, particularly the expeditions to climb Mount Everest. Tenzing Norgay is a legend among the Sherpa mountaineers, reaching the summit of Everest in 1953 alongside Sir Edmund Hillary — the first two climbers ever to do so — and Time named Tenzing one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Said Tenzing:

“It has been a long road… From a mountain coolie, a bearer of loads, to a wearer of a coat with rows of medals who is carried about in planes and worries about income tax.”

Enter the crew of Backyard Customs Bali, a workshop which started in the backyard of a rented house some seven years ago, founded by two friends who shared the same passions for art, design, and custom motorcycles. Their design philosophy is built on joy, function, and matching the bike to the rider’s character:

“Custom bikes are a unique form to express ourselves, you are what you ride.”

Recently, they completed this Yamaha Scorpio 225 for their friend and photographer Mario, who’s become a part of the family.

“Concept is simple, we want Mario (owner) to enjoy this bike anywhere he wants, whether on smooth asphalt, loose rock, beaches, or even black lava sands.”

During the process, Mario expressed his admiration for legendary Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, a theme for the build:

“He wanted this build to represent Mr Tenzing on two wheels.”

The Yamaha Scorpio 225 makes a solid base for such a tribute, a small but double-tough thumper that doesn’t know the word quit. They upgraded the bike’s suspension to handle multiple types of terrain, and British racing green recalls Tenzing’s rise to glory, for which Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the George Medal.

Below, we get the full story on this build, aptly named “Tenzing,” as well as more gorgeous photos from owner and photographer Mario of Gusde Photography.

Scorpio 225 Scrambler: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

Backyard Customs Bali was founded in 2013 at the backyard of a rented house by two best friends from the same college who shared the same passions in art, design, and of course custom bikes. As seven years go by, we’ve added a new member of the family — a professional photographer who also shares the same passion for bike building, cool images, and loads of ideas.

We decided to chop down the bikes, do it on our own terms, making it about joy and functional rides. We enjoy the art of the process very much. Some of the bikes we build are based on riders’ characters — custom bikes are unique form to express ourselves, you are what you ride.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

BCKYRD/27 donor bike came from a 2012 Yamaha Scorpio 225.

• Why was this bike built?

It’s a commission work for a friend who’s become a member of the family.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

Concept is simple, we want Mario (owner) to enjoy this bike anywhere he wants, whether on smooth asphalt, loose rock, beaches, or even black lava sands.

As the build went on, Mario told us that he admired a lot the legendary Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, a very humble and trustworthy climber companion. He wanted this build to represent Mr Tenzing on custom two wheels.

As we looked at the rider’s character, we want this ride as simple clean and smooth all the way — both with the looks and its performance.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

We chopped the frame from mid to rear sections and customized the new one. We fitted it with a vintage Suzuki tank (don’t know what year and model, my friend brought it from Australia).

Next, we changed front end with new Yamaha Byson suspension and customized it — custom headlight and odo mount, custom handlebar, and all aluminum side cover and fenders. We sandblasted all the aluminum parts including the engine to bare metal.

We changed the vacuum carburetor to a PE28, Kawasaki throttle, and new wiring harness to make it simple. We banged sheet-metal for the seat pan and wrapped it with tanned leather.