XS Monster: “deXSter” Yamaha XS650 Scrambler

A Vinduro-Style XS from Rendy Rides x D73 Custom… 

The Yamaha XS650 remains one of the best-loved vintage Japanese motorcycles of the 1970s ane early 80s. When the company began developing the bike, most of the great old British marques had shuttered their factories or were struggling on their last legs. It seemed the era of the air-cooled British twins was coming to a close…

But Yamaha stepped in to create the XS650, which some would call “the best British bike never built.” The engine actually had its roots in 1955, when a company called Hosk produced a 500cc SOHC twin. A decade later, they designed a 650cc twin. Showa later acquired Hosk, and then Yamaha acquired Showa, receiving the 650cc twin design.

Although the engine looked much like a British parallel-twin, it was significantly more advanced, featuring unit construction, a horizontally-split crankcase, and SOHC valve operation. The engine was oil-tight, reliable, and none other than Kenny Roberts demonstrated its racing potential on dirt tracks across the US.

Today, the XS650 stands as one of the most versatile donors for custom builds, though we’ve rarely seen one transformed in the vintage enduro style you see here. It comes from our new friend Rendy Ardiand (@rendyride), who was assisted in the build by D73 Custom of Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Rendy has long been a fan of dirt and dual-sport bikes, and he owns quite the collection:

“I played with dirt bikes from the age of 15, everyday I worked with dirt bikes and tourers. The motorcycle collection in my garage still has several such bikes, such as a Honda XR250R, Honda XLX250R, Suzuki DR200, Suzuki TS125 and others.”

For the XS650, he wanted an enduro-style machine with an engine large enough for longer distance touring:

“The concept of building this motorcycle is for touring, overland, dual-purpose, so we had to make a tough and dashing motorcycle.”

The build took about one year to complete, and there’s very little left of the standard bike. In fact, much of the frame and swingarm were custom-built, along with the front and rear fenders, seat, and side rack. D73 Custom call themselves more of a welding workshop than custom builder, so they were the perfect partner in the build.

You’ll recognize that gorgeous tank from a twin-shock Yamaha DT400, while the speedo comes from a Yamaha L2 and the stoplight from another DT model.

However, other parts of the build spring from modern origins. The forks come courtesy of a Suzuki DR-Z400E, matched with a KTM 350 CNC hub and Brembo brakes. The rear shocks are custom-length models that give the bike more height and ground clearance to match the forks.

Rims are from TK Racing of Japan, with a 21″ front and 18″ rear wrapped in Shinko tires.

Rendy has aptly nicknamed the bike “deXSter” after everyone’s favorite serial killer, Dexter Morgan of the Dexter series, as it’s an “XS Monster.” We can’t agree more. In fact, this is one of our favorite XS650 builds we’ve ever seen, an enduro-style vintage adventure rig from a time before the very idea of the multi-cylinder adventure bike had been birthed into mass production.

On the road, some will surely mistake the bike for a Yamaha XT500 or DT400 until they notice the twin-cylinder engine, the high-mount dual exhaust system, and the very size of the bike. Bravo to Rendy and D73 Custom for the build, and we wish Rendy many happy miles and adventures on “deXSter.”

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Owner: @rendyride
Builder: @d73custom

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