UNIK Edition Motorcycles
UNIK Edition Custom Motorcycles in Lisbon, Portugal is known for a wide range of interesting builds. As a matter of fact, they do more than just building custom bikes. With a full-blown workshop and an official dealership, they truly are a jack of all trades. One of their latest projects is based on the Yamaha XT 600E from 1998. The Yamaha was chosen by the owner, who is a good friend of the craftsmen. She loves the XT, and owns in fact two of them. It is not hard to see why.

A step back in time
In the past 5 years we have only covered builds that were based on a Yamaha XT. Far too little if you ask us. It is one of Yamaha’s biggest success stories and an absolute Paris-Dakar legend. Yamaha introduced the first XT, the XT500, in 1976 with a 500cc single cylinder air-cooled engine. It was known for its tractor-like torque and power delivery. The XT also had a reputation of being absolutely bulletproof. In 1982 and 1983, a lesser known XT550 was produced. In 1983 the XT600 emerged on the market, and had the tough task to continue the legacy its predecessor created. And oh boy did it deliver…

Cult-status
Sold from 1983 till 2003 (30 years!) in a myriad of forms, the XT600 was rightfully a success number for Yamaha. Sure, somewhere in the late 1990s the competition was starting to catch-up, think of KTM, BMW, and Suzuki, but Yamaha kept on pushing through. You could get one with a large safari-style fuel tank, kick start, electric start, or both. It was immensely popular with “overlanders”, motorcycle world-travellers, because of its simplicity and reliability. Towards the end of its career though, it had lost some of its oomph due to stricter emission legislation, and the quality of fit and finish started to deteriorate as well. It is the last of the true air-cooled big displacement single cylinders from Yamaha.

Blast from the past
The guys at UNIK decided to do a tribute to the Yamaha YZ’s and Bultaco Enduro machines from the 1970s. On the surface, it looks like they did an amazing job. The Yamaha vintage moto-cross look has a beautiful white paint scheme with red details. A long and sleek fuel tank, and custom-made side racing number plates, finished off with a round old-school enduro headlight complete with number plate as well. Road-legal and ready for use.

Lowered stance
Trail and enduro bikes can be a bit intimidating in terms of seat height. It doesn’t help that the owner isn’t really tall herself. So, changes had to be made to accommodate for a user-friendly seat-height. The rear suspension got shortened with a different set of dog-bones, and the front 21” wheel got replaced to a 19” unit. This lowered the stance of the XT significantly. The rear subframe got chopped off and mended with a rear loop, allowing for the rear mudguard to go underneath it, just like the old Yamaha CT-1 175. Preston Petty fenders and headlight cover were used for the period correct feel. Old style MX grips combined with chrome controls, and chrome handlebars were also use for that same reason.

Scrambleresque
To complete the build, a simple but good-looking black leather seat was added. We have seen the Arrow exhaust before, often on Scramblers. We have to say that it fits this XT really well. Another detail is the number “133” on the side number plates. This refers to the owner’s child racing number. It is no surprise that this XT is an easy bike to ride. According to UNIK, it is very nimble and agile in the city with low end and mid range grunt, pulling really good from the bottom all the way to highway speed and beyond if needed.

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Dakar Legend
In the past 5 years we have only covered builds that were based on a Yamaha XT. Far too little if you ask us. It is one of Yamaha’s biggest success stories and an absolute Paris-Dakar legend. Yamaha introduced the first XT, the XT500, in 1976 with a 500cc single cylinder air-cooled engine. It was known for its tractor-like torque and power delivery. The XT also had a reputation of being absolutely bulletproof. In 1982 and 1983, a lesser known XT550 was produced. In 1983 the XT600 emerged on the market, and had the tough task to continue the legacy its predecessor created. And oh boy did it deliver…

No 1-trick pony
Sold from 1983 till 2003 (30 years!) in a myriad of forms, the XT600 was rightfully a success number for Yamaha. Sure, somewhere in the late 1990s the competition was starting to catch-up, think of KTM, BMW, and Suzuki, but Yamaha kept on pushing through. You could get one with a large safari-style fuel tank, kick start, electric start, or both. It was immensely popular with “overlanders”, motorcycle world-travellers, because of its simplicity and reliability. Towards the end of its career though, it had lost some of its oomph due to stricter emission legislation, and the quality of fit and finish started to deteriorate as well. It is the last of the true air-cooled big displacement single cylinders from Yamaha.

Supermoto a GoGo
The motorcycle we are seeing in front of us is one of the last series Yamaha XT600. Built in 2000, the folks from 86 Gear Motorcycles wanted to give the XT some of the pizzazz it had lost. We have seen a number of beautiful machines that had passed the hands of the master craftsmen from Warsaw. This is one the latest additions to their long and impressive resume. The customer wanted his XT600 to turn in a real head turner. It had to be radical, without losing its original Yamaha identity. The fate got sealed when the decision was made to turn the XT600 into a supermoto. On steroids.

Chop-chop
The start with, the frame was shortened and modified. To get a smooth overall line of the bike, a 1983 XT500 alloy tank got repurposed. After that, a matching seat was fabricated and a Motogadget speedo attached. The bike got a new set of 17” supermoto wheels and tires, a new YSS mono-shock in the back, and progressive fork springs in the front. With sporty wheels come performance brakes. So, the front brake got replaced with an oversize floating disc, with an upgraded master brake cylinder and a braided steel brake line. The XT got all-new wiring and a lightweight battery that still has enough power to crank the engine. The original decal scheme of the original XT500 was used and a handmade brat-style leather seat was fabricated to add some lushness.

No replacement for displacement
Christian Boosen, the main man from 86 Gear Motorcycles, didn’t want the XT to be “all show, no go”. The engine received a high compression piston, a big bore cylinder that gives an additional 30cc, and a camshaft from the first model of the more performance driven Yamaha TT600 from the same era. This gave a significant boost to the engine power. An oil cooler was added, connection rod, in and outlet channels, and rockers were polished and the inlet channels were adapted to the diameter of the new Mikuni TM34 flat side twin carbs. A custom air intake with K&N pod filters was fabricated to guide the air smoothly around the mono-shock system and a custom exhaust system to help get rid of the exhaust gases with as little resistance as possible. Finally, a hydraulic clutch was added to deal with the upgraded clutch springs.

Juice
There is barely anything left of the original character of the 600cc single. Thanks to the racing carbs, bigger engine, and performance camshaft the Yamaha now reacts very sensitively to the throttle – without a gentle hand, you can end up on the back wheel in an instant. It has become, by all means, a hooligan bike. The strict diet and power boost have turned this XT into a roaring menace. On the road its performance match modern sport bikes.

Photo credits: Bartek Zaranek Photography

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Builders: 86 Gear Motorcycles
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Bartek Zaranek Photography

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