Yamaha XT500 ‘Ladykiller’ By MotoRelic
Recently, Virginia-based custom motorcycle shop, MotoRelic, was approached by a customer who had a very specific vision: to resurrect a Yamaha XT500 and elevate its styling without losing its signature stock looks. And while that sounds simple enough, it turned out to be a much bigger project than first anticipated. Sufficed to say, in spite of the hardships, the results are simply stunning.
The customer’s connection to the bike actually dates back to his adolescence, during which he saw someone riding the dual-sport bike with his beautiful girlfriend on the back — inspiring him to track down a ’70s example so that he could have a ladykiller of his own. We can only imagine how floored he was by the result. The extensive upgrades include swapping in a Suzuki PE250 swingarm, fitting new bright red Ikon Suspension shocks, adding on modern Yamaha YZ250 USD forks, shaping an aluminum fixture for a Hella headlight, and — the pièce de résistance — a hideaway custom-fabricated muffler. This bike is a stone-cold stunner if there ever was one.
