Ah, the evergreen Yamaha XT500. Its reliability is unrivaled, its exploits are legendary, and its look is timeless. Any motorcyclist over a certain age has either owned it, known someone who has owned it, or dreamt of owning it back in the day.
50 years after its release, the XT500 has found renewed popularity as a candidate for restomodding. The Australian custom shop Purpose Built Moto keeps coming back to it, refining their signature retrocross style with each build. This is their third Yamaha XT500 in this genre, built for a client all the way in Florida, USA.
Although PBM has its vintage enduro restomod formula dialed in, this particular donor machine presented its own challenges. “We started with a wrecked bike that had been poorly modified and mechanically rebuilt,” says PBM’s chief of escapades, Tom Gilroy. Luckily, all he needed was the Yamaha’s engine, frame, and fuel tank.
With the bike in pieces, Tom and co. kicked things off by sorting out the rolling chassis. They turned to their regular suspension supplier, Costanza Racing Tuned, who supplied a set of modern motocross forks for the front, and custom-tuned YSS shocks for the rear. Bespoke yokes hold the forks in place, sporting less of an offset than the stock setup.
Moving to the wheels, the PBM team laced a pair of dirt-worthy Excel rims to Haan Hubs, with a 21” hoop at the front and an 18” number out back. The rear wheel upgrade included a cush drive and a disc brake conversion with a Brembo caliper; the latter called for some deft fabrication work. Mud-flinging Dunlop 606 tires completed the scrambler setup.
“We have the formula down for these bikes to create an aggressive stance while raising the chassis, to create higher ground clearance and a more aggressive handling experience on road and dirt,” says Tom.
Once the chassis mods were in place, PBM tore into the XT’s thumping motor. The rebuild was extensive and included a big-bore kit with a high-compression piston, performance cams, oversized valves, and porting work on the head. They also upgraded the oiling system, rebuilt the crank, and installed a performance clutch and a Mikuni pumper carb.
The electrical system was updated, too, with the most notable mods being a 12V charging system and an electric starter from Xstart.
The XT500’s new bodywork is a clever mix of OEM and handmade bits. PBM kept the original fuel tank for its iconic shape, but massaged it to accommodate the chunkier forks. The side covers are original Yamaha parts; “They just look too good not to use,” says John.
Up front, PBM fabricated a headlight nacelle, a front fender, and a pair of fork shrouds out of aluminum. A 4.5” LED headlight from the shop’s parts catalog is embedded into the front plate, flanked by PBM turn signals. Out back, the team shortened and cleaned up the XT500’s original steel fender, and then installed a pair of PBM taillights that double up as turn signals.
The cockpit features ProTaper handlebars and levers, PBM buttons, and a Domino throttle and grips. PBM’s Black Box module runs the electrical system, tucked away under the seat with a Lithium-ion battery. A Daytona Cube speedo sits front and center, accompanied by an all-in-one dummy light cluster from the PBM store.
One of the last things on Tom’s list was the exhaust—something he was adamant about getting right. “I found a DG muffler that suited the style perfectly,” he says. “Pairing this with an FMF PowerBomb would ensure the XT500 sounded great; all I had to do was link it up with a custom header and mid pipe.”
“I wanted something aggressive and modern, so I chose to fabricate a more angular header that tucks in perfectly behind the side cover as it snakes its way to the high-mounted muffler. One thing that’s often a challenge, but an important part of the vintage moto aesthetic, is the prominent muffler that hangs out the rear. Modern monoshock bike mufflers are all tucked away and discreet—here, everything is on show, breaking the line of the rear fender just the way I like it.”
The exhaust can and custom pipe were polished to match the bike’s gleaming aluminum swingarm. All that was left was paint and upholstery.
PBM’s client wanted a traditional Yamaha yellow speed block design—but the crew had done that before on an XT500 and weren’t keen to repeat themselves. “We flipped the color palette and turned out a dark horse XT500,” Tom tells us. “Dripping in shades of black, detailed with yellow and white speed blocks and pinstriping, the XT’s color scheme is subdued but striking. It gives the build a distinctly modern twist and ups the ante in terms of street presence.”
Pop Bang Classics handled the paint, while Timeless Auto Trim took care of the gripper seat cover. The subframe was finished in yellow to add one more visual hit.
Purpose Built Moto’s latest Yamaha XT500 retrocrosser is already with its new owner in Florida, of whom we are well jealous. With extensive performance mods and a carefully considered aesthetic, the workshop has created a vintage enduro that underscores the XT500’s enduring appeal.
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