At first glance, I thought this was an OEM bike—perhaps a mid-80s enduro. But it’s actually a heavily modified and beautifully crafted Yamaha XS400, built by Seth Hensler.
The distinctive XT350 tank dominates the look of this machine, but that was the easiest part. Seth is one of life’s natural mechanics, and no challenge is too big for him. “I always wanted a twin-cylinder dual sport, so I made one,” he says. After finding a 1981 XS400 for just $100, he set to work in his garage.
The frame is mostly custom-built, with XT350 suspension grafted on. Seth freshened up the engine, and then fitted Mikuni VM 30 carbs and the exhaust cans from a Honda CR250F. Braking has also been upgraded, with the rear brakes converted to a modern disc setup from a Yamaha YZ250. The wheels are now 21” at the front and 19” at the back, running Metzeler and Shinko rubber.
As the images show, Seth likes to take his bike for a blast around the back roads. “It runs and sounds great,” he reports. For the full build story, check out this thread on the excellent Do The Ton forum. And for an alternative approach to XS400 customs, check out this Yamaha XS400 tracker we featured a few months ago.
