Less is more: Macco Motors' custom Yamaha XS400 is so minimal, it's even lost its electric start.

Just For Kicks: Macco Motors’ XS400

Most custom builders don’t enjoy messing with electrics: they’ll install a lithium-ion battery to save weight and leave it at that. More adventurous workshops might rip out the fuses and install a control box like the Motogadget m-Unit. Jose and Tito of Macco Motors have just gone one step further. To satisfy a client’s rather…

Due South: Federal Moto's Yamaha XS400

Due South: Federal Moto’s Yamaha XS400

For such a solitary pursuit, it’s surprising how motorcycles bring like-minded souls together. But this Yamaha XS400 goes one step further: it helped start one of western Canada’s leading custom workshops. The bike is called Due South and there’s a story behind the name. “A year and a half ago, a group of us rode…

XS400

XS400 by Urban Motor

10 YEARS AGO / NO COMMENTS / CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES

In the 1960s, VW created a famous ad for the American market, asking, “How does the snow plow driver get to work?” The answer, as you’ve probably guessed, was in a Beetle. I was reminded of that ad when I heard that Urban Motor’s Peter Dannenberg had commissioned another builder to create a bike for…

Yamaha XS400

Yamaha XS400 by Walt Siegl

Walt Siegl’s name is synonymous with classy, high-end Ducati customs. So it’s a little unusual to see a smaller displacement Japanese motorcycle…

Custom Yamaha XS400

Custom Yamaha XS400

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

Yamaha XS400 tracker

It’s usually Yamaha’s XS650 that gets the custom treatment, so it’s nice to see a smaller capacity XS get a workover. This…

Yamaha XS400

Yamaha XS400 custom

Bike EXIF is primarily a showcase of rare and esoteric motorcycles. But every now and then, we see a bottom-dollar custom that…