Photo: Bianca Trapp via Pipeburn
Among the iconic two-wheelers which have dominated the Dakar Rally over the years, you’ll find the Yamaha YZE750 from the nineties. Its most notable appearance was in 1991, when the podium was occupied solely by YZE riders and Stephane Peterhansel took the top spot. On the commercial side of things, Yamaha released the XTZ750 Super Tenere to capitalize on their racing success.
That exact model was Christian Schwarzenlander’s starting point for the custom project we’re about to look at. He's the man behind Exesor Motorcycles over in Austria, and this rally-inspired XTZ does an excellent job at demonstrating what he can pull off. It retains the Yamaha’s original spirit and all the functionality you could want from a road-going motorcycle, while beefing things up in all the right places.
Once the Super Tenere had been taken apart, Christian first busied himself with a comprehensive rebuild of its parallel-twin motor. While he was at it, he swapped the standard clutch with a TDM850’s module and ditched the stock exhaust in favor of a bespoke stainless-steel alternative. The new pipework was built from scratch as a two-into-one setup, then topped with a high-grade Arrow muffler.
Next up, the project’s author turned his attention to the suspension department, installing an assortment of Wilbers goodies to improve handling however he could. They consisted of modern fork internals at the front and a replacement shock absorber at the opposite end. Christian went to town in the unsprung sector, too, replacing the OEM rims with Excel units wrapped in Continental TKC 80 Twinduro rubber.
These fresh hoops measure 21 inches up north and 17 inches down south, both laced to the wheel hubs via stainless-steel spokes. In addition, the stock brake discs have all been swapped with wave-style aftermarket substitutes for improved stopping power. To our surprise, most of the XTZ750’s factory bodywork is still present, but we do see a custom tail section and a new clear windshield adorned with the Exesor logo.
A high-mounted fender also makes an appearance at the front, while the original seat has been replaced with a much classier handmade item. There is an unobtrusive license plate holder attached to the aforementioned tail, complete with aftermarket LEDs doing double duty as both taillights and turn signals. Some big changes took place in the cockpit area, where the first thing to catch our eye is an LSL handlebar.
It’s equipped with protective hand guards, off-the-shelf mirrors, and fresh control levers, but we also notice a rally-style Touratech dash replacing the stock instrumentation. Off-roading foot pegs round out the creature’s ergonomic package, but then there is the gorgeous livery chosen the mastermind at Exesor. A blueish shade of grey was used as the base color and topped with white and yellow accents.
Once the Super Tenere had been taken apart, Christian first busied himself with a comprehensive rebuild of its parallel-twin motor. While he was at it, he swapped the standard clutch with a TDM850’s module and ditched the stock exhaust in favor of a bespoke stainless-steel alternative. The new pipework was built from scratch as a two-into-one setup, then topped with a high-grade Arrow muffler.
Next up, the project’s author turned his attention to the suspension department, installing an assortment of Wilbers goodies to improve handling however he could. They consisted of modern fork internals at the front and a replacement shock absorber at the opposite end. Christian went to town in the unsprung sector, too, replacing the OEM rims with Excel units wrapped in Continental TKC 80 Twinduro rubber.
These fresh hoops measure 21 inches up north and 17 inches down south, both laced to the wheel hubs via stainless-steel spokes. In addition, the stock brake discs have all been swapped with wave-style aftermarket substitutes for improved stopping power. To our surprise, most of the XTZ750’s factory bodywork is still present, but we do see a custom tail section and a new clear windshield adorned with the Exesor logo.
A high-mounted fender also makes an appearance at the front, while the original seat has been replaced with a much classier handmade item. There is an unobtrusive license plate holder attached to the aforementioned tail, complete with aftermarket LEDs doing double duty as both taillights and turn signals. Some big changes took place in the cockpit area, where the first thing to catch our eye is an LSL handlebar.
It’s equipped with protective hand guards, off-the-shelf mirrors, and fresh control levers, but we also notice a rally-style Touratech dash replacing the stock instrumentation. Off-roading foot pegs round out the creature’s ergonomic package, but then there is the gorgeous livery chosen the mastermind at Exesor. A blueish shade of grey was used as the base color and topped with white and yellow accents.
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