Photo: Maxi Pucheta
Operating as Lucky Custom out of Cordoba, Argentina, Lucas Layum and his crew have been killing the customization game for the better part of two decades. The shop was founded all the way back in 2006, and it has since garnered a ton of worldwide attention from everyday enthusiasts and the motorcycling press alike. What you’re looking at here is the 103rd project pieced together by Lucky’s bike-modding artisans.
It was commissioned by a client from Buenos Aires in search of a tasty one-off supermoto, who wasn’t quite satisfied with any of the factory sumo offerings out there. As the project’s starting point, the folks settled on a Yamaha XT600 from the model-year 1993, but very little of its stock paraphernalia would be retained. The torquey 595cc thumper is still there, of course, and so is the OEM shock absorber.
Just about everything else was ditched, though, including the motorcycle’s factory frame, wheels, and all its original bodywork. With a blank canvas on their workbench and ready to rock, the Lucky squad started by fabricating a new trellis skeleton from scratch. To an extent, the custom frame was styled after the Ducati Hypermotard’s trestle unit, and it’s hooked up to a fresh aluminum swingarm built in-house.
Having refurbished the XT600’s monoshock and made it work with the updated construction, the guys turned their attention to the front end. There we find a premium set of upside-down forks held in place via bespoke triple clamps, a huge improvement over the stock hardware. Unsprung territory is occupied by the modded 17-inch hoops of a Yamaha R6, wrapped in sticky Michelin rubber fore and aft.
For improved stopping power, the brakes were revamped and fitted with replacement discs, as well as fresh hoses and rebuilt master cylinders. The updated running gear is sure to take the Yamaha’s handling on the tarmac to the next level, but its single-cylinder mill has also been subjected to a complete overhaul inside out.
It then received a high-grade aftermarket pod filter and a custom stainless-steel exhaust, which runs a two-one-two configuration toward a pair of under-seat mufflers. Lucky Custom went to town with the bodywork, as well, and the star of the show is that striking tank cover neatly concealing an inner fuel cell. At the front end, you’ll come across an intricate structure merging the headlight housings, fender, and fork covers into a single unit.
Twin LED headlights keep the way ahead nice and lit, while the taillight is neatly recessed into the rearmost portion of the subframe tubing. Perched atop the rear framework is a handmade seat featuring black leather upholstery and diamond pattern stitching. Billet aluminum foot pegs and a cross-braced handlebar round out the ergonomics, with the latter sporting snazzy white rubber grips. Lastly, the bike was dubbed Malambo following the project’s completion.
Just about everything else was ditched, though, including the motorcycle’s factory frame, wheels, and all its original bodywork. With a blank canvas on their workbench and ready to rock, the Lucky squad started by fabricating a new trellis skeleton from scratch. To an extent, the custom frame was styled after the Ducati Hypermotard’s trestle unit, and it’s hooked up to a fresh aluminum swingarm built in-house.
Having refurbished the XT600’s monoshock and made it work with the updated construction, the guys turned their attention to the front end. There we find a premium set of upside-down forks held in place via bespoke triple clamps, a huge improvement over the stock hardware. Unsprung territory is occupied by the modded 17-inch hoops of a Yamaha R6, wrapped in sticky Michelin rubber fore and aft.
For improved stopping power, the brakes were revamped and fitted with replacement discs, as well as fresh hoses and rebuilt master cylinders. The updated running gear is sure to take the Yamaha’s handling on the tarmac to the next level, but its single-cylinder mill has also been subjected to a complete overhaul inside out.
It then received a high-grade aftermarket pod filter and a custom stainless-steel exhaust, which runs a two-one-two configuration toward a pair of under-seat mufflers. Lucky Custom went to town with the bodywork, as well, and the star of the show is that striking tank cover neatly concealing an inner fuel cell. At the front end, you’ll come across an intricate structure merging the headlight housings, fender, and fork covers into a single unit.
Twin LED headlights keep the way ahead nice and lit, while the taillight is neatly recessed into the rearmost portion of the subframe tubing. Perched atop the rear framework is a handmade seat featuring black leather upholstery and diamond pattern stitching. Billet aluminum foot pegs and a cross-braced handlebar round out the ergonomics, with the latter sporting snazzy white rubber grips. Lastly, the bike was dubbed Malambo following the project’s completion.
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