This Zany Honda XL500R Beach Scrambler Looks Like It Can’t Wait for Summer

Take, for instance, this rad little beach bike from Germany, flaunting an unapologetically playful attitude and visual cues blending tracker with scrambler. It is the work of Michael and Allen Posenauer, the father-and-son duo known to the wider public as AMP Motorcycles. Operating out of Offenbach, they initially got into customization as a hobby for the sake of spending more time with one another.

It wasn’t long before other people took notice, though, and the guys quickly found themselves building custom bikes on a professional level. They've garnered plenty of attention with their outstanding work in the years that followed, but all this success hasn’t made them rest on their laurels. Having talked about AMP here on autoevolution many times before, we’re fully aware of what Michael and his son can pull off.

The beach scrambler shown above is the latest entry in their portfolio and the very first project completed in 2024. It all started with a Honda XL500R from the model-year 1983, which had been purchased by Michael some time ago and was destined to become his personal ride. He and Allen massaged the classic dual-sport bit by bit in between customer orders, not pressed by any sort of time constraints along the way.

For starters, the old Honda was taken apart and placed on the workbench, with all its stock bodywork getting eliminated in the process. The OEM rims followed suit, making room for a fresh pair of aluminum aftermarket substitutes that measure 18 inches in diameter at both ends. AMP had these wrapped in dual-purpose Heidenau tires for ample grip on and off the asphalt.

Allen and his father used stainless-steel spokes to connect the new rims to the factory XL500R wheel hubs, thus rounding out the motorcycle’s updated footwear. The original drum brakes were refurbished but otherwise left unchanged, and a similar treatment was carried out on the rear suspension. On the other hand, AMP fitted the forks with youthful rubber gaiters and had them shortened to get the specimen’s posture just right.

In terms of bodywork, this machine bears absolutely no resemblance to its former self. The Posenauers placed the stylish fuel tank of an unidentified vintage Honda center-stage, making all the necessary adjustments for it to properly fit its new host. Right behind this repurposed gas tank lies a custom bench seat, neatly upholstered in a mixture of black and white leather.

The gorgeous saddle was put together in-house, and so were the two angular aluminum side panels fitted on the flanks. All this equipment is attached to a shortened and looped subframe, along with an off-the-shelf rear fender that houses the license plate bracket. The latter features multi-function LED lighting to keep things street-legal without adding too much visual clutter – an exceedingly tidy setup in line with what we’ve come to expect from AMP.

At the front end, the tracker charm continues with a handmade aluminum number board, hosting discreet Highsider blinkers on the sides. Furthermore, an offset LED projector acts as the headlight, just potent enough to keep the party going after sunset. Michael and Allen also went to town in the cockpit area, replacing the XL500R’s stock instrumentation with a compact Motogadget dial.

It’s placed right ahead of a chromed aftermarket handlebar, which bears Motone switchgear, snazzy grips, and a modern throttle. There are no rear-view mirrors to speak of, but AMP also refrained from adding a front fender on this build. Moving on to the powertrain sector, they blessed the 497cc single-cylinder engine with a complete overhaul inside out. After putting it back together, their attention turned to the intake and exhaust.

A thorough carb clean-up was followed by the installation of a fresh foam air filter, yet things got a lot spicier when it came to the exhaust plumbing. The German father-and-son team fabricated a neat high-mounted setup out of stainless-steel, configuring it as a two-into-one layout and capping it off with an under-seat muffler. Now then, let’s talk about the creature’s livery.

It is a groovy black-and-white affair much like the seat, featuring jagged stripes, star motifs, and shiny silver outlining in various places. To finally take this conversion across the finish line, AMP Motorcycles came up with a removable surf board rack that can be attached to the bike on the right-hand side. With this out of the way, they could at last sit back and admire the result of their handiwork.