Yamaha Super Tenere Scout Is an XTZ 750 Restomod Drenched in Custom Charm

It’s a style they’ve been coming back to all throughout North East Custom’s history, in between building scramblers, cafe racers, and the occasional bobber. Take, for instance, the striking Honda NX650 Dominator we’ve looked at a few months ago – a neo-retro stunner fit for any terrain as well as an art gallery. The project pictured above is a bit older than the said NX650 build, but it's certainly no less enticing.

Dubbed the Scout, this rally-inspired machine walks a thin line between restomod and fully-fledged custom. It was pieced together back in 2018 with a Yamaha XTZ 750 Super Tenere acting as the starting point, and the outcome is just as rad as you’d expect. This isn’t the only time that Diego and his brother worked with the XTZ 750 platform, but it was in fact their first go.

A 1992-model Super Tenere was snatched up, taken back to the North East HQ in Padua, and placed on the workbench before the real fun could begin. Let’s start by inspecting the cosmetic side of things, as that’s where the most apparent changes took place. The XTZ 750’s twin-headlight setup is still present at the front, but it is now surrounded by a custom fiberglass fairing made from scratch.

There’s an opaque wind deflector standing taller than the stock module, and the headlamps are kept well out of harm’s way thanks to an acrylic cover. The front fairing connects to the stock 6.9-gallon (26-liter) fuel tank through the original mounting points, while leaving enough room for the Super Tenere’s OEM dials in the cockpit. A custom fender rounds out the bodywork at the front.

Riccardo and Diego went to even greater lengths out back, first revising the subframe and then fitting an array of bespoke garments built in-house. These included a pair of groovy side covers and a sharp tail unit, but the most interesting bit of fabrication can be found in between these parts. Namely, the tiny, red metal plates installed there can be removed, revealing discreet mounting points for luggage racks.

We notice a tailor-made saddle wrapped in black vinyl up top, and the tail unit’s underside bears LED lighting and a new license plate bracket. The latter comes with integrated turn signals on the flanks, while the taillight is embedded at the bodywork’s rearmost tip. With the motorcycle’s aesthetic taken care of, North East Custom turned to the chassis.

The suspension was upgraded with an assortment of premium Bitubo goodies on both ends, comprising modern fork springs at the front and an all-new shock absorber at the rear. One may still find the factory XTZ wheels down in the unsprung sector, but they’ve been shod in beefy Continental TKC 80 knobbies for plentiful off-road grip and decent handling on the asphalt.

Additional stopping power is made possible by a set of aftermarket brake rotors and a Brembo front master cylinder. Other tasty add-ons fitted throughout the Scout include a pair of rectangular auxiliary spotlights attached to the frame’s down tubes on the sides, as well as a Givi smartphone mount and a foldable rear-view mirror in the cockpit. After servicing the Super Tenere’s engine, the Coppiellos proceeded to update its breathing equipment.

On the intake side of the equation, the carbs were revised with a Dynojet kit and then topped with K&N air filtration hardware. Top-shelf aftermarket solutions have been used for the exhaust, with two-into-one Arrow headers running into a Virex muffler on the right. Once these mods got taken care of, the fraternal North East duo proceeded to tackle the bike’s color scheme before wrapping things up.

They used a clever mixture of matte-black and gloss-white as the base livery, topping it off with numerous decals for a motorsport vibe. Continental, Bitubo, and Super Tenere graphics are all present throughout this build, along with Alpinestars, Mobil 1, and North East Custom logos. With the paint job finished up, the Coppiello brothers could finally sit back and admire the completed build alongside their client.

The Scout retains a great chunk of the Super Tenere’s original flavor while looking a lot more fashionable for the 21st century. It’s one hell of a custom off-roader, for sure, perhaps not suitable for a brutal desert rally but definitely capable of handling some dual-sport action! The bike-modding gurus over at North East never disappoint, and this particular build shows that they can also exercise restraint when needed.