Yamaha XSR 900 Yard Built - Monkeebeast - 2016 — Specifications

Imagine a standard XSR 900, this urban motorcycle with a vintage look but packed with technology. Then imagine it spends a week in the workshop of Wrenchmonkees, these Danes who know only one color, black, and one philosophy: to transform the essence of a machine. The result, named Monkeebeast, is far from a simple aesthetic customization. It’s a radical reinvention.

The base is solid, with its 847 cc triple engine, this gem delivering 115 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and a torque of 87.3 Nm. Yamaha offers here an incredibly versatile platform. Wrenchmonkees didn’t touch the aluminum frame, a smart choice, but they changed everything around it. They saw in this road motorcycle the potential of an urban warrior capable of venturing into adventure. The Borrani spoked wheels, equipped with Continental TKC tires, are the first sign: this motorcycle is no longer just made for smooth asphalt.

The riding position is completely revised. A custom seat, Magura handlebars, Gilles Tooling foot pegs with enduro footrests, everything is recalibrated for a more upright, more dominant attitude. The K-Tech rear shock and the improved braking with a radial Nissin master cylinder speak of increased seriousness. The SC Project exhaust, for its part, speaks with a more hoarse, more authoritative voice. You can feel that each part, from the aluminum engine guard to the headlight inspired by the MT-03, was chosen to serve a vision: to create a hybrid machine, a café racer that would have a desire for trails.

At €18,000, the price is that of a work of art, not of a simple motorcycle. It’s far from the price of a standard XSR 900. This is the cost for a craftsman’s work, for exclusive parts like the thermo-lacquered mudguards or the Motogadget buttons that clean up the cockpit. It’s not a motorcycle for beginners or for economists. It targets the collector, the custom enthusiast who is looking for a unique proposition, a Yamaha Sport Heritage pushed to its extreme limits.

Compared to a Ducati Scrambler or even the other Yard Built projects, the Monkeebeast stands out for its brutal coherence. It doesn’t do lace. It is a declaration, a desirable object for those who think a motorcycle must express a character without compromise. Yamaha and Wrenchmonkees have created a reference here, a proof of concept that shows that personalization can change the destiny of a machine. Remains to be seen if, on the road or on a gravel path, this black beauty is as convincing as it is seductive.