In the world of classic thumpers, the Yamaha XT500 reigns supreme. It pioneered the concept of four-stroke dual-sport bikes, won the first two Paris Dakar rallies, and garnered legions of fans along the way. It's hard to meet someone who hasn't owned an XT500, known someone who's owned one, or dreamt of owning one. Given its legendary status, the Yamaha thumper begs to be subtly and judiciously tweaked, rather than drastically modified. If you can crank up the elements that made it iconic in ...
