Zeus Custom Works Its Magic With This One Of a Kind Yamaha XSR155 Custom Cafe Racer

The entire bike gets an overhaul aside from its heart and a couple of crucial mechanical components

The XSR155 is the first new age entry-level retro bike from Yamaha that’s based on the MT-15 platform but owes its lineage to the beautiful XSR700. While the bike looks good as is, a custom shop from Thailand decided to go bonkers with the design. Majority of the bike has been overhauled aside from its heart and a couple of components which preserve the core essence of the XSR155.

For starters, the LED headlight on the XSR has been replaced with a classic dome-shaped prismatic unit for a retro look. A set of low slung clip-on handlebars clasps onto the fork with the help of a billet triple clamp while a set of aluminium rearsets make up for the footpegs.

The full-digital instrument console, on the other hand, remains unchanged but still manages to blend in with the design. At the far end of the handlebar are a pair of aluminium bar end indicators which keeps in line with the minimalistic theme. 

Pan to the midsection of the bike and you’d notice something familiar. The fuel tank is the same setup that’s seen on the standard bike. However, it’s been blacked out and features a bronze logo. In the same vein, the heart remains unchanged. 

It’s the same 155cc, liquid-cooled motor seen on the MT-15 and R15 V3.0 which features VVA (Variable Valve Actuation). The slip and assist clutch system is found on this bike too. What may change the engine power output is the single free-flowing exhaust and a performance air filter.

Pair this with new aluminium sprockets (lightweight), and you may have more power on tap. Unfortunately, the power figures haven’t been disclosed. For a frame of reference, the standard bike makes 19.3PS and 14.7Nm.

Another unique little touch is the use of small side bags instead of side panels which could possibly store knick-knacks like your wallet, smartphone etc. The seat in typical cafe racer fashion is a single-piece unit which can be adjusted to suit the rider’s height.

As a result, the rear subframe has been modified as well with the LED tail light integrated into the frame hoop loop. Interestingly, the battery now sits under the fuel tank rather than the seat to keep the underside of the bike clean.

The redesigned subframe also called for the monoshock to be repositioned and linked to the cast aluminium swingarm. Naturally, alloy wheels didn’t make sense with a classic, hence the use of 17-inch spoked wheel wrapped by vintage tyres. 

Finishing touches come in the form of blacked out mechanicals, custom stitching on the seat, knurled hand grips and an aluminium rear brake reservoir. The end result, though, is a bike that’s worthy of being in the top five custom builds for the Yamaha XSR155. Wouldn’t you agree?