AKA-TOMBO. Deus Indonesia's YardBuilt Yamaha XSR155

Oct 05, 2021

Yamaha’s Yardbuilt isn’t new but it wasn’t until the release of the XSR 155 that it moved into Indonesia.

The Deus Ex Machina Temple of Enthusiasm’s Bengkel (‘Bengkel’ is Workshop in Indonesian), was chosen as one of four Bali based ‘Bengkels’ to show what could be teased out of the very street looking donor bike. Yamaha gave us two stipulations on the build. Don’t touch the Delta frame and don’t touch the engine. The rest, as you can see, was fair game.

The final design reflects the true usage of what we ask of our bikes, what we do day in and day out. They needed to carry us to the beach for a pre-work surf. Head home after, strip off the racks and then head back into the office. Nights we might pull on some trousers, a collared shirt and head into town for a dinner for two.

The great thing about this build was that it was a true team design effort. No one of us input more than the others. Good ideas heard with the best ones used. Iqbal was the keeper of the multilayered Photoshop file that he worked tirelessly on. Ano wanted to add in a pipe lattice look to the swing arm. Arthur was super keen to get a headlamp cowl on. Something that grabbed onto the shocks, rounded sides, bulbous and round. The tail unit went through about ten different iterations, Dylan spent a huge amount of time mocking it up. All parts of what became the whole.

As a homage to the first bike Yamaha ever made back in 1955, the YA-1, we chose the name Aka-Tombo, Japanese for Red Dragonfly, we referenced it again when choosing the deep red for the body work. But that’s where the similarities stop. Our build is visually big and heavy, to juxtapose the small CC of the actual bike. It’s tall too, we went for upping the wheel size to 18” and dropping on a brutal set of Pirelli Scorpion Rallys to set a ride height over whatever Bali was ever going to throw in our way.

We removed most of what came standard. The fuel tank cover and fuel cell being front and centre of what to get rid of, add to that the stock seat, stock rear frame, the plastic side panels, fenders, bash plate, lights, as well as the overflow tank.

Hand built metal body work, is something of an Indonesian national specialty, and as you can see, the Deus ‘Bengkel Boy’s’, Arwin & Koko, they are the real hero’s here, everything you see is hand forged, Stainless, Aluminium and even the cast resin in the tail light. Their tools are rudimentary, an English wheel and a big old block of Iron Wood that they hammer sheet ally out on. Everything was smashed out; fenders, front fork stone guards, the bash plate and radiator side covers, which are just one big piece. The shape of the cast swing arm was all wrong for what we were angling for, instead making a statement with the lattice made from stainless pipe.

Rather than lose all the niceties of the electronics that come standard, the stock speedo was lifted from where it once was in front of the handlebars and dropped down in front of the new Ally tank, in front of the bars cleaning up the head look. We also lifted the OEM fuel cap off to keep the key lock. Speaking of locks, there is a hidden key hole under the tail which pops the tan leather seat to give access to the battery and electronics, just one of their wonderful little details.

There was a bit of machine help in the build with the perforated side panels. After cutting the aluminium plates from carboard templates we sent them out to be CnC drilled before the plates were teased into their final shape, flowing from the subframe and tail into the delta frame below, finally folding the flanges and marrying them in for mounting.

The extra height meant we could sling an imported Supertrapp Shorty Exhaust in underneath, we were rewarded with a warm rich sound that is nowhere near offensive. We upped the lumens with a Daymaker LED headlight wrapped in a custom aluminum cowl, we added bar end front indicators onto the ends of the Ariete grips on Japanese Hurricane Street Tracker black handle bars opting to keep the OEM switches.

As the Delta Frame was a must keep from Yamaha’s side, we decided that should be our main identifier. Running a full text DEM logo as large as possible along both sides. Grey on silver. When it came to the tank we wanted references of the Aluminium to shine through and reversed out the Deus Piston of Power and the angled sides of the tanks knee recesses.

We chose to use Challenger Automotive paints on this project. Lunar Silver for the frame, Glistening Grey for the Deus Ex Machina logo along the Delta and a Mitsubishi P26 Red for the tank, fenders, headlight and so on. Rohin, our master painter also dropped a few coats of High Sheen clear across the top to seal the job.

We get to keep this bike here at the Deus Temple of Enthusiasm, Yamaha gave it to us as part of the deal. We can’t sell it, it just becomes one of our shop bikes. We knew that going in and it was another massive factor in the design process.

So, you can see, this really is a bike built for us.

Full list of modifications

Built in 2021.
Custom sub frame.
Custom hand built – alloy gas tank, alloy side covers, alloy head light housing, alloy fenders, alloy fork guards, alloy engine & radiator guard, alloy tracker tail, alloy wheel well with integrated seat lock.
Custom stainless-steel swing arm.
Custom cast LED tail light. Custom header + SuperTrapp “Shorty” exhaust.
Hurricane handlebar.
Ariete hand grips.
18” Sprint XD alloy rims.
TK Racing spokes.
VND billet alloy hubs.
140/80-18 Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres.
Upgraded rear sprocket.
DayMaker LED head light.
Removable surf racks

All photographs by Didit Prasetyo Adiwibowo

ENGLISH TEXT BELOW

Setiap tahun, teman-teman kita Tasix Adventure—penyelenggara petualangan ban berlumpur dan adrenalin berbahan bakar terbaik di Bali—mengadakan acara akhir pekan berkemah yang sangat dinanti-nantikan. Mereka menamakannya “ The Wild,” dan jujur saja, tidak ada kata yang lebih pas dari itu.

Ini bukan sekadar acara; ini adalah petualangan wajib bagi siapa saja yang mencintai tanah, tantangan, dan persahabatan yang hanya bisa terjalin saat tertawa melihat teman lain terjatuh.

Hal tentang The Wild adalah misterinya. Kamu tidak tahu ke mana akan pergi, bagaimana sampai di sana, atau apa yang akan kamu temui—seperti hidup, tapi dengan lebih banyak asap knalpot.

Tahun ini, The Wild yang berlangsung pada 7 Desember 2024, mengumpulkan 135 pecinta motor enduro, trail, dan cross di Desa Kopi, Tabanan. Tepat pukul 9 pagi, kami berangkat menuju Desa Gesing, Singaraja. Rute tetap dirahasiakan hingga hari acara, meningkatkan sensasi penasaran dan antusiasme. Dengan dibagi menjadi beberapa kelompok kecil, kami melengkapi diri dengan perlengkapan motocross lengkap untuk menghadapi tantangan musim hujan.

Perjalanan? Murni magis. Jalur berkelok melalui permata tersembunyi Bali, di mana setiap tikungan menawarkan pemandangan yang memukau atau hampir membuat jantung berhenti. Rute tahun ini menghadirkan medan tanah liat merah—dijuluki tanah "keramik" karena teksturnya yang licin dan keras saat basah. Untuk melintasinya, diperlukan teknik khusus yang disebut “paddling the throttle,” sebuah manuver yang mendebarkan dengan motor yang sering bergoyang liar. Dari kejauhan, mungkin terlihat lucu, tetapi saat di atas motor? Ceritanya berbeda.

Setelah menempuh 68 kilometer petualangan liar, kami tiba di perkemahan di puncak bukit yang sudah dipenuhi tenda-tenda peserta lain dan deru knalpot. Destinasi selalu mencuri perhatian, dan yang satu ini tidak terkecuali—tempat tinggi dengan pemandangan 360 derajat yang menakjubkan dari laut, gunung, hingga kota.

Saat hujan turun, tenda-tenda didirikan, dan malam itu diisi dengan berbagi cerita tentang penyelamatan heroik dan kecelakaan yang menggelikan. Dan tentu saja, ada balapan. Bayangkan sekelompok pengendara penuh semangat meluncur di perbukitan dalam kekacauan yang terkontrol. Balapan tahun ini termasuk duel 1 lawan 1 yang seru di sekitar puncak bukit, dengan peserta menyelesaikan dua putaran penuh adrenalin.

Bukan soal menang; ini tentang hadir, tertawa, dan menikmati momen. Para pemenang dan peserta tercepat yang mencapai puncak bukit dirayakan dengan hadiah, tetapi senyuman, persahabatan, dan kebersamaan membuat semua orang merasa seperti juara.

The Wild tahun ini benar-benar sesuai namanya, bahkan lebih. Petualangan, tawa, dan cukup banyak tanah di gigi untuk menyebutnya otentik—kami tidak akan menginginkannya dengan cara lain. Terima kasih yang sebesar-besarnya kepada semua peserta yang menjadikannya pengalaman tak terlupakan. Sampai jumpa di petualangan berikutnya!

Every year, our mates over at Tasix Adventure—Bali’s finest purveyors of muddy tyres and fuel-driven adrenaline—host their much-anticipated camp-out weekend. They’ve named it “Wild,” and honestly, there’s no better word for it.

It’s not just an event; it’s a pilgrimage for anyone who loves dirt, daring, and the kind of camaraderie you can only forge while laughing at someone else’s wipeout.

The thing about Wild is that it’s shrouded in mystery. You don’t know where you’re going, how you’ll get there, or what you’ll find—kind of like life, but with more exhaust fumes.

This year’s Wild, held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, brought together 135 enthusiasts of enduro, trail, and cross motorcycles at Desa Kopi, Tabanan. The route was kept a secret until the event day, heightening the thrill of the unknown. At exactly 9 am, they shared the destination, Desa Gesing, Singaraja, Divided into small groups, we geared up with full motocross kits to tackle the rainy season’s challenges.

The ride? Pure magic. Twisting trails through Bali’s hidden gems, where every turn promised either breathtaking views or breathtaking near-misses. This year’s route featured red clay terrain—nicknamed "ceramic" soil for its slick, hard texture when wet. Navigating it required a special technique called “paddling the throttle,” a nerve-wracking maneuver that had bikes swaying wildly. From a distance, it might have looked hilarious, but on the bike? It was a whole other story.

After 68 kilometres of this wild adventure, we arrived at the hilltop campsite already alive with the buzz of activity and the roar of exhausts. The destination always steals the spotlight, and this one was no exception—a high-altitude perch offering stunning 360-degree views of the sea, mountains, and city.

As the rain came down, tents went up, and the evening was all about swapping stories of heroic saves and laughable crashes. And then there were the races. Picture a pack of overexcited riders tearing up the hillside in what can only be described as controlled chaos. This year’s races included thrilling 1-on-1 duels around the hilltop, with participants pushing through two laps of sheer adrenaline.

It wasn’t just about winning; it was about showing up, laughing, and embracing the moment. The race winners and the fastest hilltop arrivals were celebrated with prizes, but the smiles, the camaraderie, and the shared triumphs made everyone feel like champions.

This year’s Wild lived up to its name and then some. Adventure, laughter, and just enough dirt in your teeth to call it authentic—we wouldn’t have it any other way. A massive thank you to all the participants who made it unforgettable. See you on the next adventure!