Sartorie Meccaniche 'Atacama Seicento' custom XT600

When new back in '84, Yamaha's XT600 enduro was a big-bore single in a similar vein to Suzuki's DR650. Boasting 33kW and 50Nm, and combining long-travel suspension and knobby tyres with lights and indicators for street legality, the XR600 was both a potent and versatile package. Yamaha's Dakar wins in '79 and '80 gave it additional off-road cred.

Fast forward a couple of decades and the XT600 was no more, replaced by the XT660R in Yamaha's lineup after the 2003 model year. Not a lot changed in those 20 years, though: the drum rear was swapped for a disc, the front disc enlarged, carbs upgraded, electric start added, the rear rim downsized and fuel capacity enlarged, along with innumerable colour and plastic changes, but that was about the sum of it.

This shallow development curve has worked in favour of custom builders like Francesco Torricella from the evocatively-named Sartorie Meccaniche in Italy. With largely interchangeable mechanical elements, finding new or replacement parts for the equally evocatively named Atacama Seicento was relatively easy.

Taking its name from a BMW paint colour (and the South American desert), and the Italianised version of the XT's capacity (Six Hundred = 600cc), Atacama Seicento is a long way removed from its factory roots.

Franceso picked up his XT600, a mid-80s model, as a non-runner for just 500 Euros (around $750 Australian), with the initial brief of just getting it running. But, if you've seen some of Sartorie's past creations, you'll know it was in for the custom treatment - in a major way!

"We fixed the basics to make it run, and used it for a summer trip around the hills of Tuscany and the Cinque Terre [the rugged coast of the Italian Riviera]," Francesco says. "I learnt a lot from the bike and fell in love with its engine and simplicity - but I found the weak points pretty quickly, too."

Those weak points were the brakes and suspension ('poor' and 'marshmallow', according to Francesco), but there was still potential there. Francesco was lucky to score one of the beefier 45hp (33kW) versions that bookended XT600 production, not the lesser-powered 40hp (29.5kW) versions that were catalogued, off and on, through the 80s and 90s.

"This bike has something special - after all, it made Dakar history! - but it's 'asleep' inside," Francesco said.

Once its summer touring duty was completed, Francesco and the Sartorie Meccaniche crew set to work. Like most of Sartorie's previous creations, including 'Bison', 'B2' and the Honda CX500-based 'Lido Cinquecento', minimalism was the brief behind this build, so all the plastics were stripped, with the seat, headlight, exhaust, tank and rear subframe going in the bin, too.

The engine was removed and the frame detabbed next. A single-loop rear subframe was fabricated from scratch, with this and the main frame then finished in Lotus's classy Storm Titanium grey paint.

The 595cc single didn't need much after its summer sojourn, but a few little bits and pieces were added or upgraded. After removing the heavy electric starter, the cases were refinished in wrinkle black and the covers polished. A carburetor re-jet made the most of the pod filter, as did the custom free-flowing exhaust, also finished in black.

To bring the suspension into the 21st century, Francesco grafted on the front end from a Honda CRF 450. Braking is boosted by modern Kawasaki Ninja components. There's an alloy chainguard from the German aftermarket specialist KEDO and a bigger sprocket at the back. Francesco says the latter addition delivers "easy wheelies and more punch"!

If the tank's got you stumped, you're not alone. It's actually from a 1950s-era Motom, an obscure Italian marque that specialized in small-capacity bikes. It's a pretty inspired choice, and one that gives this particular build a real point of difference.

Usually found on BMW's Z4 sportscar, the tank's bold 'Atacama Yellow' paint contributed to this build's name, while the lightning bolt, cleverly painted to give a 3D effect, is a tribute to AMA motocross legend Bob 'Hurricane' Hanna.

As always, the little details are just as important as the big picture. The headlight is a fog light designed by Pininfarina and taken from a 1960s rally car, but turned 90 degrees before mounting. Atacama Seicento's rear guard, subtle as it is, comes from a Ducati Monster.

Finishing touches include a keyless Motogadget ignition system, while slung behind the custom seat unit is a beautiful Wrenchmonkees x Sandqvist tool roll. The vintage appearance of this item really suits the retro look for the rest of this build.

The XT600 is now much lighter, brakes better and handles better. "Obviously it's not a Dakar bike anymore," says Francesco. "But it's still a super fun bike."

Find out more about Sartorie Meccaniche, and check out some of their other creations, (including pushbikes!) at www.sartoriemeccaniche.com

Words: Mike Ryan
Photos: Sartorie Meccaniche
Source: Bike Exif