Video: Yamaha Yard built – XV 950 “D-Side” by Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina Kicks off Summer with the Yard Built XV950 ‘D-Side’

The summer vibe has reached the workshops of Deus Ex Machina in Italy and influenced the latest Yard Built creation of the Milan design emporium. The fourth collaboration with Yamaha in the Yard Built series has been worth the wait, unveiled last weekend at the annual Wheels & Waves surf and custom bike event in Biarritz, the Deus Yard Built XV950 ‘D-Side’ is stunning and stands alone as the only Yard Built custom bike and sidecar combination so far.

The idea of the sidecar was born from a trip to Spain last November by Deus Milano’s Filippo Bassoli, where he happened upon a cool sidecar combination that sparked his imagination. Fast forward to early 2015 and an opportunity to collaborate again with Yamaha, this time on the XV950, led to the realisation of the sidecar project and the Yard Built ‘D-Side’ was born.

“Deus Milano have yet again delivered a landmark build for the Yard Built series,” commented Yamaha Motor Europe Product Manager Shun Miyazawa. “They’ve managed to create something really original and super cool for the summer from the XV, without compromising or taking away from its rideability and fun. The XV950 was the perfect base machine for the build with a powerful, torquey 950cc engine to give proper performance for a modern sidecar concept, guaranteeing enough versatility for any kind of adventure. They also left the frame and engine untouched and made no cuts or welds. The fact you can also order directly from Deus to give your own XV a taste of the D-Side adds something really special.”

Determined to keep the sidecar design a lesson in simplicity and stripped back style, Deus turned to the marine world, finding inspiration in vintage boats to help design the sidecar unit itself. The result is clear to see with a classic boat shape defining the front and a beautiful wooden deck at the rear for extra luggage. The sidecar has the same front wheel of the XV950, keeping a sense of symmetry.

For the XV950 itself, inspiration came from an early Deus build, the Brat Style of the Deus ‘Drover’s Dog’, an SR500 with simple lines and super cool surf rack attachment. The design influence carries over to the XV, seeing a surf rack fixed between the sidecar and bike, and a stripped back simplified style that shows off the XV’s torquey V-twin motor.

The Deus team stripped back the XV to the core and then cleverly added their own touches to transform the bike without any cutting or welding to the frame. A custom made rear frame was added to raise the seat height, topped off with an alcantara seat unit. A Deus aluminium fuel tank completes the cool lines of the D-Side. Custom Deus aluminium front and rear fenders complement the tank unit and a 6-piston Deus/Discacciati brake system adds stopping power.

An Sc-Project exhaust and Deus custom aluminium air intake and cone filter add the summer soundtrack and MX handlebars and Motogadget speedometer enhance the riding experience. A host of smaller additions set the build apart and the D-Side is complete with a hand painted finish by Kaos Design.