The custom world can’t get enough of the Yamaha XS650, and for good reason: it’s one of the most flexible platforms you can find. Builders have turned them into café racers, brats, bobbers, dirt and street trackers, and even choppers. The base holds up just as well in every genre, offering agility and power in equal parts.
Made between 1968 and 1979, the XS650 is getting tougher to find. But it does play well with a slew of aftermarket parts, many of which are interchangeable with those from other Japanese bikes. As such, build-outs are a wide-open sea of possibility. Besides that, these old-school motors are dead simple compared to today’s tech. It’s no wonder the XS650 keeps popping up on our pages.
News from two major OEMs this week, as BMW Motorrad update the R nineT, and Honda release a new Grom. Plus we’ve got a sharp BMW R1200R custom from Deus, a Yamaha XS650 from Colt Wrangler, and a look at a new fat-tired utility bike that’s about to hit the market.
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Eastern Spirit Garage have mastered the art of building cafe racers. They nailed the formula when they broke onto the scene seven years ago—and have produced consistently good results since. But the Polish shop likes to break the mold once in a while, by deviating from their hallmark genre. Because, as shop boss Sylwester puts…
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Did you know that the evergreen Yamaha XS650 was launched over half a century ago? Although the production line closed down in 1985, the air-cooled parallel twin is still a top choice for many custom builders, including Minnesota-based Dan Riley. Operating as Gunn Design, Dan is a gifted freelance designer with good business smarts, too.…
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I’ll let you in on a little secret: the Bike EXIF team doesn’t always agree on what’s hot and what’s not. But no motorcycle has polarized opinion as much as this whacky Yamaha XS650. In the end, fun and goofiness prevailed. And so we present Bonanza Krad, a bicycle-inspired Yamaha, from the hands and minds…
Read more »The correct answer to ‘How many bikes?’ is always ‘one more.’ And these two dapper Yamaha XS650s from German wunderkind Nico Mueller…
Read more »Can you believe the Yamaha XS650 is half a century old this year? The air-cooled parallel twin has always had a strong…
Read more »A Yamaha XS650 from Texas, a BMW R90 from China, a Honda tracker and Triumph Bobber from France, and a Yamaha XV1000…
Read more »We’re suckers for beautiful metalwork, but a good set of technical upgrades is just as likely to grab our attention. And seeing…
Read more »We’ve spotted a rising trend over the last couple of years that we can get behind: classic bikes with modern tech upgrades.…
Read more »Brad Monk is a racer. Sure, he has a day job, but come Sunday, he’s a racer—and this is his race bike.…
Read more »Sensibility be damned: this bobber has no front brake, no rear suspension and a suicide shifter. But just look at it. Like…
Read more »Scramblers are everywhere these days. But how many aficionados actually need a do-it-all bike—and how many just dig the scrambler vibe? This…
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