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.
Alex Winkler wears many hats. By day he’s an industrial mechanic—but by night, he puts those skills to work in his home garage, restoring and rebuilding vintage bikes. When the weekend rolls around, Alex wheels his creations out of the garage and goes racing. While we can all appreciate a no-expense-spared showroom build, there’s something…
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We’ve had our eye on Sean Skinner at MotoRelic for a while now. The Virginia-based builder has a knack for creating tidy restomods and customs, and knows how to nail that ‘factory’ vibe. But he’s just thrown us a major curveball with his latest project: a vintage Schwinn-inspired Yamaha XS650. This deviation from MotoRelic’s usual…
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When we think of Motocrew, we think of sleek, muscular customs with a very modern edge. But sometimes it’s good to try something new, even if that ‘new’ is something old. And that’s what’s happened with Chris Scholtka’s latest build. The full-time firefighter, part-time builder has taken a swerve with his latest creation. The style…
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Like many shops, Purpose Built Moto does a lot to put food on the table. On top of their regular custom bike builds they also fabricate exhausts, do wiring work and produce bolt-on parts. But when the right client and budget come along, the Australian crew loves to pull out the stops. Purpose Built Moto…
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A pause on motorcycle shows has been one of the many disappointments of the COVID-19 pandemic. But rather than sulk, the organizers…
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The spotlight falls on Ducati this week, as they reboot the iconic Monster. Plus we have a hot-rodded Buell XB12S from the…
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News from two major OEMs this week, as BMW Motorrad update the R nineT, and Honda release a new Grom. Plus we’ve…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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