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Yamaha XS650

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.

The best cafe racers, scramblers and restomods of the week

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 5 November, 2017

A Yamaha XS650 from Texas, a BMW R90 from China, a Honda tracker and Triumph Bobber from France, and a Yamaha XV1000…

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Master of Metal: Jay Donovan’s amazing Yamaha XS650

We’re suckers for beautiful metalwork, but a good set of technical upgrades is just as likely to grab our attention. And seeing…

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This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic

Cognito Moto’s XS650 is the Perfect Modern Classic

We’ve spotted a rising trend over the last couple of years that we can get behind: classic bikes with modern tech upgrades.…

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The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame

The Yamando: A vintage Yamaha racer with a Norton frame

Brad Monk is a racer. Sure, he has a day job, but come Sunday, he’s a racer—and this is his race bike.…

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Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.

Blue Is The Color: An ice-cool Yamaha XS650 bobber

Sensibility be damned: this bobber has no front brake, no rear suspension and a suicide shifter. But just look at it. Like…

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Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.

The XS650 Scrambler We Wish Yamaha Had Made

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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Not Your Everyday Carry: A rack to carry your pushbike on the back of a motorcycle.

Not Your Everyday Carry: A Yamaha XS650 with a bike rack

Ever wished your motorcycle could carry a pushbike to your local trails? So did Oregon man Tony Pereira—so he tricked out his…

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Blank Check: Bill Becker builds the ultimate custom Yamaha XS 650.

Blank Check: Bill Becker’s Immaculate XS 650

If you had no deadline and a blank check, what sort of motorcycle would you build? For Bill Becker, the answer is…

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Bikes of the Week: the best custom motorcycles of the web

Custom Bikes of the Week: 18 October, 2015

A slammed sprint machine with Moto Guzzi power, a BMW R 1100 GS given the scrambler treatment, and a stunning Yamaha XS650…

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Bikes of the Week: the best custom motorcycles of the web

Custom Bikes of the Week: 11 October, 2015

A hill climbing Indian Scout, a Moto Guzzi Stelvio tweaked by a Dakar racer, and the bastard lovechild of a Yamaha RD350…

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Unapologetic: Soyouz Cycles’ Yamaha XS650

Like all aesthetic pursuits, customizing motorcycles is mostly an exercise in personal taste. So when we told Philippe Lagente that his Yamaha…

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New from Nozem Amsterdam: a radical chopped Yamaha XS650.

Dope: Nozem Amsterdam’s old school XS650

Yamaha is on a roll these days. The FZ range has redefined the middleweight sector and sells by the container load. The…

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