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Banana Bike! An XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
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 at Germany’s Benders Company.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
Based in Wiesloch, Benders is a five-man team founded by Christian and Raphael Bender. The brothers grew up fiddling with bikes, selling them to finance new projects or to travel.

For this build, they went right back to their youth—drawing inspiration from the Kynast Bonanza bicycles of the 60s and 70s—a kid’s chopper bike popular in Germany, similar to the American Schwinn Sting-Ray and the British-made Raleigh Chopper.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
“A customer came into our shop with his old XS650,” Christian tells us. “He’s a journalist, musician and painter, and in the discussion about what he does, we shared some stories from our childhood. We talked about Bonanza bicycles, and the idea of a ‘Bonanza Krad’ was born.”

Even though the idea was totally left field, Benders still wanted the 1981-model Yamaha to be as much fun to ride as possible. So they tore into the motor first, boring it out to 750 cc. The rebuild included new pistons, revised compression, a new ignition, and a switch to a 270 degree firing order.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
They also installed better carbs, and fitted a pair of K&N filters. Under the hood, they rewired the whole bike around a Motogadget m.unit controller. And they ripped out the starter—so this XS is now kick-only.

Moving to the chassis, Benders shortened and looped the subframe—then kept going with a sissy bar of comedic proportions. The king & queen saddle is (obviously) a one-off, and together with the rest of the rear end, nails the retro banana-bike look effortlessly.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
The back’s finished off with a set of slammed shocks, and a tail light that’s mounted into the back of the passenger seat. Plus there’s a modified aftermarket fender, originally intended for a Harley.

The Bonanza aesthetic is equally well represented up front. Benders sourced appropriate handlebars, headlight and grips from local vendors, then finished them off with bar-end turn signals, mini switches and modified levers.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
As for those springs on the forks—they don’t do anything, except mimic the ‘fake’ springs on the original Bonanza. The XS650 still rolls on its stock wheels and brakes too, but they look as good as new now.

Then there’s the centerpiece of the build: that hand-made fuel tank. Benders shaped it from steel, designing it to mount over the frame’s backbone and sit ‘in’ the frame, rather than on top. It feeds the carbs via a small aftermarket fuel pump.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
That lever on top is an original Sturmey Archer stick shift—similar to what you’d find on an old Bonanza. This one was sourced from eBay and modded to fit. It does nothing more than look the part and switch the headlight on and off.

The rest of ‘Bonanza Krad’ is adorned with thoughtful little details. These include a two-into-one exhaust system with an extended muffler, a set of forward foot controls, and bicycle pedal on the kick-start lever.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
And despite the Yammie’s silly looks, it’s been finished to a remarkably high standard. The engine’s been cleaned up and refinished, and the frame powder coated.

But it’s the paint that seals the deal. Benders brainstormed ideas with the client, then turned to Michael Schönen of Lackmuss to execute it. It’s a killer livery, with retro logos sending it over the top.

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles
For many motorcyclists today, a banana-bike is where their two-wheeled obsession started. And this XS650 is the perfect double hit of irreverence and nostalgia.

So which side of the fence are you on? Is this an abomination, or are you itching for a ride?

Benders Company | Facebook | Images by Sven Wedemeyer of Wheels of Stil

Banana Bike! A Yamaha XS650 inspired by 1970s chopper bicycles

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Double Vision: Two Yamaha XS650 cafe racers from Hookie

A pair of 1981 Yamaha XS650 cafe racers from Hookie Co.
The correct answer to ‘How many bikes?’ is always ‘one more.’ And these two dapper Yamaha XS650s from German wunderkind Nico Mueller and Hookie Co. illustrate the point beautifully.

The Dresden-based outfit landed the build commissions from two different sources. But since the briefs came in at almost the same time, and were so similar, the guys decided to tackle them as a pair.

A pair of 1981 Yamaha XS650 cafe racers from Hookie Co.
“Both clients wanted a classic cafe racer,” says Nico. “A parallel twin with clean lines and some modern electronic components. As soon as all the CB750 builds in our garage were finished, we hooked straight into it.”

That’s why you’re looking at two almost-identical bikes, separated only by paint and a few small tweaks. Even the donor bikes were a match—they’re both 1981 Yamaha XS650 Specials. (The Special was the ‘cruiser’ of the XS range, with goofy pullback bars and a teardrop fuel tank.)

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
Neither donor was in particularly good condition, so Hookie Co. rebuilt both motors and treated them to fresh finishes.

The carbs were refurbished too, and re-jetted to run with pod filters. Each bike was then upgraded with a set of stainless steel exhaust headers, terminating in aftermarket reverse cone mufflers.

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
Next it was time to fiddle with the frames. They were stripped, de-tabbed, shortened and looped at the rear, and then coated black.

“The Yamaha XS650 has a perfect stance right out of the box,” says Nico. “The frame is very simple, and we got a nice clean look after removing all those brackets and holders.”

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
Hookie fabricated a pair of matching bum stops and seats, and embedded a small LED taillight in each rear frame loop. Underneath the seats you’ll find custom-made electronics trays, with the batteries lurking further down, near the swing arm.

The bikes have naturally been rewired too, and now run Antigravity Lithium-ion batteries, with control units and keyless RFID ignitions from Motogadget.

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
The similarities continue: both XS650s have had their forks rebuilt and lowered 2”, with new YSS Eco-Line shocks fitted out back.

The stock hubs have been re-laced to Sun Remo aluminum rims, which are wrapped in Shinko E270 tires. Hookie rebuilt the brakes too, and installed new front master cylinders.

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
The most apparent change—other than color—is in the handlebar set ups. One wears traditional riser bars, while the other wears clip-ons. Both feature Biltwell Inc. grips, and Motogadget bar-end turn signals and switches.

The speedos are from Motogadget too, and sit on brackets from Hookie’s own aftermarket parts catalog. And yip, the 5 1/2” Bates-style headlights are also a match.

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
With so much in common, Hookie needed two distinct liveries to set the bikes apart. “And so the characters of ‘Whippet’ the dog and ‘Bengali’ the cat were born,” says Nico. “One of the customers is a big cat lover, and has a Bengel cat as a daily companion.”

“We loved the idea that he will bring his cat when he collects his bike from us! Starting from this idea, we designed the personality of each motorcycle, reflecting the character of the dog and cat.”

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
For their makeovers, the stock XS650 tanks were sent off to the well-known German artist Chiko’s Pinstriping. One came back deep and textured, the other one more geometric in nature.

“Bengali got the same color as the irises of the cat’s eyes, and the grey of Whippet is flat, with a frosted look.”

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
A few more subtle touches help refine the concepts. Bengali gets a pop-up gas cap, a brown leather seat, and black and silver finishes on its motor. Whippet gets a black Alcantara seat, and a combination of black and anthracite engine finishes.

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.
Hookie Co. have proven once again that they have a sharp eye, and a well-honed set of skills. The XS650 wears both outfits extremely well, and we’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite.

How about you: would you take home Bengali, or Whippet?

Hookie Co. website | Facebook | Instagram

A 1981 Yamaha XS650 by Hookie Co.

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No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Portugal

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
Can you believe
the Yamaha XS650 is half a century old this year? The air-cooled parallel twin has always had a strong fan base, and Maria Motorcycles of Lisbon, Portugal love it as much as anyone. Their first build was an XS, and they’ve been smitten ever since.

So it’s not surprising that the Maria guys hoarded a low mileage 1980 XS650, waiting for the right project. And inevitably, a client came along and convinced them to customize it for him.

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
“We wanted a simple and elegant bike,” Maria’s Luis Correia tells us, “without too many overdone parts or extras. Our job was simply to restore it, and make it as-new and unique.”

The donor was mechanically in tiptop shape—so the crew didn’t need to crack the engine open. It was running perfectly smooth, so they cleaned it up and repainted the covers black.

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
The rest of the bike was stripped right down and rebuilt with new bearings, seals and stainless steel fasteners throughout. Maria kept the original suspension and brakes (even the original discs, which have plenty of wear left on them), but refurbished and serviced them.

They also powder coated the frame, wheels and any other parts that needed a refresh. The frame’s been shortened and looped at the rear, and the tail light and plate relocated to the left side.

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
There’s a custom-made leather saddle up top, and a one-off aluminum electrical box underneath. Maria repackaged all the wiring to fit in there, along with a small Lithium-ion battery. The airbox is gone, replaced by a pair of K&N cone filters.

Moving to the cockpit, the team switched the bars out for a laid-back set from LSL, and ditched all the stock switches. The bars now wear mini-switches, classic Posh grips and new levers with a Magura master brake cylinder.

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
Just in front is a simple analog speedo and a small round light. And the guys have taken the time to fit smaller bits like upgraded plug leads and HEL performance brake lines.

Then there’s the exhaust; a high-riding twin muffler system, hand-made by Maria. “We know that the muffler position is something controversial,” says Luis, “as some of the comments we received. But of course we tested it and it’s pretty far from the rider! This bike is made for one single person, as requested by the new owner.”

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
That exhaust’s earned the XS650 the nickname ‘Zagalote.’ “It’s a Portuguese word for a very powerful bullet used in shotguns,” explains Luis. “We choose that name inspired by the pipes pointed in the air like cannons!”

We’ve always known Maria Motorcycles to be masters of good taste, and Zagalote is a perfect example. There’s nothing out of place here, and nothing that’s not needed, to the point that the Firestone Deluxe Champion tires fit right in. And as we’ve come to expect from this crew, the paint job is sublime; a simple green with white accents, repeated on the headlight.

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
It’s a bittersweet result for the guys though, since they don’t get to keep this one. “We’re jealous of the new owner,” says Luis. “The Yamaha XS650 is one of the best bikes to work with, and it has lots of character.”

“A XS650 was the first bike we built, so this one brought back some old memories from the beginning.”

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal
“The bike is lovely to ride, so smooth and perfect. It starts first time and the engine works like a new one. The pipes make a beautiful bass sound. It’s not a exhibition bike at all—we would ride it everywhere.”

So would we. Here’s to another 50 years of XS650.

Maria Motorcycles website | Facebook | Instagram

No Excess: A supremely elegant XS650 from Maria Motorcycles in Portugal

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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 5 November, 2017

The best cafe racers, scramblers and restomods of the week
A Yamaha XS650 from Texas, a BMW R90 from China, a Honda tracker and Triumph Bobber from France, and a Yamaha XV1000 from New Zealand. We’re racking up the air miles this week.

BMW R90 by Mandrill Garage of China
BMW R90 by Mandrill Garage China Isn’t exactly a hotbed of custom motorcycle activity, but with shops like Mandrill Garage building bikes like this, there’s hope. Based in Beijing, Mandrill was founded about five years ago by four friends as a side project, and has grown steadily with builds like this 1976 BW R90/6.

The bike came to Mandrill via a collector (classic BMWs are as rare in Beijing as you’d expect) who wanted it transformed into a stylish cafe racer. With Chinese law forbidding motorcycles older than eleven years from being ridden on the street, the R90 had stood for years, so a full refresh of all the internals was in order. The carbs were refurbished and fitted with velocity stacks, and a custom-made twin exhaust system made up with titanium mufflers and carbon fiber tips.

BMW R90 by Mandrill Garage of China
Mandrill have done well to modernize the old boxer, with a set of Ducati 1098 forks and brakes up front, and a custom-built mono-shock setup out back. The new rear end is pretty compact, thanks to a custom subframe and cafe-style seat.

BMW R90 by Mandrill Garage of China
Tasty bits are sprinkled throughout—like one-off triple clamps, a Brembo rear caliper, lightweight rear-sets and CNC-milled switchgear from Renard Speed Shop over in Estonia. The guys rewired the bike too, treating it to a healthy portion of Motogadget-ry.

Mandrill chose a stealthy black and red paint scheme for the bike, which should suit its intended usage sweetly; since it can’t legally be ridden on the road, it’ll mostly go out at night. [More]

Yamaha XS650 Tracker by Tyson Carver
Yamaha XS650 by Tyson Carver We spoke just the other day about motorcycles as a form of therapy. For twin brothers Eli and Tyson Carver, getting into riding helped them cope with losing both of their parents two months apart, about six years ago. Riding soon turned into wrenching, with each taking on various custom projects. This sweet Yamaha XS650 tracker is Tyson’s latest.

It started out as a 1975 XS650, but the frame’s really the only part of the original bike that’s left. There’s a 1980-model motor wedged in there now, with a NOS Yamaha factory 750cc big bore kit inside, courtesy of Chris at Limey Bikes. The upside-down forks are from a 2008 Suzuki GSX-R, and the wheels are 18” rims laced up using Cognito Moto parts.

Yamaha XS650 Tracker by Tyson Carver
The rear loop is another Cognito item—Tyson turned to his friend Tanner to help him weld it in, along with the electrics pan under the seat. Then he stretched out the swingarm by 2” and bumped up the height with new shocks. The seat pan was made from fiberglass, but it’s the new faceplate that Tyson’s really proud of (in fact, the design of the faceplate inspired the rest of the bike). To build it, Tyson made a model from foam board, then a friend drew it up for him in CAD so that it could be cut to spec from aluminum.

It’s kitted with LED lighting in front, with a panel up top supporting a Motogadget speedo, the idiot lights, and a one-off guitar jack ignition. Yip, you read that right—Tyson’s a guitarist, so the key is literally a 1/4” guitar jack. [More]

Honda XL 600 RM by Breizh Coast Kustoms
Honda XL 600 RM by Breizh Coast Kustoms Even though BCK’s Yann Le Douche had just built and raced a perfectly good Harley hooligan tracker, he found himself back in the workshop in no time. You see, Yann was planning to enter local French races organized by Vintage Racing Spirit, but the rulebook stipulated a maximum displacement of 750cc.

A 1987 Honda XL 600 RM stashed in the corner turned out to be the perfect donor. Yann’s ultimate goal was to shed as much weight as possible, so he started by swapping the electric start motor for a kickstart-only 1985 power plant. That meant he could also ditch the battery and a whole lot of wiring. And he’s named it the ‘Bone Destroyer,’ because, as we all know, old thumpers have a nasty habit of kicking back.

Honda XL 600 RM by Breizh Coast Kustoms
The XL was also treated to Bitubo shocks, 41mm Yamaha R6 fork tubes (which were a perfect match for the Honda’s triples) and 19” 1970s Kawasaki mag wheels. The front brake (and its brackets) was ditched, and the rear upgraded to a Suzuki GSX-R setup. A long Champion fiberglass tank and a Knight saddle from Composite Saddlery form the bodywork, courtesty of Red Max Speed Shop. Yann capped it off with a hand-made stainless exhaust system, adding a dB killer at the last minute…when the bike clocked 124 decibels at its first technical inspection. Yikes. [More]

Custom Yamaha XV1000 by Pacific Motorcycle Co.
Custom Yamaha XV1000 by Pacific Motorcycle Co. The custom scene in New Zealand is small. The country is bike-mad, but most of those bikes are vintage, or race bikes, or ADVs. If you’ve watched The Lord Of The Rings films, you won’t be surprised to know that the Land Of The Long White Cloud is GS and V-Strom territory, and the riding demographic is both wizened and bearded.

The Pacific Motorcycle Co. is one of a tiny handful of Kiwi shops carrying the custom flame, and very nice work they do too. They’re based in Nelson, the oldest city in New Zealand’s south island, and a place surrounded by fine riding roads.

Taking this XV1000 out for a spin around the famous Abel Tasman national park would be a blast. Maximum torque from the completely rebuilt Virago V-twin comes in at around 3000 rpm, and the lads at Pacific have fixed the XV1000’s main bugbear—the vague handling. The forks are from a Yamaha R1, the swingarm is from an R6, and there are powerful Tokico brakes up front.

Yamaha XV1000 by Pacific Motorcycle Co
The pseudo-cruiser tank has been swapped out for a modified Honda CX500 item, and resting on the custom rear subframe is a simple flat seat unit to replace the (frankly hideous) 1970s chopper-style stepped seat of the original.

None of this is rocket science, but it’s beautifully done. And no doubt a helluva lot of fun. [More]

Triumph Bobber custom by FCR Original
Triumph Bonneville Bobber by FCR Original Matt, Chris and I have pretty strong opinions on just about everything, but on one thing we all agree: the Triumph Bonneville Bobber is hot stuff. It’s one of those rare factory bikes where every last detail is amazing, so it’s hard to improve upon. At least we thought so, until the French outfit FCR Original got their hands on one.

At a glance, this Bobber’s silhouette seems indistinguishable from the stock bike—but there are a lot of subtle changes that elevate it beyond the norm. For starters, FCR stripped the bike down before nickel-plating the frame and swingarm. The all-black front forks are from Öhlins—held in place by FCR triples—and the rims are matching 18” items from Excel.

Triumph Bobber custom by FCR Original
There’s a set of LSL bars up top, a Beringer brake caliper up front and custom fenders and braces at both ends. The plastic side covers are gone, and the stock silencers have been cut down. FCR also swopped the speedo for a Motogadget unit, which meant employing some electrical wizardry to circumvent the modern Triumph’s system.

Even though it’s loaded with modern bits and pieces, FCR picked a classic paint scheme for the Bobber. The tank’s been shot in a candy red with gold leaf logos, and the seat’s rocking a red and black leather cover. So we’ll forgive you for thinking this one’s a true classic when it rolls past. [More]

Triumph Bobber custom by FCR Original

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The Motorcycle as Art: Baresteel Design’s Yamaha XS650

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
We’re suckers for beautiful metalwork, but a good set of technical upgrades is just as likely to grab our attention. And seeing both boxes ticked on one build is a rare treat.

This graceful Yamaha XS650 was built for the ‘Motorcycles as Art’ exhibition at this year’s Sturgis Buffalo Chip, curated by the renowned motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter. It’s the work of Jay Donovan—the 23-year-old sole proprietor of Baresteel Design in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
“I was very fortunate to be a part of it,” says Jay. “I contacted Michael in the months leading up to the show, wanting to know how to get involved and what the theme was.”

“After hearing that it would be based around up and coming builders, I knew I wanted to take part. He had enough faith to invite me to participate in the show—without much previous work to show and without a motorcycle even started.”

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
With only two and a half months until the deadline, Jay dragged a 1979 Yamaha XS650 into his small shop and knuckled down. Baresteel is a true one-man show, so Jay handled everything on the project aside from the plating, powder-coating and upholstery.

He also farmed the engine top-end rebuild off to a friend at Whiplash Customs, mainly because of the project’s tight deadline.

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
From a design perspective, Jay wanted to heavily rework a stock Yamaha XS650—so heavily, that the final product would seem like it was entirely built from scratch.

“Much of the new frame and swingarm lines were inspired by the original platform,” he explains. “The body came from a desire for a very fluid but aggressive design. As the design developed it took on inspiration from a Giant Oceanic Manta Ray, hence the name ‘Manta’.”

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
To execute his vision, Jay rebuilt most of the rear of the chassis. The subframe is gone, replaced by a custom-made tail section, set at an angle parallel to the engine fins. It includes a new shock mount too; Jay ditched the stock twin shock arrangement and added in a 2008 Ducati Monster mono shock.

On the swingarm side, Jay started by removing the stock unit’s gusset and spacing the arms out to accept a wider rear tire. He then notched the dropouts and built in upper and lower support structures to finish off the mono-shock setup. He’s also converted it to use needle bearings, and added a hand-filed gusset for reinforcement.

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
Every little detail has been seen to. Note how the new swingarm supports bend at the back to all run parallel, and how they’re all finished with matching end caps. The rest of the frame had its factory welds cleaned up, before everything was brushed and clear powder coated.

The new rear is matched to a set of 2002 Suzuki SV650 forks and brakes. The forks were lowered one and a half inches, and upgraded with Race Tech springs and emulators. Jay also shaved off the old fender mounts and polished everything up.

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
The wheels were rebuilt on the Yamaha’s stock hubs with 17” rims from Excel. The hubs were also treated to a polish, and Jay laced and trued the wheels himself with stainless steel spokes and nipples. The tires are Dunlop Sportmax GPR-300 high-performance radials.

Even though the XS650 hadn’t seen many miles, the engine got some attention too. As well as getting the top-end rebuild, the heads were re-machined, and everything but the cases was vapor-blasted.

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
Updated components include a Boyer Bransen digital ignition, Mikuni VM34 round slide carbs and an XSCHARGE permanent magnet alternator. Jay’s also added three-inch velocity stacks, and a stunning custom-made exhaust system that snakes around the motor and terminates under the bike.

The wiring’s been redone around a Lithium-ion battery and Motogadget’s updated M-unit 2. Other Motogadget goodies include a wireless RFID key system, a mini gauge and LED turn signals. The headlight and taillight are LEDs too, with the latter integrated into the tail.

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
Then there’s that stunning alloy bodywork. “The body was designed using the classic Italian coach building method of creating a wire form buck, then using it as a guide for shaping the metal,” explains Jay.

“The one piece aluminum tank and tail section, as well as the fairing, was all hand formed from a flat sheet of aluminum using traditional methods, and given a brushed finish.”

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
Moving to the cockpit, Jay installed Woodcraft clip-ons with a throttle housing, levers and brake master cylinder from Kustom Tech. The switches and grips are from Motogadget; the grips were machined down to to accommodate wrapped leather inserts.

The foot controls are modified Loaded Gun Customs rear sets, and include. Like the grips, the toe pegs were machined down and treated to some leather. The kick-start lever got the same treatment, all to match the leather on the new seat. And if you look closely, there’s even a leather battery bag hiding in front of the swing arm.

Yamaha XS650 custom by BareSteel Design
Jay also fabbed up a sneaky license plate bracket using the arm from a brass desk lamp. “It’s fully adjustable and designed to house wires, and its contours were even a great fit for the bike,” he says. “My fascination with shapes and proportion leads me to walking through thrift shops for interesting (and sometimes useful) items like that.”

The detailing is quite remarkable. Every bolt head is smoothed and slightly domed, and all the nuts have bee replaced with chromed acorn nuts. Every piece of hardware was either cadmium plated by Electrosine, polished, or chromed to show-quality standards. There’s also a little brass tastefully sprinkled throughout.


Jay managed to wrap it all just in time for the show, where he got some good news: the bike was selected to be shown off again at the upcoming Motor Bike Expo in Verona, Italy.

Hopefully he’ll find some time to ride it in between—because this art piece looks like it was also made to be thrashed.

Baresteel DesignFacebookInstagram | Images by Jason Schultz

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Cognito Moto’s XS650 is the Perfect Modern Classic

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto 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. And if we were working on a project in that vein, Cognito Moto would be getting a call.

Started by brothers Devin and Nicholas Henriques, the Richmond, Virginia company is known for building parts that add modern performance to older bikes. Their online store’s stocked with everything from triple clamps to fit upside-down forks, to rear loops with integrated LEDs.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
Naturally, they build some damn cool customs too—particularly when they’re developing new products. This Yamaha XS650 is their latest test bed, and the newest addition to our fantasy garage.

“Traditionally we’ve been focused on vintage Hondas,” Devin tells us, “but lately we’ve branched out into Triumph and Yamaha.”

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
“When diving into Yamaha, it seemed all too easy to pick the coveted XS650 as our starting point. It couldn’t be any XS650 though—we wanted a 1972 in particular. We happen to love the tank from that model year.”

Cognito sourced a donor XS locally; an abandoned chopper project. Almost three years later, they finally got started on it.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
“As we started tearing the bike down we knew we wanted to do something a little different with this bike,” says Devin. “We’ve struggled finding beauty in the XS platform and really wanted to nail it.”

“As with most of our builds, we wanted the bike to look like it could’ve came from the manufacturer’s design studio.”

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
Cognito’s nip-n-tuck of the XS650 is one of the neatest we’ve seen. It starts with a stout front end, complete with Yamaha R6 forks and the Brembo calipers from a Suzuki GSX-R. The arrangement’s mated to the frame via a custom-made, ‘retro-style’ triple clamp, and even features a one-off front fender (it’s been removed in some of the photos).

The wheels have gone down in size, with new 17” Warp 9 rims laced up at both ends. Cognito used one of their own conversion hubs up front to match the wheel to the R6 forks.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
Out back, the swing-arm’s been extended by 2½”, and notched to squeeze in the 5” wide rim and 170 tire. The guys even had to offset the sprockets to match the wheel’s extra girth.

The XS650’s rear brake’s been upgraded too. Cognito converted it from drum to disc, using a prototype conversion hub and Brembo caliper for more stopping power.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
They left the frame mostly stock—clearing out any unnecessary tabs, and adding one of their popular LED-integrated tail loops. Cognito then carved out a new seat, and sent it to Ginger McCabe at New Church Moto to work her magic on the upholstery. The rear’s propped up by a new set of adjustable Fox Podium R shocks.

We’re sold on the suspension and braking mods, but as it turns out, there’s some hidden goodness under the hood too. The motor’s been rebuilt from the ground up, with a 700cc kit from Hoos Racing. And the crank and cam have been re-phased to 277 degrees by Hugh’s Hand Built.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
The new air intake is noteworthy too. “We wanted to create a new alternative for pod filters,” explains Devin, “due to their poor performance and inability to tune. Our design is made to reduce turbulent air induction, while giving the rider the ability to change out filter material for more or less restriction.” Nifty.

The crew’s installed a Hugh’s PMA charging system too. The exhaust is stainless steel all the way through; a combination of Hoos Racing headers, and ‘Quieter-Core’ mufflers from Cone Engineering.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
For the electronics, Cognito tapped into the Motogadget catalogue for various components—the most obvious being the tiny gauge embedded in the LSL headlight bucket. The headlight itself has been upgraded with a custom-made reflector and Morimoto projector HID kit.

The guys even hit up local shop Kugo Laser to etch the Cognito logo into the lens. Finishing off the setup are headlight brackets from Moto Demic, held in place by Motogadget pin-style turn signals.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
Woodcraft clip-ons are adorned with Biltwell Inc. grips, and Motogadget mini-switches. The rear-sets are Tarozzi units, attached using prototype brackets that retain the stock rubber bushings to help keep vibrations down.

When it came to paint, Cognito decided to offset the bike’s modern upgrades by keeping the livery traditional. So they recreated the factory graphics on top of a vintage-inspired red wine pearl.

This Yamaha XS650 customized by Cognito Moto is the perfect modern classic
“We think we’ve created something that pays homage to the original beauty of the XS650,” says Devin, “bringing it into the modern era with improved performance and rideability.”

“Not to mention it looks badass.”

Yes. Yes it does. Wouldn’t you agree?

Cognito Moto | Facebook | Instagram

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

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The Yamando: A vintage yamaha racer with a Norton frame

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike 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.

Trying to figure out what it is? We can help: it’s a ‘Yamando’; part Yamaha XS650, part Norton Commando. Or, as Brad puts it, “the best of both worlds.”

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
If you’re wondering if the combo is effective, it most certainly is. In Canada’s vintage road racing Heavyweight class, Brad took home the overall title this year. And the Yamando’s had success Stateside too.

The builder—or should we say engineering genius—of this mad machine is retired racer Toivo Madrus. Tovio co-owns the bike with Brad, and has been fine tuning and rebuilding this beast for literally years.

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
“The Yamando MK V wasn’t born overnight,” says Brad. “It’s actually the culmination of four previous versions, each one improving on engine angle and position, and engine performance that started at around 65HP, to what is now over 80HP.”

Yamaha and Norton seem an unlikely pairing (we’re more used to seeing vintage Triumphs offer up their engines), but Brad explains the thinking: “For anyone who’s ever ridden an XS, they can tell you about the extraordinary vibration this motor throws at you.”

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
“The solid mounted XS race engines create a vibration so extreme, they actually make the bike a challenge to handle, and in the end will rob you of speed through cornering and straight acceleration. And all the while, you’re losing feeling in your hands going down the track.”

“This problem only gets worse when the XS engines are modified to create more horsepower which of course equals more vibrations. So much so, it’s very common for XS engines to literally shake the bike apart, even through your lock wire and gallons of Loctite.”

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
Norton’s Commando frame was praised in its day for its light weight and excellent handling. But it’s also known for its isolastic engine mounting system—which uses rubber mounts to effectively ‘float’ the motor inside the chassis, without bolting it directly to the frame.

It’s just the thing to rein in the unruly XS power plant. “Even the exhaust mounts allow the hand made exhaust to slide forward and backward as the revs go up and down,” explains Brad.

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
Getting the Yamaha engine to fit was quite a task though. It’s wider than the Norton mill, so it had to be relocated up and to the right, with a new rear mounting subframe, and modded front mounts that still make use of the isolastic system.

“Needless to say, the challenge of getting the engine to sit in the frame exactly right was important,” says Brad, “otherwise the Norton frame would crack with the aggressive nature of the XS engine. It took Toivo many years to find the sweet spot for the two things to get along.” Moving the engine forward helped sharpen up the handling too.

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
The chassis was revised further with a chromoly swing arm from CMR in Belleville, Ontario. Toivo installed a set of 38mm Yamaha FZR600 forks with emulators up front, and a pair of Works Performance shocks out back.

The fuel tank is a hand-made aluminum number from CMR, and the tail is a hand-made fiber glass item, based on an original Herb Becker mold. Toivo also added Vortex clip-ons, a Scitsu racing tachometer and custom-made rear sets.

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
There’s a dual disc brake setup on the front wheel, and a CanAm drum brake on the rear. The detail goes deep; a custom oil cooler, hand-made cables and one-off sprockets are just the tip of the iceberg.

Oh, and it’s not a ‘650’ any more—Toivo installed a 750cc kit from Mike’s XS a few years ago. In the last twelve months, he’s fettled it further with stainless steel valves, an upgraded cam, a Kibble White spring kit, and 38mm Mikuni carbs.

Nothing’s been left alone. The crank, ignition and billet clutch basket are all new, and the primary gear ratios have been revised too. Porting was handled by Tim Speigleburg.

The Yamando: A vintage yamaha race bike with a Norton frame
“Toivo did ninety percent of the work in house, about 250 hours,” says Brad. “Not counting about 150 hours for each for the four earlier Yamandos that lead to this MK V.”

“Toivo always says, ‘If it was easy… everybody would do it!’”

Color us impressed. And smitten.

Photos by Andrew Wilcox.

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

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

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
Sensibility be damned: this bobber has no front brake, no rear suspension and a suicide shifter. But just look at it.

Like any self-respecting bobber, this Yamaha XS650 is an exercise in supreme minimalism. But the work goes far beyond just tossing random parts in the bin.

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
It’s a 1972 XS650, built by Justin Kagy and Kieran Thompson of FKKMOTO in their self-described ‘garage shop’ in Bloomington—a small town two hours south of Chicago.

The project kicked off with the frame: Justin and Kieran removed the back half, and added in a Voodoo Vintage MK21 hardtail. That resulted in a 4” stretch and a 3” drop.

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
In stark contrast, the front-end’s been upgraded with a set of Suzuki GSX-R inverted forks. They’re plugged in with a top triple tree from Cognito Moto.

The XS650’s original 19” wheel stays up front, but the lads swapped the rear out for a 16” Harley-Davidson Sportster item. It’s kitted with a Tokico 6-piston caliper—borrowed from a Suzuki Hayabusa—to compensate for the lack of a front brake.

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
The motor was completely overhauled, and treated to new seals, gaskets, pistons, rings and freshly bored cylinders. Note the single carb setup: it employs a 2-into-1 intake from Counterbalance Cycles, fed by a Mikuni VM36 carb.

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
Thanks to a Sparx capacitor and a Hugh’s Handbuilt CDI, the XS650 is now battery-less. A small electronics box at the base of the frame stores the important bits.

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
But our favorite mod is the unusual suicide shift: a handlebar-looking arrangement, complete with clutch lever and grip. Kieran fills us in: “The idea for the suicide shift was born through our never-ending quest for clean bars.”

“It was our original design to start with, that then morphed into an internal twist clutch set up and then quickly back to the original plan, after we determined the internal clutch setup was not going to be strong enough to operate the notoriously tough XS clutch.”

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
“So we fabricated a lightweight arm we thought suited the lines of the bike well, and added a lever for the clutch actuation and the rest was history. It works great!”

The handlebars are a one-off ‘flying Vee’ design from FKKMOTO. And they sure are clean—with no clutch or front brake to house, the sole control is a throttle with internally routed cables.

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
FKKMOTO finished the bike with a mix of carefully sourced and in-house parts. The tank and exhausts are from TC Bros Choppers, while the seat is a Counterbalance Cycles creation.

But the taillight, foot pegs, peg brackets and rear brake hanger are all custom. FKKMOTO laid down the designs, and then turned to their good friends at G3 Machining to cut them. (We asked if the parts will be for sale, and the guys replied that they’re looking into it.)

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
FKKMOTO aren’t too proud to admit that they don’t know everything. So they’ve surrounded themselves with talented friends that can fill the gaps in their skill set. Dusty Ghert is one such friend—he helped the guys hone their welding skills throughout the project.

Another friend—Nathan Noel—handled the paint, while J&J Performance Powder Coat saw to the engine. That sublime tint on the bodywork is called ‘Ford Brittany Blue.’

Bobber style: This Yamaha XS650 from FKKMOTO is an exercise in minimalism.
“We dedicated this build to Kieran’s grandfather, Floyd,” the guys tell us, “who passed shortly before this build was completed. Kieran wanted a vintage color that reminded him of a shirt that his grandpa Floyd might have worn.”

Perfect lines, clever details and plenty of character: we’d call that a fitting tribute.

FKKMOTOUSA Instagram | Facebook | Photos: Nathan Bridges

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

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The XS650 Scrambler We Wish Yamaha Had Made

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory 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 Yamaha XS650 is a ‘city scrambler’ in the most literal sense. Its owner lives in Kansas City, and wanted a new ride for messing around in the West Bottoms—an industrial area teeming with abandoned dirt parking lots and back alleys.

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
So he sourced a 1981-model, ex-flat track XS650, and shipped it off to Kevin McAllister in Austin, Texas. Kevin works in commercial construction, but he’s also a total moto-nut—so he spends most evenings in the garage.

He had his work cut out with the old Yamaha. “It had a broken steering stem, burnt valves, a shattered clutch basket and bent wheels,” he says. “This bike took the phrase ‘rode hard’ to another level.”

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
Kevin started by tearing down the engine, and rebuilding it with .75 over pistons. Everything was either polished or given a new coat of paint. He also tossed the stock wiring, in favor of a full Hugh’s HandBuilt PMA system.

With a more reliable base to work from, the heavy lifting could start. The client wanted a scrambler with a factory look—so Kevin channeled the mighty XT500.

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
The most obvious cue is the fuel tank: It’s an actual XT500 unit that’s been tweaked to fit the frame. It took Kevin a while to settle on it though: “This project added another three fuel tanks to my ever growing collection.”

“Sometimes you have to try on a few tanks to get that vision correct. The XT500 seems to be the ideal fit—it slims the bike, and makes for a smooth transition to the seat.”

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
A friend recreated the original XT500 graphics digitally, and then modified them to read ‘650.’ Another friend (a gun machinist by trade) spent countless hours turning out that fetching gas cap.

Kevin kept the late-70s aesthetic out back, with a custom-made seat that’s unashamedly chunky. “Too many custom motos have thin seats to achieve a certain aesthetic,” he says, “and then end up killing you after five minutes down the road.”

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
He used aluminum for the pan to keep the weight down, and sent the final unit off to Working Man’s Customs to handle the leatherwork. Underneath the seat, the frame’s been cut, looped, de-tabbed and powder coated.

The front forks were treated to stiffer springs and a Tarozzi brace, with Redwing shocks fitted at the rear. The stock wheels were restored with stainless steel spokes and new bearings. They’re wrapped in Dunlop K70s to strike a balance between vintage looks and performance—both on and off-road.

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
Completing the bodywork is a heavy-duty, custom-made skid-plate. Everything’s been mounted on dampeners to quell any rattles. Then a couple of Hondas were raided for their fenders. The front is an aluminum SL350 unit, with a CB750 front fender was repurposed for the rear.

Obvious changes aside, Kevin clearly poured a lot of energy into the tiny details. He converted a Hella 500 spot to LED for the headlight, and installed tiny Supernova LEDs against the shock mounts to act as taillights.

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
And he tucked all the electronics away under the fuel tank tunnel, to keep everything as tidy as possible. “A personal pet peeve of mine has been peeking under a clean build, only to find a rat’s nest of wiring,” he says.

A set of Renthal bars, Oury grips and an Acewell speedo (tucked into the tank’s neck) complete the cockpit. Above the headlight is a small, canvas tool roll—stitched by Kevin himself.

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
It all hangs together superbly—like the twin-cylinder big brother the XT500 never had.

But the crown in the jewel is undoubtedly the exhaust system. It took many sketches and emails back and forth with the client to figure out the final routing.

Kevin McAllister's XS650: The Yamaha scrambler we wish the factory had made.
“I knew he wanted something that was just ‘dirty,’ and would make the bike stand out,” explains Kevin. With a box of 1.5-inch stainless pieces and a couple of Cone Engineering mufflers, he built the new system up from scratch.

“It changed the stance of the entire bike and made it scream. This bike is a blast to ride, and one that I’m sad to see go.”

Images by Kevin McAllister/Distorted Imagery | Facebook | Instagram

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

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

motorcycle-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 motorcycle with a very clever removable bike rack.

It helps that Tony is the co-owner of Breadwinner Cycles, a handmade bicycle outfit based in Portland. The bike hanging off the back of the Yamaha XS650 is one of Breadwinner’s made-to-order hardtails, Bad Otis. (Read all about it on our pedal-powered sister site, Cycle EXIF.)

Not Your Everyday Carry: A rack to carry your pushbike on the back of a motorcycle.
Even though bicycle-making is his day job, Tony’s been wrenching on motorcycles for a lot longer. This XS650 is his daily rider, and he’s been fettling it for 16 years.

“Someone told me about a ’75 XS at a nearby garbage transfer station, with a ‘FREE’ sign hanging from it.”

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“So I jumped in my pickup, went over and slid the rusty mess of a bike in on its side, thinking I’d only ever use it as a parts bike.” After a year of pillaging random parts from it, Tony decided to build his first café racer.

“As a lifelong tinkerer who had just learned to weld, I knew that given enough time I could figure out how to make it come to life.”

motorcycle-bike-rack-3
It took Tony three years to get the XS650 restored, customized and back on the road. The initial resto saw the engine rebuilt and bored out to 700cc, and the carbs upgraded to Mikuni VM34s.

It was during the project that Tony got the confidence to take a crack at crafting his first mountain bike frame. “I knew I had found my calling,” he says. “Handmade bicycles were just beginning to see a resurgence in popularity and I went all in, building bikes for friends and friends of friends.”

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He got enough orders to quit his day job and go at it alone, eventually partnering up with Ira Ryan a few years ago to form Breadwinner. Which is where he got the idea for the bicycle rack.

“Ira built a motorcycle bike rack for his BMW R65—something I’d always wanted to do as well. I knew the café bike was a funny choice for such a project, but it was my only bike. And splitting time between the moto and the mountain bike I wasn’t getting enough time on either of them.”

motorcycle-bike-rack-5
The rack’s removable, and is made from 4130 tubing and some bicycle seat binder braze-ons that Tony had lying around. It went on round about the time that the bike got repainted, with the stunning white and green livery you see here.

Bad Otis recently got the same treatment, so that the guys could show the pair off at their booth at this year’s North America Handmade Bicycle Show.

motorcycle-bike-rack-6
The rest of the XS650 is worthy of closer inspection too. Tony recently ditched the stock forks and brakes in favor of a 2002-spec Yamaha R6 setup. There’s also a Kawasaki Ninja 250 master cylinder and an EBC rotor.

The frame was stripped, de-tabbed and powder coated. Tony made the seat hump from fiberglass, and even tackled the upholstery himself—which he reckons “remains one of its rougher spots.”

motorcycle-bike-rack-7
There’s a new wiring system too, kitted out with a Hugh’s Handbuilt PMA and a Sparx battery eliminator. The speedo’s a digital affair from Trail Tech.

These days, this XS650 rolls on 18-inch DID Akront-style rims: Tony made the switch from the stock 19-inch front wheel to help quicken the handling. The tires are Avon AM26s, and the rear brake drum is a larger unit from an XS750.

motorcycle-bike-rack-8
The XS is stacked with lovely details—like the hand made clip-ons, drilled cover and selective use of nickel plating. The fender is a Motocarrera TZ-250 item, and the rear-sets are modified Spec II units. Tony also built the exhaust system himself, using parts from Cone Engineering.

motorcycle-bike-rack-8a
A pair of Progressive Suspension shocks keeps the rear end honest. And the swingarm’s been braced, “as in the infamous Joe Minton magazine article from the 70s.”

motorcycle-bike-rack-9
We asked Tony if the project has inspired him to take on commercial motorcycle work, but he says not. “I have no plans to sully another hobby by making it a business!”

A shame, but understandable.

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