What if Steve McQueen aka Harvey Mushman decided to build and race an XS650? In a strange twist of fate, the Yamaha XS650, introduced in 1969, took up the standard of the British twins […]
Tag: Yamaha XS
XS Monster: “deXSter” Yamaha XS650 Scrambler
A Vinduro-Style XS from Rendy Rides x D73 Custom… The Yamaha XS650 remains one of the best-loved vintage Japanese motorcycles of the 1970s ane early 80s. When the company began developing the bike, most of […]
Handbuilt: Yamaha “XSTT 750” Street Tracker
Big-Bore Yamaha XS650 “Steeplechase Champion” by Will Bastas… From April 12-14, our friends at Revival Cycles hosted the 2024 edition of the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin, Texas, paired as always with MotoGP weekend at […]
Ill-Fated Kustom: Yamaha XS650 Café Racer
Yamaha XS650 from Calgary’s Ill-Fated Kustoms… There are those dark moments in life when misfortune strikes and fate seems against us, fixed and irreversible. But such moments, if we’re open to them, can also be […]
Patent Pending: Yamaha XS400 “Roadster”
Innovative XS400 from Roman Juriš… Introduced in 1976, the Yamaha XS400 came during a time when the major manufacturers were foreseeing the end of the two-stroke era and turning their attention to the development […]
Dream Rider: Yamaha XS650 Brat Tracker
“Karbu” from Le Cent Vingt Cinq… At one time, few motorcycles could compete with the British twins for power, performance, and style. The 650 parallel-twins from BSA, Norton, Triumph, and others were just the ticket […]
As Seen at Mooneyes: Yamaha XS650 Street Tracker
Gabe Griffin’s Pick: Big-Bore Yamaha Tracker from Rocket MC… Earlier this month was the 2023 Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show (HRCS), the 31st annual edition of one of the custom world’s longest-running and most prestigious […]
Cosmic Café: Yamaha XS650 Café Racer
Space-Gray Café from MacVittie Motorcycles… Over the years, the Yamaha XS650 has earned a tongue-in-cheek nickname as “The Best British Bike Never Built.” Introduced in 1969, this Japanese parallel-twin owed much to the style and […]
Aluminum XS: Yamaha XS650 Chopper
Hand-Built XS650 Chopper from Prama Motorworks… The Yamaha XS650 is one of the best-loved, most versatile Japanese motorcycles of the air-cooled era. In a time when the old British marques were filing bankruptcy and shuttering […]
The Dark Horse: Yamaha XS650 Custom
Yasashii Garage’s Yamaha XS650 Custom Roadster… According to the Merriam Webster definition, a dark horse is “a usually little known contender (such as a racehorse) that makes an unexpectedly good showing.” You could make a […]
