An XS650 inspired by the ’68 Schwinn Sting-Ray Orange Krate! For many of us, the love of motorcycles starts with childhood pedal bikes. Not only is the bicycle the first taste of freedom on two […]
Tag: Yamaha XS
Summerbud Specials: Yamaha XS650 Street Trackers
A former pro speedway racer crafts small batches of XS650 street trackers… The Yamaha XS650 debuted in 1969, taking styling cues from the British twins of a previous generation, but with advanced technology such as […]
From Romania With Love: Yamaha XS650 “Violet”
Parts donor to reborn roadster, with Romania’s Bandisca… The Yamaha XS650 is one of our favorite vintage Japanese motorcycles. Sometimes known, tongue in cheek, as the “greatest British bike never built,” the straight-twin machine combined […]
Lightweight Bob: Yamaha XS400 Bobber by DOTi
By the mid 1970s, the Big Four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers had already seen the end looming for the two-stroke street bike. Emissions laws, noise regulations, and a new emphasis on fuel economy were ringing the […]
Excess 750: Yamaha XS650 Motocrosser!
Pikes Peak winner builds a 775cc twin motocross machine! Introduced in 1970 as the XS-1, the Yamaha XS650 combined the style of the classic British twins with an engine that was quite sophisticated for the […]
Yamaha XS650 Flat Tracker by Alex Leathers
The Yamaha XS650 has been called the “best British bike never made” — a tongue-in-cheek reference to the large debt the bike owes to the British twins of the 1950s and ’60s — and the […]
Wild Horse: Yamaha XS400 by A.G. Custom Motorcycles
“Everything you need to ride on the roads of the Basque country.” The Yamaha XS400 was the company’s middleweight four-stroke, offered from 1977-1982. The SOHC parallel-twin made 36 horsepower, good for a top speed of […]
Yamaha XS650 “MUTO” Tracker
“May the FUN be with you!” Rémy Pagart of France’s MUTO Motorbikes has quickly become one of our favorite builders, a self-described “all-terrain artist” who brings a fresh boldness and joy to his work, operating […]
Yamaha XS650 Roadster by Hoxton Moto
The Yamaha XS650 is one of the world’s most beloved vintage Japanese motorcycles, a 650cc parallel-twin originally inspired by the British twins of the era — Triumphs, Nortons, BSA’s, etc. The XS was affordable, reliable, […]
Swiss Street Tracker: Yamaha XS650 by Heritage and Sons
The Yamaha XS650 managed to combine the character and charisma of the British twins with something those bikes had rarely offered: oil-tight reliability. What’s more, the XS was technically advanced for its day, boasting unit […]
