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 […]
Tag: Yamaha XS
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 […]
For Sale: Yamaha TX650 Brat by Kuna Customs
The bike we know as the Yamaha XS650 actually started life as the 1970 XS-1. For the 1973-74 model years, it was re-badged as the TX650 to match the TX500 and TX750. When these bikes […]
Welsh Hot Rod: Yamaha XS650 Street Tracker by LC Cycleworks
A mechanical engineer builds one of the cleanest XS650 trackers we’ve seen… The Yamaha XS650 arrived in 1969, a Japanese equivalent to the British twins featuring advancements like unit construction and a horizontally split crankcase. […]
Yamaha XS650 Brat Tracker from Kuna Customs
The Yamaha XS650 (1970-1983) is one of our favorite vintage Japanese motorcycles, styled after the British twins of the 1960s. The engine/gearbox had unit construction and a horizontally-split crankcase, making it one of the most […]
Yamaha XS650 “Minabear” by Licari.co
A red-tanked vagabonding machine, built for fire roads and the 405… The Yamaha XS650 is one of our favorite vintage bikes — a British-style 650 twin available from 1970-1983. The engine’s unit construction and horizontally-split […]
The Raven: Yamaha XS1100 “Il Corvino” by Licari Co.
At its introduction in 1978, the 95-hp Yamaha XS1100 — aka the XS Eleven — was the world’s fastest production motorcycle, clocking off the quarter mile in 11.78 seconds — a time unmatched by any […]





