Xs650

Like all aesthetic pursuits, customizing motorcycles is mostly an exercise in personal taste. So when we told Philippe Lagente that his Yamaha XS650 might get less than favorable comments, his response was: “I don't mind—and I love to ride it.” Based in Toulouse, France, Philippe builds bikes as Soyouz Cycles—an after-hours hobby which he describes as “just a bunch of friends sharing a garage.” And while his build might tick all the wrong boxes for some folks, we dig it for reasons that we…

If you had no deadline and a blank check, what sort of motorcycle would you build? For Bill Becker, the answer is this perfectly proportioned Yamaha XS 650. Based in Philadelphia, Bill is a retired architect who's spent the last several years working on customs and restorations. His bikes draw aesthetic inspiration from the 60s and 70s, with improved functionality. A friend of Bill's son caught wind of his work, and twisted his arm to take on the project (Bill never takes commissions)…

Xs650 @petrovichgarage chopper bikexif

(first posted 4/29/2012. Please note that this article does not pretend to be complete and fully accurate as to the origin and development of the Yamaha 650. A number of […]

A killer Cub from K-Speed, a Mash 400 flat tracker from XTR Pepo, a CB500 from Budapest, and a moto-themed balance bike from South Africa. Small ones are more juicy this week. Yamaha XS650 by Greg Hageman Just over a year ago, Yamaha handed Greg Hageman a brand new XSR700 to customize, as part of their Faster Sons program. For inspiration, Greg turned to a build he'd recently completed: this ultra-clean Yamaha XS650 restomod. And now some lucky soul's just snatched it up, for the bargain…

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This was the first bike build by my friend and I. We started with a stock 1977 XS650. At an early stage in the in the build, I found a long bar of brass in my garage that we used quite a bit. Even our hand clutch lever was filed out of the brass. We

Very nice!

Post Sale Update: After 39 bids on eBay, this XS650 sold for $5,015. The “Special” variant of Yamaha’s XS650 were modified with a teardrop tank and pull back handlebars for some e…