Description

YAMAHA XS650

Yamaha XS650 Custom-built Cafe-tracker. Designed and built by renowned San Diego custom bike builder Richard Pollock, of Mule Motorcycles, this bike is currently on Vic Club rego and has done approximately 1,000k since completion and arrival down under.

While an XS650, the engine has been bored to 750cc, the forks are from a Buell M2 Cyclone, and the Swingarm is a mid-’80 Yamaha Radian roadster. Helping to give the bike its unique hybrid style is an aluminum Storz café-style “bread loaf” fuel tank, originally intended for a Harley Sportster, the tank needed its tunnel heavily reworked to mate with the XS frame. Because the owner wasn’t enamored with the usual kicked-up flat-track tail, Pollock grafted a rear frame loop from a Wood-Rotax with its minimalistic, tightly drawn bodywork. Both tank and tail looking like they were destined to be together, are finished in a simple paint scheme, a pearl-white and maroon take on the old Yamaha racing colors. The artwork on the gas tank is the company’s classic tuning fork logo as envisaged by Salvador Dali. A fabulous-looking bike and far less than a third of the replacement value.