Custom Bikes Of The Week: 9 February, 2020
The BMW that took home the Best In Show award at Verona’s Motor Bike Expo, plus a Kenny Roberts-inspired XS650 from Japan and a gorgeous Suzuki DR650 from Oilbro Motorcycles of France.
Yamaha XS650 by Rocket Motorcycle This Kenny Roberts-inspired XS650 is pushing all our nostalgia buttons. It comes from Yutaka Hoshi at Rocket Motorcycle in Japan, who built it as a tribute to King Kenny’s illustrious career with Yamaha. It’s a mash up of history; the donor is an XS650, as a nod the bike that Roberts piloted to flat track victory in 1973, but the overall look is a hat tip to his iconic TZ750 track bike.
Hoshi-san built it specifically for the track, to compete in the recently announced ?Legend of Classic? series to be held at Fuji Speedway. So it’s been given a power boost, via a 750 cc rebuild, a performance cam, and a pair of bell-mouthed CR carbs. The stunning twin exhaust system is all custom.
The XS also got a suspension boost, with new front internals and rear shocks, all from Öhlins. The wheels are Excel rims laced to the stock hubs, and the tires are Dunlop TT 900 GP items.
The look is more of a homage to the TZ750 than a direct replica. Hoshi-san sourced a TZ replica fairing, but removed the lower half. Then he fabricated an aluminum tank, and a fiberglass tail that’s more waspish than the boxy piece on the TZ. Obviously the XS650 now wears a speed block livery, but it’s been done with gold rather than yellow; an inspired c...
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Backcountry Discovery Routes | Ep. 70 Rider Magazine Insider Podcast
27-04-2024 08:34 - (
motorcycle )