The correct answer to ‘How many bikes"’ is always ‘one more.’ And these two dapper Yamaha XS650s from German wunderkind Nico Mueller and Hookie Co. illustrate the point beautifully.
The Dresden-based outfit landed the build commissions from two different sources. But since the briefs came in at almost the same time, and were so similar, the guys decided to tackle them as a pair.

?Both clients wanted a classic cafe racer,? says Nico. ?A parallel twin with clean lines and some modern electronic components. As soon as all the CB750 builds in our garage were finished, we hooked straight into it.?
That?s why you’re looking at two almost-identical bikes, separated only by paint and a few small tweaks. Even the donor bikes were a match?they’re both 1981 Yamaha XS650 Specials. (The Special was the ‘cruiser’ of the XS range, with goofy pullback bars and a teardrop fuel tank.)
Neither donor was in particularly good condition, so Hookie Co. rebuilt both motors and treated them to fresh finishes.
The carbs were refurbished too, and re-jetted to run with pod filters. Each bike was then upgraded with a set of stainless steel exhaust headers, terminating in aftermarket reverse cone mufflers.

Next it was time to fiddle with the frames. They were stripped, de-tabbed, shortened and looped at the rear, and then coated black.
?The Yamaha XS650 has a perfect stance right out of the box,? says Nico. ?The frame is very simple, and we go...