Written by Martin Hodgson
With the birth of the Cafe Racer revival he’s the man who put the unlikely Yamaha Virago on the map. With an endless run of craftsman like customs to his name, Greg Hageman has had an impact on the scene like few others. Now with his latest build he’s set to ensure another improbable Yamaha makes its mark, but you best get shopping as donor bikes are few and far between. A good friend had been urging Hageman to build a Yamaha XS400 Seca for years and with his girlfriend Sally needing a bike Greg finally agreed. Now bought and built by the best, all that’s left to do with this tracker is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride!

The suggestion to build a Yamaha XS400 came from a long time customer of Hageman’s and a man who is now a good friend, Mike Martens. ?After finding pictures of the frame design, reading reviews of the bike, he convinced me this bike could be a great little machine. The specs were great, design very good, but very aesthetically challenged. It seems to be a running theme with most of my builds, take something mechanically attractive, then make it physically attractive,? explains Greg. But having conquered the XV range and done brilliant things with the Honda CX, machines from left field have never held him back.
Mike also had a very good reason for wanting an XS built, his girlfriend Sally hadn’t been riding for years and with her keen to get back on a bike they all decided it should be on the seat...