Written by Andrew Jones
?It took about two years from the moment I started unscrewing parts until the finished product was ready.? This is How Panache’s Charles Murillon kicked things off when explaining exactly how he sunk two years of his life into this rather beautiful little Yamaha XS360. ?I had to wait to be able to afford the quality parts I wanted on it. ?It quickly turned into a recurring joke between Charlie?s mates at Diamond Atelier and himself. ?Hence the nickname ?Falkor? ? the famous white dragon from the 80s movie ?Neverending Story.?

Just like us, Charlie says that he likes to see builds that stand out from the crowd with their originality and quality. ?This is what Panache is all about and this is my first official build,? he says. ?It’s a Yamaha XS360 from 1977. This model is actually quite rare in France compared to the more commonly seen XS400. This bike was a literal barn find, but it was in perfect condition for a project bike. I used it as my daily ride to begin with and after a year of learning customisation at Diamond Atelier, I built the best looking bike I could make.?
Charlie then made a smooth rear hoop composed of seven different tube sections ? each hand-made with a different radius ? were welded together to create this unique shape. ?One of the most distinctive features of this build are the brushed stainless-steel side panels. A sharp bend was made to each side, allowing a very pleasing play of the light on them.? Behind the p...