Every time Maarten Poodt completes another project, we feel like we’re looking at some obscure, classic Yamaha that we’ve never heard of. Which is exactly how the Dutch custom builder likes it.
Maarten has a penchant for Yamahas, and particularly the models that are hard to come by in the Netherlands. He mostly goes for a retro sportbike look, and nails the factory feel amazingly well. By the time he’s done, you’re questioning your knowledge of Yamaha’s back catalog.

Maarten used to build a bike a year, but got sidetracked for two years, making parts for other customizers and upholstering seats. Itching for a project of his own again, he picked up a 1983 XZ 550 and tore into it.
Also known as the Vision, the XZ 550 was only manufactured for two years. It was powered by a 552 cc, 70-degree V-twin motor, and was the first Yamaha with downdraft carbs. Unfortunately, those carbs also had an annoying off-idle stutter.
Maarten’s rebuilt the XZ 550 using a remarkable number of Yamaha factory parts from a bevy of different models. And that makes this one of the slickest parts bin specials we’ve ever seen.
Up front are the forks, yokes and clip-ons from an R6. The wheels are off an XS850, measuring 19 inches in front, and 18 inches out back. The rear shocks are from Hyperpro, and the brakes are a combination of modern MT-07 calipers and YZF600 discs.

Getting all those parts to play nice wasn’t easy. Maarten tells us the bigg...