Yamaha bike isn’t the one that you can repeatedly encounter with flipping through the Kott’s customized bike collection, but this one is an exception. Doing an amazing job re-purposing old vehicles and building stylish custom vintage bikes, Dastin has always preferred Honda CB series motorcycles as donors. Well, at least until this build.
Years ago Dastin rode an XS 650, but as he didn’t have enough skills and knowledge back then, he wouldn’t get up the nerve to turn his hand to it. So, when this same model “rolled into the shop” Dastin decided to give it a chance. As he says, “it was a testament to actively breaking paradigms of what is expected”.
A great influence on this build was a Norton Commando. The black painted bodywork, with the hand-stripped golden lines that accentuate the shapes of the fuel tank and the cowl, speaks for itself.
Along with Yamaha XS 750 triple tank, mounted to the frame for more aggressive stance, the custom seat with the steel constructed seat pan, extended by a cowl that mimics tank’s color scheme, makes as Dastin says, “an ideal “pocket” and creates a true vintage style.
Both wheels got re-laced and the swingarm bushings were replaced with the new ones. This, along with the fitment of Hagon rear shocks and new fork springs, has significantly improved handling. A front disc brake, represented by an extra drilled rotor, a caliper and a master cylinder, is tasked to help a rear drum brake stop the bike and optimize braking power. If you look attentively at the frame you will notice lots of modifications that have been made in order to achieve desired shape.
The fact that the bike got minimum between the clip-ons doesn’t surprise me at all. That’s just the Kott’s way.
Head over to Kott Motorcycles and watch a short video of how this terrific custom Yamaha XS 650 sounds and looks on the road.
Images by Alex Martino
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