Yamaha’s Yard Built Garage has so far welcomed sixty builds by professional custom builders, two-wheeled spectacles ranging from the “Eau Rouge” XJR13000 to the “Gibbonslap” SR400. The latest addition comes from Iowa-based builder Greg Hageman, a Yamaha specialist, who unveiled a reworked XSR700 as one of the “Faster Sons” – modern Yamaha bikes invoking spirits of their pasts. The modern bike pays its respects to the motorcycle Hageman began his customizing career with more than a decade ago, the “Fast Father” 1972 Yamaha XS650.
In the early 2000s, Hageman’s idea for the ancestor XS650 was upping the performance. MikeXS rebuilt the 50-horsepower, four-stroke engine and installed Mikuni carbs, electric ignition, and a permanent magnet alternator with a lithium battery to power LED lights. Hageman installed a Yamaha R6 front end, and a modified rear swingarm from a Yamaha SR500 out back. He relaced the stock hubs with stainless steel spokes riding on Shinko radials, bolted on a custom tuck-and-roll seat, and upgraded the cockpit with a Speedhut GPS speedometer.
Hageman’s saw his mission with the modern XS700 as “taking something that’s modern, new and fresh, and connecting it to its roots.” Beyond that, he stuck to retro cues that an amateur could add to his own bike; hence, no $ 3,000 custom-spoked wheels. However, the Faster Son does get lower handlebars on lower-profile Yamaha Virago risers, a seven-inch LED headlight with turn signals to match the Fast Father, retro fork gaiters clasping a sculpted front fender, and silver powdercoated wheels on Shinko radials. A tuck-and-roll seat welcomes the driver, a rear rack welcomes his luggage. The only powertrain modification is an Akropovic exhaust. Classic Yamaha badges, a striped tank color-matched to the 1972 hue on the XSR650, and a matching Bell helmet cement the ties between past and present. Check out the story of the bike in the video above.
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