Yamaha XS650 Gravel Tracker

This XS650 has been modified into a tracker – possibly the perfect genre for the bike given its history and capabilities. The bike started life as an XS650 Special II that had been sitting untouched since 1993 with only 5500 miles on the odometer. It was found by amateur motorcycle builder and full-time software engineer Lars Meyer, a Swedish national who has settled with his family in the countryside outside of San Francisco.

Lars likes his motorcycles like he likes his software – function first. Every element on his builds is there for a specific purpose and he leaves parts on that many other builders take off – like front and rear fenders, which tend to come in handy when you’re riding through the mud.

With his XS650 build, Lars decided to create the most capable tracker he could, so he added appropriate tires, beefed up front brakes, a smaller fuel tank, a custom seat, tracker handlebars and a smaller headlight. He laced up the wheels by himself and now says he’ll pay a professional to do it next time – which is a sentiment that anyone who’s tried lacing wheels at home will immediately understand. The completed bike looks like it’d be an ideal gravel carver and weekend fun bike, which is exactly what Lars was after.