Yamaha XS650 Salvage

It's probably evident from the shop tour that I enjoy salvaging and reusing materials. My main work bench are cabinets from a 40's home remodel and my office door is a cut-down screen door. "Making something from nothing" just a couple of decades ago was more a matter of socio-economic standing than anything else. Of course there have always been those who can do it and pull it off quite well. Today, it's become a bit more "chicy" as reuse has worked it's way into the mainstream in green building and recycled art, both static and rolling.

Rolling on two wheels or four, building a bike or rod by scrounging with a vision is just hillbilly fun. This Yamaha XS650 was given to me as a rolling frame with motor, nothing else. I had couple of different ideas for it until I found the gas tank at an auto salvage yard at which time it was decided that is must become a cafe bike because the style of the tank dictated that. It also got my head in the mode of building the entire bike from salvaged parts. This bike spans a couple of decades in parts and cost me a total of $700.00 to build including new Dunlops. Rode it, sold it, made great money on it and learned a few things on what not to do on the next build. Reduce, Reuse, ReCYCLE, quite the cliche but it's the gospel man.