Simone Conti has what many custom motorcycle builders strive to achieve—a style that is instantly recognizable. Working under the Simone Conti Motorcycles brand, the Italian craftsman creates machines that look agile, powerful and futuristic, like two-wheeled mechanical aliens. His style is so different, that when he tells his friends he is about to customize a Yamaha XS650they ridiculed.
“I have this 1971 Yamaha XS650 engine,” Simone told us, “and I thought I could build a bike with an old engine and a modern look. All my friends tell me it will never be pretty, because the engine has completely different lines.”
Determined to prove her friends wrong, Simone sets out to build one of her craziest motorcycles. Calling this a custom XS650 is really an exaggeration as the only original parts left are the engine, transmission, wheels, and rear brake. Everything else was either upgraded—or scrapped and made from scratch.
Yes, that includes the chassis. The XS650’s twin-cylinder mill is no longer housed in its original steel frame. Instead, it hangs on an all-aluminum setup, designed and engineered by Simone.
It’s a modular design; The front half and subframe are tubular, with a set of CNC-cut mounting plates that tie everything together. Once Simone had finished crafting the individual pieces, he put everything in a mold and put it all together, like a life-size Meccano set.
The boxy swingarm looks like that of a sports car, but it’s also a custom piece. It’s hooked up to Öhlins shock absorbers and facilitates the XS650’s OEM drum brake hub.
Simone kept the original Yamaha 19F/18R wheels but upgraded the front suspension and brakes. The fork is from a Honda CBR600RR and the twin brake calipers are from Brembo. As for the tyres, Simone combined an Avon Speedmaster (front) with a Dunlop K825 (rear), to blend the classic into the car’s futuristic atmosphere.
Metal shaping is Simone’s forte—so this XS650 is encased in handcrafted aluminum components. The vibe is light and muscular, and if we had to guess, we would say that Simone’s mood board is covered with pictures of futuristic jet fighters and anime robots.
From the conical nose to the sculpted fuel tank, wasp-style tailgate and generous side panels, every detail is meticulously sculpted and packed with fine details. We love the combination of sharp edges and visible welds, as well as how Simone has included a lot of vents into the design. The quad-ring buckles on the bibs prove that he also considers owning a motorcycle like this a reality.
This Yamaha comes with even more customization features, in the form of some carbon fiber custom parts. But since it was outside Simone’s wheelhouse, he first prototyped everything out of aluminum — and then called in reinforcements.
The aluminum samples were delivered to a friend, Ivan Motta (who also took on the bike’s standout paint job). Ivan teamed up with kiteboarding company, Devils Kiteboarding, to mold and recreate each piece using carbon fiber. New carbon components include vented front brake pads, rear wheel covers, rear bumpers, exhaust heat shields and a shield for the engine’s shell filter.
Simone would be happy with ‘regular’ woven carbon fiber, but Ivan has a better idea. All parts are shaped using unidirectional carbon—a nonwoven carbon with a unique look. The carbon contrasts perfectly between the raw aluminum and the sweet turquoise blue sections.
Yamaha ended up with a bunch of smaller parts once. Simone built the foot control unit and heel plate in-house, as well as the stainless steel twin exhaust system. The cross-cut silencer uses a combination of carbon fiber and aluminum tubing.
There aren’t too many tuners trying to turn a Yamaha XS650 into a futuristic car cafe racer, but Simone overcame it spectacularly. But would his detractors agree?
“My friends said I was right,” he said with a smile.
Simone Conti .’s Facebook | Instagram | Image of Mattia Negrini
