Many of the top dollar customs that grace these sites are built for a reason; Impress. But we’re also passionate about motorcycles that look like they’re ridden every day, having a deep connection to the people who ride them. If you feel the same way, you’ll love Norman ‘Sandy’ Sanders’ Yamaha XS650 disturbance person.
Sandy has spent the past seven years transforming her Yamaha XS650 into a glamorous and eclectic vehicle. disturbance person that is now. Clearly in no hurry, he tackles each part of the project, leaving the heavy lifting to a select few experts. It is also quite a difficult task given how long the bike has been stationary.
“In short, this 1982 Yamaha XS650 Heritage Special belongs to my cousin in Houston, Texas,” Sandy told us. “Around 1991, he left it in my father’s West Texas warehouse, where it lay until 2016. Then he gave me the bike, which I took out of the barn in October. April 2016 and the start of the making process ending in April 2023, right before the Handmade show.”
If you’ve never seen the Yamaha XS650 Heritage Special, imagine a regular XS650 paired with a cruiser. Yamaha created this variant to extend the appeal of the XS650, equipping it with a tow bar, teardrop-shaped fuel tank, and stepped saddle.
The process of turning the old Special into a scrambler involved two very specific tasks. The first was to revive the tired old engine—and to do that, Sandy reached out to Chris Kelland at Limey bike in Austin. Chris specializes in second hand Japanese bikes and especially the XS650s.
He rebuilt the engine inside and out, retuning it to 707 cc in the process. A Shell No.1 cam was introduced at the same time, along with a pair of new Mikuni VW34 carburetors. Before returning the classic twin to Sandy, he also cleaned it up on the outside.
The second job is all the custom work that Sandy envisioned. This time, he jumped in Tyson oak sculptor—Eli Carver’s brother, who has BMW tears the retina we introduced not long ago. Tyson tackled all of the XS650’s fabrication and modifications, such as the combination of the subframe and the smart rack that sits behind the single seat.
Tyson removed all the worn-out body parts of the XS650, then removed the frame and made some adjustments to fit the Yamaha XS750 fuel tank. The bike’s battery is now under the fuel tank, leaving space under the saddle for the pod filter to breathe. The fender from Lowbrow Custom supports the Yamaha.
The XS650 is now also a bit taller thanks to a pair of 19-inch Sun wheels. They are connected to the Yamaha RD350 axle at the front and the original XS axle at the rear. The rear fork has been modified for better play with a new aluminum swingarm from MotoLanna, connected to a pair of YSS shocks.
Hanging on the right side of the car is a monster two-in-one exhaust system from Delkevic in the UK. Sandy opted for the straight muffler option instead of the cone muffler that is so common on vintage-style custom builds.
The XS650 also gets new handlebars from LSL, fitted with a Domino grip, Motone switches and new gearshift levers from Dime City Cycles. The speedometer is from Daytona, the LED headlights are from LSL and the classic taillights are from Dime City Cycles.
The tiny LED turn signals were found by Amazon, but they are mounted differently on each end. The front units sit directly behind the lower yoke, but the rear units have been cleverly inserted into the frame’s rails.
Finishes include a tail bag from Wheelborne, and a saddle cover made from saddlebags that Sandy bought in Afghanistan a decade ago. Then there’s the paint job; a beautiful gray two-tone work, done by Jerry Leach.
Sandy’s Yamaha XS650 race car may take seven years to arrive, but we’d say it’s worth the wait. As we ticked off the weekend, we couldn’t think of a better machine to flee to the countryside.
Pictures of Norman Sanders
