Busch & Busch's ‘79 Yamaha XS650 - “The Ridgit”

For many of us, families are like French truffles. They cost you all your cash, they are hard to find when you need them, and they are a very acquired taste. But for a lucky few, they turn out to be friends, inspiration, and trustworthy business partners all in one. The kind of relationship most bike builders who find themselves going it alone could only dream about. But for Danny and Lance Busch of Busch & Busch in Reno, Nevada, it's an everyday reality. Since dreaming up the idea of a custom shop in High School and even printing t-shirts for it in art class, they've progressed to, well, to what you see here. Because what I see here is one of my all-time favourite XS’s. And that's no Busch.

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Yamaha XS650 – Holiday Customs

Jared Johnson from Holiday Customs has certainly got his own distinctive look going on. This is the third generation of his curved Schwinn inspired XS650. The first one he kept for himself, the second one was sold to Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys, and the third, which we are featuring today was recently built for The One Motorcycle Show. The first one took around three months to build, the second took two months and the third he was able to complete in one month, due to the pressure of finishing it in time for The One Motorcycle Show. Jared picked up the donor XS650 in his home town of Portland. “It wasn't much” he says. “Just an engine and frame, but I had everything else around the shop.” So with only a month to have it finished, he got wrenching.

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