Yamaha XJ650 by Ad Hoc

The sign of a truly skilled custom motorcycle builder is the ability to create something beautiful from inauspicious beginnings. I’m not saying that the shaft-drive Yamaha XJ650 is a sow’s ear, but it’s certainly not in the same aesthetic league as a Moto Guzzi Le Mans or BMW R100, say. Yamaha’s middleweight cruiser has not aged gracefully, and three decades on, looks positively ungainly. But this machine from David Gonzalez of Ad Hoc Café Racers has a chunky and strangely appealing style. It’s hardly lithe or sporting, but looks like a lot of fun. It’s a 1984-spec XJ650, and after...