Yamaha XJ600 custom

The Yamaha XJ600 flies under the radar in the motorcycling world. Released in 1984, it's often dismissed as yet another Universal Japanese Motorcycle. But this machine was the first 600cc inline four—making it the granddaddy of today’s 600 super-sports. And it had mono shock rear suspension, which was advanced technology 28 years ago. Today, you don’t see many custom XJ600s. Probably because most of them have rusted away. But the small custom workshop Pimmel & Messer, from Schœneck in north-eastern France, has revealed how good the XJ600 can look with a few well-chosen mods. “When we found it, it’d been...