Motorcycle News - Yamaha XS650 ‘Techno Tracker’ by Gunn Design
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Operating as Gunn Design, Dan is a gifted freelance designer with good business smarts, too. A few months ago, he contacted Tucker Powersports and suggested a custom bike collaboration—which makes sense, because Tucker distributes custom-oriented brands that regularly appear on these pages, such as Vance & Hines, ProTaper and Renthal.
Now called the ‘Techno Tracker,’ the Yamaha had to be finished in time for the annual Tucker dealer show held every January.
A few key parts are not from the Tucker catalogs, but they’re still mostly bolt-on and affordable. Dan’s used the forks from a YZ250, and has grafted on the front calipers from a bigger YZ450—using them at both ends of the XS650.
The forks have been lowered from the stock YZ height, going down from a lofty 11 inches of travel to a more road-friendly four inches. The brake rotors and lines are from Galfer, and power hits the back wheel via a ProTaper YZ450 sprocket.
The seat pan sits on a revised rear subframe: Dan’s cut off the hoop, and also cut out the bridge between the shock. He’s replaced that with a custom piece that works as both a frame support and seat mounting bracket.
We tried to ID the eye-catching little tank, but failed. Dan tells us it’s from a 1977 Yamaha YZ80 two-stroke, and it’s an inspired choice—especially with a baby version of the famous speed block graphics.
The carbs have been upgraded with a Mikuni VM34 kit, which should boost power and sharpen response nicely.
The bars are ProTaper’s relatively tall and comfortable EVO Adventure Highs, and the same company supplied the levers, grips and pegs. Motone switchgear and CRG Hindsight mirrors complete the cockpit.
It’s a super-slick yet practical build, and a manifestation of Dan’s smart design vision. And also his entrepreneurial ability—an underrated but critical skill for any bike builder with ambition.
The XS650 was the first thing dealers saw when they arrived at the show, and our Tucker contact tells us that it was a big hit—even in that traditionally v-twin-heavy environment.
For Dan, it’s Job Done and a sense of satisfaction. “There’s so much room in the used bike market to buy something and customize it to your liking, without having to fork out boatloads of cash,” he says. “Yes, this was a sponsored build—but it also shows just how cool you can make a bike with a little know-how, visualization, and elbow grease.” Gunn Design | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Brandon LaJoie Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c January 30, 2020 at 11:36AM Leave a Reply. |
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1/30/2020
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