YAMAHA XS650 FLAT TRACK

You’ll have guessed, we have a soft spot for the ’70s…

Back then, across the Atlantic one biking discipline was really thriving: Flat Track.

Certain major champions made a name for themselves in it before making their mark in circuit racing. Among these was a certain Kenny Roberts. King Kenny (aka the “Yellow Dwarf”) is primarily known for his speed world championship titles, but before dominating the world on tarmac, Kenny Roberts was several times Flat Track Champion in the US, winning the “AMA Grand National Championship”.

This bike is a sort of nod to this unconventional champion.

The aim was to create a bike with a clearly-stated Dirt Track look, but equipped with the essential details for being able to ride freely in town without a concern. But as usual, we couldn’t resist complicating life a little in order to make this creation really unique and with careful attention to the smallest details.

It was obvious we had to start off from a Yamaha basis, and the XS650 appeared the ideal bike for this preparation. If you look a bit closer, you’ll see that the frame has been totally modified, and not just the rear subframe… Nothing was left to chance, and the whole thing has been completely redesigned.

Patrick wanted to use this project to demonstrate all his know-how and we set no limits for ourselves, in terms of either time or budget. Really none at all. The result speaks for itself.

We could expand on this still further, but the description would become too long. Se we’ll limit ourselves to just saying that no-one remains unmoved in the face of this XS 650 from GARAGE de FÉLIX!

Our friends at Café Racer magazine also came under the spell of our FLAT TRACK and decided to devote the cover of the November/December 2016 issue to it, along with a superb photo reportage. Isn’t that the finest recognition…?