Years ago, I created the X650 Storm™. My kit was based on Craig Vetter’s X75 Triumph Hurricane from 1972. That was a smashing bike and I just adapted the design for the Yamaha 650. The Storm converts the look of 1977 to 1981 650 Specials and the 650 Standards from 1974 to 1979.
The Hurricane had a small and impractical tank. Mine has about twice the capacity at about 3 gallons. The Hurricane rear lacked body mass with color to balance the tank. My kit balances front to rear with bodywork to achieve overall visual harmony.
Perhaps the best feature of the Hurricane was the swooped seat shape. That I used with relish because most bodylines of the period tended to follow the frame lines. The seat drops below the frame lines and is visually arresting. Although the seat looks long, I don’t recommend two up. It is attached in the front with 6mm and ¼-20 bolts which probably is not be strong enough to support weight on the very rearward section.
The body comes in white, orange and black (if you grind me and pay a bit extra) because black is a bitch to make look perfect. My gelcoat colors save you from expensive paint jobs which sometimes induce nose bleeds.
The tank is made from my new AER resin, which is totally ethanol proof. No other motorcycle fiberglass company uses this stuff which I discovered only by luck. The separate tank and tail are designed to look like a seamless onepiece body but two smaller pieces keep your shipping costs down.
Graphics now are medium gray & yellow. You can see beauty plate behind right foot peg mount.
Nigel Heed is an Englishman living in France because he was a bit unsettled about his former government. Nigel came into my life as a customer and now Nigel is my friend. We talk long distance semi regularly. The photos are his. For most of his life he has been a pro--professional photographer.
The truth of it is...I hate Nigel. He is one of those guys who takes on a bike build and pulls everything apart and reassembles it like a surgeon, with expense, care, new parts and parts he had made--like the swinging arm (as they say in the UK) which he’s fabricated into a race-like piece that will cure any wobbles. The body and front fender he sourced from me as my Storm kit. He has made a 650 Yamaha into one of those $20,000 jewels. (He’s already been offered huge money for it, but has said no.) I don’t have the time he took (over 2 years) to build my bikes. That’s why I hate him. Really, it’s just envy, so I’m the bad guy, not him. He’s the Prince of France.
I love the paint scheme which (I think he said) was 11 coats. The pipes are Ascots from Mike’s XS. Well now, let’s all stand up and give a huge ‘Cheero” to Nigel, the best the UK had to offer.
Notice cute little flip-up on front fender.
Love the paint--part Mollie, part cafe. That’s the standard seat I sell with the kit.
Mike’s XS Ascot exhaust is too cool.
Cool hub treatment. He worked creatively on lighting.
New shouldered rims with road race style tires.
Craig Savage from UK is a lucky guy
Craig from Somerset, England had never seen my look-alike X75 BSA/Triumph Vetter bike kit for 650 Yamahas. He said “I picked up here in the UK. I got it from a guy who had it in his attic for years. It fitted well and looks great.” A great find Craig.
650 Bobber/Cafe
If you want a unique 650 and are bored with other body kits try my Cinderella kit. It’s just the Storm body but you can radically cut it to achieve swoopy lines. It comes in white so you can go paint wild. You can add my front fender with a flip and side plates which cover the ugly 650 frame. Check out the hidden taillights on the frame under the tail.
650 STORM
| Storm tank & tail in white - includes mounting hardware | $958.00 |
| Add for orange gelcoat | $100.00 |
| Body polish & graphics installed | $125.00 |
| Storm graphics - gun gray/silver | $139.00 |
| Beauty plates, aluminum | No longer available |
| Chrome/amber signals, set of 4 | $36.00 |
| Storm bars | $59.00 |
| Storm front fender | $149.00 |