‘Your 1971 Yamaha XS650 will never be beautiful’ that’s what Italian custom motorcycle maker Simone Conti was told by his friends

What followed was madness as a determined Simone set out to build one of his wildest motorcycles!

Aluminium chassis designed by Simone himself, replacing the steel frame on the stock bike

Honda CBR600RR-sourced fork & Ohlins suspension should make this Yamaha a hoot to ride

Avon Speedmaster (front) and Dunlop K825 (rear) tyre | 19- & 18-inch wheel setup

This XS650 is swathed in handmade aluminum parts & it looks lithe and muscular| Simone’s mood board sure is covered with pictures of futuristic jet fighters

As typical custom bikes go, this one too, is lathed in carbon fibre bits

Simone finally handed over the bike to his friend Ivan Motta, who handled its stunning paint job

The result of this was this; a fantastic-looking neo-retro cafe racer

“My friends admitted that I was right,” Simone says, and right he was. Simone Conti, you beauty!

Only the engine, transmission, wheels and brakes are stock units on this custom Yamaha XS650