This little glittery gem of an XS 650 is courtesy of fun guys at Monstercraftsman in Baltimore, Maryland, who specialize in every aspect of this particular model bike. In case the name Monstercraftsman (www.monstercraftsman.com/) rings a bell, it’s probably because Barnett’s Magazine Online recently did a feature on another of their builds we called “Simple, Brutal & Cheap.” None of that was meant to be derogatory in any way, it was just what the build was honestly about and it generated a lot of positive email. This build is more of the same except it isn’t simple, brutal or cheap. It’s more of a Glitter Gulch of an XS with some pretty high tech pieces glammed on to the old girl and just takes the same bike in a whole new direction without taking away what attracts people to this bike in the first place.

 

  Where the simple, brutal & cheap version is simple, brutal, & cheap, this sparkled and farkled green and gold version of Yamaha’s fabled vertical twin goes all Glitter Gulch this time around. That’s not a bad thing, though, as now there’s a late model sportbike inverted fork along with a radial front brake caliper and disc. Compared to the S, B & C’s  brakeless stock XS front end, this is a huge step up in braking, handling, and ride. And, it looks cool too. Same goes for the Monstercraftsman hardtail addition too as it looks a bit more styled with curves replacing the straight shots of the S, B & C version. Other things like the Rock Shox suspended solo seat sure beats the ancient LePera seat that was probably kicking around the shop for years on the S, B &C version or the foot controls which easily show the fabrication differences involved. Never mind the tank and fender on the green and gold bike that are nicely finished and tidily installed.

 

   The heart of these bikes, the 650cc engine, definitely isn’t in the same league with one another as far as outside appearances go. This bike has a lot of highly polished covers and pieces along with nicely detailed black and raw parts compared to the all black (and I mean all black) S, B & C version. Even the unfettered pipes take a step up although the local DMV probably wouldn’t be able to tell any differences as far as they’re concerned. I wouldn’t even be surprised if this green and gold version has had its insides mucked around with to make it run smoother than the paint shaker it originally was. Lately the hot new thing to do to these engines is to rephrase the cranks so they run much smoother and since somebody has gone to the trouble of taking this bike to the limit, they probably did this too. At least I hope so for their sake.

 

  I will say that I do find both paint jobs interesting in their own way, although I prefer the green and gold Old School effort someone put into this beauty. They’re actually both perfect for their intended styles and wouldn’t look right if they were reversed in some unintended dimensional flummox.

 

   So there you go kids, which one do you prefer?