Mark is originally from Northern California where there’s a long history of famous flat trackers coming from that area. This influence has stuck with him even with his move to Texas and Mark’s committed to turning out street trackers and café racers based on that XS650 OHC twin that was produced for almost two decades in various guises. All of that production means there are still plenty of these lying around and such was the case with the engine in Mark’s bike. After consuming some adult beverages in a friend’s garage and noticing a forlorn looking XS650 engine sitting in a tub of its own oil, Mark made a deal with the owner that included the trading of more adult beverages and a plan was hatched. According to Mark, “My real vision was to create the most awesome street legal flat tracker that would catch the eye of the true tracker enthusiast, and so the project began.”
In the meantime, Mark tore into the 650 engine and actually found it to be in pretty damn decent shape for an old crock with an unknown past. With a complete freshening up from the crank up to a ported and totally rebuilt head, Mark finished it off with a set of 34 Mikuni round slide carbs and a Mega Cycle cam and lit off the vertical cocktail shaker’s volatile mix with a Boyer Bransden electronic ignition. This engine fires up via kick-only as Mark got rid of all that redundant, weighty, and now needless electronic starting stuff. It may not be as light or as simple as push starting a race bike, but it’s sure a lot more convenient. With the rebuilt engine covered in a new coat of stain black, now Mark just had to find a place to put it.
After acquiring a 1983 XS650 frame off craiglist, Mark got to work stripping it down of anything that wasn’t needed before he replaced the stock swingarm with a beefier unit from a later model Yamaha Radian. A rebuild to the front forks and a set of KYB remote reservoir rear shocks provide decent ride and handling for the road. Mark built up a set of light wheels featuring 19” alloy rims with Buchanan’s stainless spokes laced to a stock 650 hub in front while the rear has had the drum replaced with a disc-style hub from Banke Performance. Brakes may not have been an imperative piece on an old flat tracker, but on a street tracker, well that’s a different story.
XR-style flat tracker bodywork tank and tail section by Omar’s tops off a clean design with paintwork and graphics by DuSold Designs adding a fun bit of frosting to Mark’s cool cake we’d all like to take a bite out of. Personally, my favorite bit is the lucious Jemco swept-back high-pipe exhaust. Not only does it look good, but it’s got a bark all its own. Actually, now that I think of it that’s what this whole bike is all about. It looks great from any angle and you can’t miss the sound of a hot vertical twin going through the gears as it winds through curvy roads that dreams are made on.
For more info on MW Performance, please visit www.mwperformance650.com.