Yamaha XJ600 Café Racer

The Yamaha XJ600 cafe racer is a one-off custom by Spanish workshop The Foundry Mc, built on a mint 1985 XJ600 donor and finished by Carlos in matte black with a Honda CB 750 SuperSport tank.

The Concept

The starting point was a piece signed by illustrator Nuno Capelo: a scarred Capelo's Garage inscription and a number 78 plate that set the visual tone for the whole build. Carlos then hunted a rare Honda CB 750 SuperSport fuel tank, a specific silhouette that is hard to find outside the United States, and dropped it onto the XJ600 backbone. Everything else was rebuilt around that centerpiece.

The Build

The frame was stripped, straightened, chopped at the rear and repainted, with the subframe shortened to Spanish road-legal limits while keeping room for a passenger seat. Carlos coated the engine in heat-resistant paint, cleaned the carbs and added new filters plus a 4-in-1 manifold with double exhaust. Up front, the fork was shortened by 55 mm and topped with clip-on handlebars for the cafe racer stance. Seat, tail and side number plates are hand-laid fiberglass. Dunlop Sportmax Alpha tyres run almost full slick, and a minimal MMB odometer plus LED indicators keep the cockpit clean.

Specifications

• Builder: The Foundry Mc (Spain)
• Base bike: 1985 Yamaha XJ600
• Style: Cafe racer
• Fuel tank: Honda CB 750 SuperSport, matte black
• Frame: shortened rear, road-legal in Spain
• Engine finish: heat-resistant paint
• Intake and exhaust: new filters, 4-in-1 manifold, double exhaust
• Front suspension: shortened 55 mm, clip-on handlebars
• Bodywork: hand-laid fiberglass seat, tail and number plates
• Tyres: Dunlop Sportmax Alpha, near full slick
• Instruments: MMB minimal odometer, LED indicators
• Finish: matte black tank and tail
• Illustration: Nuno Capelo, Capelo's Garage inscription, number 78

Discover the full Motorcycles collection at TheArsenale.