Theft recovered 1989 XT600 right side

Hey Y’all

It’s funny how except for one 1999 750 Honda Nighthawk, all of my bikes seem to have started off as junkyard dogs, that’s just the way I roll. Several years ago I picked up this Yamaha XT600 that had been stolen, thoroughly trashed & left for dead in the woods for several months before being found.

Left side of salvaged 89 Yamaha XT600

I was hoping just to clean the carbs and replace the missing pieces but as fate would have it at some point the bike had thrown a chain & busted the engine cover & then was driven until it was completely out of oil.

The head was destroyed due to oil starvation of the cam journals. I wound up buying a complete TT600 engine and installing it with the original charging & ignition system from the XT engine.

It was too long ago for me to remember all the details but I took a bunch of pictures for you to check out now.

Then I started cleaning, painting & reassembly!

Yamaha 600 engine + frame

ebay seat cover kit xt600

I bought the seat cover kit from an Ebay seller and was very happy with it.

89 xt600 & XS650 Chopper

Up until this point I was just planning to fix up a nice dual sport ride for commuting.

But then I dragged home a YZF600 Radian, with a seized engine & no paperwork & the SuperMoto craze was just getting started….

Radian Wheels on XT600

The oil on the floor in this net picture is from me being clumsy & kicking over the oil drain pan.

I used the Radian’s front fender too.

Believe it or not with just some careful machining of the front wheel spacers from the Radian, it all fit together perfectly with the YZF600 brake rotor lining up perfectly with the XT600 caliper.

At this point it is almost complete. I did toy around with using the original tank for a while but decided to purchase an oversize new shiny plastic rust free tank from Clarke Racing it turned out to be some of the best money spent on this project.

semi- finished Supermoto Yamaha

Just for the sheer hell of it I initially used a pair of driving light & two great big chrome horns on the front trying to get a sort of “Predator” look to it.

Then I saw this Darth Vader looking fairing somewhere & decided I liked it better.

Black & Red 89 XT600 at night

Of all the bikes I have ever owned I regret selling this one the most. As with my XL500 I shared with you earlier this one was sold after a catastrophic crash on another motorcycle when I was not sure if I would ever ride again.

May the Dark Side of the Force be With You!