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JTbrothers-xs650

The text is written by the photographer – Silke Baens: The story of the Yamaha XS begins with the Triumph (more on that later). Joris saw an unfinished project for sale on internet. The owner also had a Yamaha XS for sale. The brothers never intended to use a Yamaha XS as the base for a motorcycle build because of the bike’s immense popularity. The deal was just too good to pass up, and they decided that they could use some practice before building the Triumph. They struck a sweet deal and two ugly bikes ended up in the JTbrothers shop.

JTbrothers-2

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For this photoshoot, JTbrothers chose an abandoned coalmine building and brought along photographer Silke Baens.

Joris says: “The first plan was to go for bradstyle. But you see a lot off bikes in this style so I had another vision in my head.”

Johan fills in: “He came with a colored sketch and said this is how it needs to look, the rest we’ll see on the way… We agreed and this time we stuck to the plan.”

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JTbrothers made nearly every part you see themselves. What they didn’t make, they adjusted to suit their mood and needs. Their creations and modifications were “the old school way with pretty basic materials in our garage. Low budget is the way we want it.” These guys are selling themselves short. Yes, they used basic materials. Yes, they kept it low budget. But these two custom builds are in no way cheap. I’m really digging them.

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“The list of self-made parts and details is endless. The frame, the front end, the brake / clutch levers, the handlebar… The seat is made out of an old bicycle seat. The gastank is from an old moped with some hidden mounts attached. The brake and shift pedal are really simple and clean like the entire bike. The meathooks with speedholes and the front end are worth mentioning.”

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“An old brass candlestick found in the trashcan was recycled and rebuild on the lathe to a tail light. Footpegs are made out of brass just like the breather valve. The gas cap is made out of steel after Joris found a brass piece on the ground at a fleamarket. So every part has its story and we can keep going on…”

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“The paintjob was done by our friend, Olli. It’s pretty daring and a combination of metal flake, candy and normal white. The idea for the rising sun on the tank is simple, it’s a Japanese engine and so it became the name of the bike.”

website: www.JTbrothers-motorcycles.blogspot.com