The use of wood on custom motorcycles is something we’ve seen many times before, but it usually goes no further than a few smaller parts and accessories. However, the bike we’ll be looking at today really goes to town with this somewhat unconventional material, inspired by the luxury wooden racing boats of yore. It is the work of Jacques Jouvin, who runs Atelier JAB over in France.

 By: Silvian Secara  Courtesy: AutoEvolution

He pulled together a team of talented craftsmen to help with various aspects of this build, and then it was time to pick a suitable donor. Jacques found exactly what he needed in a Yamaha XS650 from 1978, so the bike was purchased without any hesitation and taken apart upon arrival at the shop. The custom work began with some intricate frame surgery, so as to prepare the skeleton for the new bodywork that was to come.

It’s been reinforced in various places and shortened considerably at the back, where you will now find LED turn signals integrated into the tubes. With the frame mods out of the way, the project’s authors went on to create the breathtaking wooden bodywork. They didn’t just use any type of wood to craft this monocoque attire, though, but an exotic hardwood from Africa known as Wenge.

The material is far from cheap and a whole load of elbow grease was needed to create the one-piece tank and tail combo, though it was all certainly worth it in the end. Bespoke aluminum inserts were added on the wooden gas tank cover left and right, while the stock fuel cell has been modified to fit underneath. A Monza-style filler cap was ultimately placed up top.

Further back, we see a stylish custom saddle upholstered in brown leather, and no less than twelve layers of varnish have been applied to the wood for durability. Other timber bits include the grips and parts of the speedometer housing, with the former worn by clip-on handlebars along with a pair of bar-end turn signals. The speedo is also surrounded by a nice bit of metalwork.

More of that can be seen in the form of a handmade fender down low and a nice little taillight bracket out back. It supports a circular LED module, while front-end illumination comes from a vintage-looking headlight held in place via bespoke mounting paraphernalia. Down low, there is an old-school drum brake setup really dialing the retro charm to eleven.

It’s linked to an 18-inch Akront rim via stainless-steel spokes, and the forks have been lowered by 50 mm (two inches) to get the motorcycle’s stance just right. Rear-end suspension duties are taken care of by twin Hagon shock absorbers, while the engine has been rebuilt inside out and fitted with an array of new respiratory bits by Atelier JAB’s collaborators. They include Keihin PWK carburetors and a stainless-steel exhaust system built from scratch.

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