We’ve had our eye on Sean Skinner at MotoRelic for a while now. The Virginia-based builder has a knack for creating tidy restomods and customs, and knows how to nail that ‘factory’ vibe. But he’s just thrown us a major curveball with his latest project: a vintage Schwinn-inspired Yamaha XS650.
This deviation from MotoRelic’s usual fare was conceived six years ago. Sean had the offbeat idea to build an upsized replica of Schwinn’s famed 1968 Stingray Orange Krate chopper bicycle, powered by a motorcycle engine.
“Let’s add to the mix that I had never built a complete frame before—or lots of other parts on this build that followed,” he tells us. “I acquired a clean stock frame that I cut the neck off of, so I could retain the proper VIN number.…