Kawasaki 650 VULCAN S par MRS 2016 — Specifications

When Yamaha launched its Yard Built series, the industry understood that partnering with independent builders was no longer a trade show curiosity but a full-fledged commercial strategy. Kawasaki wasn't about to stand idly by, and it was Mario Rafael Soarez, a Parisian builder operating under the name MRS, who received the keys to a Vulcan S 650 to do with as he pleased. What he did with it is hard to anticipate: the bike bears little resemblance to the quiet cruiser that left the Akashi factory.

The foundation is a 649 cc parallel twin, well-mannered and refined, producing 61 horsepower at 7,500 rpm with 62.8 Nm of torque available at 6,600 rpm. Respectable figures for an accessible displacement, an engine that tops out at 180 km/h and doesn't aim to impress on paper. MRS didn't rely on raw power to justify his work, and that's just as well: the transformation is entirely aesthetic and mechanical, a complete reinterpretation of the silhouette.

The tank has been rebuilt, the rear subframe is now a monocoque unit, spoke wheels replace the stock rims, and the twin exhaust has been drawn up from scratch. Clip-on handlebars radically alter the riding position, transforming this machine into a full café racer — a territory the Vulcan S never claimed to occupy in its production guise. An Öhlins rear shock lends serious technical credibility, and the Beringer braking setup commands respect where the stock twin-disc setup merely got the job done. Turn signals integrated flush into the frame complete the clean, almost minimalist look.

The asking price of 30,000 euros places this creation in the category of one-off pieces reserved for collectors and admirers of handcrafted work. This is no longer an improved production motorcycle, but a hand-built object conceived as such, with hours of fabrication visible in every weld. It is not a bike for the beginner working toward an A2 licence, nor for the tourer looking to swallow miles of open road. It is a bike for the rider who wants to ride something no one else owns.