The Philippines have become a hotbed of custom bikes — especially small-displacement, beach-ready thumpers like the 3B Customs XR200 and Revolt Cycles TMX155. Now we’re proud to feature another surfer’s delight from the islands — this Honda XR125 “Surf Tracker” built by Jerry Formoso of Jerry Formoso Kustoms (#jfkustoms).  Nicknamed “Malibu,” the bike was designed to transfer a surfer from one break to another, complete with surfboard rack and trail necessities.

The Honda XR125 is a small thumper with a big heart — nearly bulletproof on city streets, muddy tracks, and dirt paths.  The 12-hp motor makes for a top speed of around 60 mph with fuel economy in the 60 mpg range. However, few would call the factory XR handsome or beautiful — far from.

Below, we get the full scoop on how Jerry Formoso Kustoms turned this XR125 into such a looker.

Honda XR125 Street Tracker:  Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop

I’m Jerry Formoso from the Philippines.  Started building bikes 5 yrs ago from small displacement as a hobby. I’m a mechanical technician, work as freelance graphic designer and photographer.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

2014 HONDA XR125.

• Why was this bike built?

As a gift from a father to his son who is a surfer and loves to travel.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

A surf tracker, a bike with a surf rack that can transfer a surfer from another spot

• What custom work was done to the bike?

• Custom subframe
• Custom triple tree inverted shock convertion
• custom seats
• custom fenders and brackets
• custom bike rack and mounts
• old tank fitting
• custom side covers
• custom paints
• custom handlebar
• custom exhaust with heat shield
• custom engine guard

custom headlight and signal mounting

• How would you classify this bike?

Street tracker

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

Yes my HONDA TMX SUPREMO CAFÉ RACER.

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Follow Jerry Formoso Kustoms:  Facebook | Instagram

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Motorcycles and family go hand-in-hand, and nothing demonstrates that more than this Honda CL350 cafe racer by Sean Sallings…whose parents were married in a Harley shop!

Sean’s father is none other than Jan Sallings of JMS Customs, whose builds have graced Bike EXIF, and we recently featured this incredible Honda CB175 cafe racer built and owned by Kat Stovall, Sean’s fiance!  In the process, we stumbled across Sean’s CL350 and decided we had to feature it.

The Honda CL350 was the scrambler version of the CB350 twin, offering high-mount exhausts and a 19-inch front wheel. The 325cc air-cooled parallel twin made 36 horsepower, pushing the bike to a claimed top speed of 110 mph.  More importantly, the small bike was known for big fun.

Sean had owned the bike for a over decade before he and his fiance decided to do frame-up builds on their bikes.  The result is what you see here. Below, we get the full scoop from Sean on the build.

Honda CL350 Brat/Cafe Racer:  Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I am a graphic designer by profession. Motorcycles have been part of my life for my entire life. My parents were married in a Harley shop and my father has been an enthusiast/builder for several decades. I’m very fortunate to have a father who has all of the knowledge and tools needed to teach his children the ways of motorcycle customization.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

1972 Honda CL350

• Why was this bike built?

I have had the bike for a little over 10 years. Over the years it went through minor customizations, then my fiance and I decided we needed to do a frame up builds on our bikes.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

I have found inspiration from several different bikes. I love the cafe / brat style, so I wanted to bring a little of both into the bike.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

• Tail/Tail light
• Rear Controls
• Seat
• Clip On Bars
• Triple Tree
• Modified Frame

• Please include a list of the changes made/parts used.

• Tail – Tail was chopped. We cut a slot in the hoop to put an LED tail light. Gained inspiration from Cognito Moto.
• Rear Controls – Custom Rear Controls were made by Jan Sallings with JMS Customs
• Seat – Seat was hand stitched by Taylor Henschell with One-Up Moto Garage
• Clip On Bars – Hand made by Jan Sallings. They are modular so if I decide I want higher bars, I just have to unscrew the bars from the base and place new bars in.
• Triple Tree – My front wheel is a rear wheel with a front hub laced in. Because of this, the tire clearance on the stock forks was too tight, so JMS fabricated custom trees that are slightly wider than stock.
• Frame – I took a grinder and plasma cutter to the frame to get rid of all of the stock frame stamping. The frame was then reinforced by JMS Customs.

• How would you classify this bike?

I think the best classification would probably be a brat/cafe

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

I was happy to have a part of the entire build. Although I’ve been around motorcycles for a majority of my life, it wasn’t until this build that I really dove in to the work. It just feels really great to have turned my vision in to a reality and taken the time to do a quality build.

Photos by Laurance Tan

Follow the Builder

• Follow Sean Sallings:  @seansallings
• Follow JMS Customs:  @jmscustoms

The Honda XR600R, introduced in 1985, is nothing short of a modern legend, having claimed a staggering array of Baja championships and countless desert, enduro, and flat track races across the globe. Says MCS:

“The remarkable XR600R made headlines throughout its long model life. It won its first Baja 1000 in 1986 by 45 minutes, thanks to riders Chuck Miller and Bruce Ogilvie (both current and longtime Honda employees). In all, the 600 would win the Baja 1000 four times, the Baja 500 three times, the Nevada Rally once, Barstow-to-Vegas once and more desert races than you can count. It was also amazingly versatile: Scott Summers built his reputation by winning nine AMA National championships contested in the woods (four in Hare Scrambles and five in Grand National Cross Country) on XR600s. Summers also won three gold medals in the International Six Days Enduro-the Olympics of motorcycling-racing against the best enduro racers from every nation on their ground.”

The air-cooled single offered 46 horsepower — more than the currently available XR650L — with beefy square-section downtube, aluminum swingarm, and twin headpipe exhaust. The bike was literally born from Honda’s experiences in Baja, built to run on low octane from out-of-the-way corners of Mexico if necessary, while offering a no-tools-needed airbox cover, 160-watt charging system, and electronic enduro meter.

Enter John Kirkham of the UK, who has built one of the sweetest XR600R street/flat trackers we have ever seen. The bike is full of great little details. For instance, the coins in the headstock and fuel cap. Says John:

The old penny let in to my headstock is the year of my birth and the coin in the copper fuel tank top is an old “Threpenny bit!”

Below, we interview John for the full story on the build.

Honda XR600R Flat Tracker:  Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I got in to bikes when I was 13 after going to watch a local motorcycle scramble. i raced amateur motocross and raced modern bikes then vintage.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

Honda XR600 flat tracker

• Why was this bike built

I wanted my own custom bike

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

A flat tracker with retro / vintage looks, decent power, handling and reliability

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Swingarm , exhausts, seat, tank, side panels, triple clamps , seat cowl and engine up-grades

• How would you classify this bike?

Flat tracker

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

The body work, exhausts and overall finish of the bike

• Please list any links for us to include.

I should also point out that Lamb Engineering built the body work , exhausts , yolks and frame and the engine ws rebuilt and re powder coated by MHF metal finishers.

I did the brush finish on the alloy body work.

Honda XR600R Customs

Honda XR600 Street Tracker by John Kirkham - The Honda XR600R, introduced in 1985, is nothing short of a modern legend, having claimed a staggering array of Baja championships and countless desert, enduro, and flat track races across the globe. Says MCS: “The […]

Honda XR600R Street Tracker - At BikeBound, we love dual-sport street trackers, and Daniel Lucero’s creation rocks our boat. Working at home, on his back patio, he turned a basket case 1994 Honda XR600R into a beautiful and classic tracker. […]

Honda XR600 Tracker by Herencia Custom Garage - Argentina’s Herencia Custom Garage, based in Buenos Aires, has quickly become one of our favorite builders.  We recently featured their incredible R100 tracker, and now they are back with their 34th build, this 1994 Honda […]

Honda XR600R Scrambler by Devolve Moto - Last year, Greig Hochreiter was nearly killed by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle home from hanging with some of his best friends.  Some riders, lying bloody and broken in the hospital, might have […]

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The Honda ATC250R was the hottest 3-wheeler of the 1980s, with a 2-stroke screamer of a motor, manual clutch, and air-assisted suspension.  The machine was designed for ATV racing, and has come to represent all that was so thrilling and dangerous in the three-wheeling glory days of the 80s, before the Consumer Product Safety Commission put a stop to production after thousands of accidents and legal cases.  The wide-haunched rear tires, big as balloons, and stubby front end of the ATC250R is nothing short of iconic, and ATV enthusiasts now whisper of barn finds and ’87 models whose frames were not cut to prevent sale.

Enter BJ English of Brick House Builds LLC, who decided to build…

“…a bike that Honda Racing would have built if they wanted a street version of a wild 250R.”

His platform was another strange child of the 1980s, the Honda CX500.  Aka the “plastic maggot,” the CX offered a V-twin mounted in the Moto Guzzi fashion, flanked by a shaft drive and fronted by a stubby, short-rake front end.  The CX500 has become a favorite of custom builders in recent years, but we have yet to see anything even close to Brick House Builds’s nostalgic build, nicknamed the CX500R.

Below, we get the full story from BJ English on the build.

Brick House Builds LLC CX500R:  In the Builder’s Words

This bike is inspired by the infamous Honda ATC 250R three-wheelers of the 80’s that made a name for themselves wherever they went. Those machines were loud in style and high in performance so I tried to build a bike that Honda Racing would have built if they wanted a street version of a wild 250R.

Starting with a 79C model I chopped the rear off to do a monoshock using a 650R Kawi schock setup and then began to fab the layout of the bike like the seat mount, tank position, and headlight design. I used a Honda XR650 dirtbike headlight assembly for the square look while keeping the width down. The fender is from a Honda dirtbike for the correct looks as well.

Exhaust is a MAC header that I cut and welded into the position you see here. Sounds simply amazing. The bike is piloted through a set of renthal bars and simple controls for a no-BS approach.

Final detail include a set of CR500R tank graphics to tie in the theme as well as some bright red paint the way Honda would have done it. Gold wheels, bars, and fuel cap contrast the blue vinyl seat, fork boots, and graphics throughout for the authentic color combo found on the original ATC 250R bikes.

This machine is about 50 pounds lighter than stock, has modern suspension, and is extremely nimble. It gets ridden hard.

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• Follow Brick House Builds LLC:  Facebook | Instagram
• Follow Charles Nardi Photography:  Website

CX500 Street Tracker:  More Photos

Below are some non-professional shots of the bike, which show some different angles.

There’s little we love more than a dual-purpose, unkillable thumper of 80s vintage. Here where we live, there’s a small group of riders who spend their Sunday afternoons finding trails, fire roads, and urban jumps on their Honda XR/XL dual-sports. Yours truly, whose first-ever bike was an XR200, has been considering the purchase of an XR to liven up the weekends.

Enter Mark Weckert of Australia’s Penroyd Garage, whose 1983 Honda XL600R scrambler caught our eye. The Honda XL600R, available from 1983-1987, was a 50-state legal dual-sport with cush drive, shorter stroke/larger bore, and wider-ratio transmission than the XR. What we love so much about this dual-sport scrambler is the stylistic subtlety, and how well Mark retained the machine’s functionality. He says:

“The intention with this bike was always to modify it by ditching the plastics and giving it a more classic vmx/scrambler look…It’s a dirt bike, and living in a rural area it gets used as such!”

Below, Mark gives us the full story on this incredible machine.

Honda XL600 Scrambler:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by Mark Weckert of Penroyd Garage. Highlights by us.)

I slapped the bike together before the 2016 Distinguished Gentleman Ride, as I have the ambition to ride a different project bike in the event every year (with a habit of only getting them completed just in the nick of time!). Last year’s event was my third consecutive at the local Adelaide ride.

The bike itself, a 1983 Honda XL600R, was purchased a couple of years ago from a farmer who had owned it from new and used for mustering stock on his outback sheep station…not an easy life but probably one well suited to the robust Honda XL600R.

Having grown up on a farm myself and learning to ride on a 1979 Honda XR75, the big brother XL/XR bikes were something I always interested in, and this XL600R will be a keeper. The intention with this bike was always to modify it by ditching the plastics and giving it a more classic vmx/scrambler look.

Time (and budget) wasn’t going to permit a full strip down/rebuild/repaint, so I decided to just build it to a rideable mock-up stage and do the rest next winter. When it came to cutting the rear frame to accommodate a custom seat hoop my heart just wasn’t in it… The original style of the bike had grown on me, even with its faded plastics and horrible blue seat! With that in mind, rather then taking to it with the angle grinder, I went ahead and fabricated a fiberglass seat pan to suit the existing frame and mounting points, giving me the ability to restore the bike back to stock if I ever wanted to do so.

To tidy up the frame overhang behind the seat I fabricated a rear rack that tied it all together and allowed me to mount the steel rear guard – sourced from a Kawasaki KE100 Ag-bike and cut down to fit.

Up front, the original brakes were overhauled and shocks rebuilt. The plastic enduro style front fairing/headlight has replaced with 6 inch steel bucket unit with a mesh headlamp grill made to suit. The front guard was a cut down $10 swapmeet find and was fitted to allow adjustability if and when the 21” front rim is replaced with something smaller.

In the controls department a mini DanMoto digital speedo/tacho unit was fitted just below the vintage Honda handlebar crash pad (another swapmeet find). While bar end mirrors were made to fit inwards and the front brake master/lever replaced with a remote reservoir setup from an R6 Yamaha.

The stock header pipes were retained but the heat shield replaced with one cut down from another I had lying around. An aftermarket stainless steel slip-on muffler was sourced and only required minor modification to the original pipe to make it fit.

The custom seat was probably the most time consuming (and frustrating) part of the whole build. After hours spent fibre-glassing, perfecting the shape of the seat pan and foam to follow the lines of the frame and tank it was sent out to be upholstered (and that’s a whole other story). The end result wasn’t quite as desired with some workmanship issues…. but it’ll do for now.

To complete the look, the plastic side covers were replaced with aluminium VMX style race plates, which hide the stock (for now) air-box and battery.

It’s definitely not a show bike, but that’s not what this build was about. It’s a dirt bike, and living in a rural area it gets used as such! The original paint work shows its age but it all adds to the overall character and style of the bike, and for now that’s all I want.

All up, including the cost of the bike, I’ve put somewhere around $2000 AU into the build, and taking into consideration how expensive custom and aftermarket bike parts can be in Australia that’s not too bad. (It also goes to show you don’t need gixxer front-ends, custom swingarms, chopped frames and big dollars to make a kickarse looking bike – but that’s just my opinion!).

The Australian summer is here and the bike will see its fair share of back-road action before winter. The plan then is to strip it down for some fresh paint, engine rebuild, and some new rims with chunky dual-sport tyres, along with some other changes for version 2.0…. Or it might just stay the same!

About Penroyd Garage:

I grew up on a farm in the quiet rural area of the Clare Valley and Mid North of South Australia, a grape growing and wheat cropping area – 100 miles from the nearest major city of Adelaide.

Penroyd is the name of the family property I grew up on, and apart from spending the odd year away here and there, it’s where I still live today. The surrounding farm land has now been passed on after the death of my father in 2000 when I was 17, but I have kept the Penroyd name alive through the creation of Penroyd Garage. I wouldn’t call it a fully-fledged business, but it’s where my passion is and something I do on the side when I’m not involved in the local farming industry.

A typical story – I obtained my passion for anything mechanical through my father, who had a large collection of vintage tractors and classic cars. When he wasn’t busy on the farm he’d be tinkering away on some old tractor or car and I was usually by his side learning the tools.

Farms and dirtbikes go hand in hand, although my relationship with them got off to a rocky start – the very first time I let the clutch out on our Honda XR75, around the age of 6, I subsequently crashed it straight into the side of a barn (no thanks to my older sisters for neglecting to tell me where the brakes were on that one…) Some tears may have been shed but I wasn’t deterred, and I’ve been riding and toying with motorbikes ever since.

It goes without saying that the death of my father left a pretty big hole in my life. We shared a lot in common and spent a lot of time together, whether it was working on his old tractors, participating in a vintage/classic car rally, or attending a motorsport event together. He always told me however not to get in to restoring cars myself, “as it was too much money, and too much work!”

Of course the first thing I did after his death was go out and buy an old heap of junk to do just that. It was a 1967 Ford Cortina GT mk2, and over the next couple of years I committed myself to getting it back on the road. The engine was rebuilt in auto-shop class at high school while the body repaired and painted thanks to the help from my uncle who was once the local Ford dealer and mechanic.

I still have that car today and with what I learned from that project and the time spent with my father I went on collecting and fixing old cars. That’s pretty much how Penroyd Garage has come about. I mostly buy something in need of repair or restoration, whether it be a classic car or bike, I fix it up, and after getting a bit of enjoyment out of it, I then on-sell it. Sometimes for a handy profit and sometimes just covering costs, but it’s the process and the satisfaction I get from the finished product which is the main reward.

My first custom motorbike build came about when a friend of mine wanted something unique to get around town on. She got caught up in the whole hipster/custom motorcycle movement which was just taking off in Australia and I saw it as a good opportunity to get involve myself without footing the bill! The base bike was a 1996 Honda CB250 which I customised into a clean looking brat/scrambler, and I’m probably more proud of that build than my current XL600R. Unfortunately, since building it, the little CB250 has spent way more time sitting in the corner of her garage than it should, but occasionally I get the opportunity to take it for a blast around the city (I’ve probably put more miles on it than she has!).

I have since gone on to fully restore a 1975 Honda CB250 to original specification, and modified a 1982 Kawasaki GPz550 into a somewhat café racer. Both sold-on to make way for the next project. Other bikes sitting in the garage waiting their turn include a 1983 Honda CB750, 1984 Kawasaki GPz750, and 1985 Yamaha SRX250.

Although I find it hard in my area meeting people that share the same level of passion I do for bikes/cars etc. it has been great seeing the power of social media and using Instagram to connect with people from all over the world who do!

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Follow Penroyd Garage:  Facebook | Instagram

The Honda CG125 is one of the most rugged small displacement bikes ever created. Born from the CB125, the CG was designed specifically for developing countries, where oil changes, dealer service, and preventative maintenance were not so common.

Whereas the CB models had overhead cams, whose bearings could easily wear, the CG125 had a push rod, washable foam air filter, and fully-encased chain guard. The result was a machine that could motor on through years of abuse and inclement conditions, the 12-horsepower engine carrying passengers in countries all over the world. The design was so successful that it has been copied again and again, and continues to be in production in one form or another.

Enter Jake Paloma Peñaranda of Boolbs Personalizado Motocicletas, based in Surigao City, Philippines. Jake has turned this 1982 Honda CG125 into quite the looker. The bike is a tribute to the Honda CB77 Superhawk, and the design echoes are clear and beautiful. Below, we get the full story from Jake on the build.

Honda CG125 Brat Bike:  In the Builder’s Words

The base bike is a 1982 Honda CG125 fitted with an iconic tank from a 1964 Honda CB77 Superhawk. I decided to approach this build with a clean and direct concept of making an everyday utility bike and turn it into something different and shall I say, special in some way. Hence the thought of putting in a classic cb77 tank.

The client who owns the bike insisted on making it spot-on different from the rest. Ended up with bigger tires and wider rims, a custom exhaust muffler and a gloss jet black paint job with gold trim.

Follow Boolbs Personalizado Motocicletas on Facebook

The Honda CR500 was perhaps the most wicked dirt bike ever produced — a 53-horsepower, liquid-cooled 2-stroke beast, with a hair-trigger throttle and the power band of a Saturn V rocket. As this Craiglist seller once advertised:

“Breathe on the throttle and the front wheel is up.”

The CR500 was not just a beast to ride, it was infamously tough just to start.

“If you kick it, better wear an MX riding boot or you’ll break that twig you call a leg.”

Of course, this reputation has made the CR500 one of the most coveted dirt bikes of all time. Enter Adam Hedges of C’s Garage and the Earnest company, who is a competitive drifter and race car fabricator.  Adam asked one very brilliant question, and we are so happy he did:

“What if in 1985 Honda produced a factory flat track bike…?”

That question led to the incredible Honda CR500 tracker you see here.  Fortunately, Adam and the team at the Earnest company give us the full story on the build.

Adam Hedges:  C’s Garage / Earnest

Believe it or not, this was Adam’s first bike build. He has has been fabricating race cars for over 10 years and is also involved in many aspects of high level motorsport. His fabrication workshop C’s Garage (www.csgarage.com) was born from a passion for metal work and drift cars and since it’s inception in 2007 has become known throughout the global drifting scene. The shop is locally renowned for putting out the highest level of race/drift car work in New Zealand.

Adam himself campaigned his own car and competed in NZ’s highest level of drift competition for the last two years. This year, however, bikes and building cars has taken priority over competition with Adam opting for the slower pace of non-competition life. He also has a strong involvement in the Earnest company (www.earnestco.com), building bikes, fabricating and being heavily involved in the product development process.

Bikes have take a strong hold on Adam over the past few years. Since the CR500 was completed you can now also find 2x CR250’s and a CRF250 flat track build sitting in the workshop. Riding a friend’s clay oval is all he can think about at the moment, which is far from a bad thing…

Honda CR500 Tracker:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by Adam Hedges. Highlights by us.)

I bought the bike as a complete stock 1985 CR500 dirt bike freshly imported from southern California. To be honest it was immaculate and took a very strong will to start tearing it down.

This was my first bike build after owning regular dirt bikes in the past. I’ve always had a passion for two stroke Honda’s and naturally the 500’s have been a dream. The idea behind the build was to build a bike based on the idea of “what if in 1985 Honda produced a factory flat track bike?” So I tried to keep things looking like they would have out of the factory. Basically if people could look at the bike and not know what I had done or what it was, I’d be happy.

It’s main purpose is to have some fun on dirt tracks but even before I started the build I wanted it to be street legal and I still plan on getting it on the road.

The only parts left from the original dirt bike are the frame and the motor. I started by building a custom chromoly tubular swing arm that is 1-1.5” shorter than the stock item. The shock is off a Ducati sports bike with a softer spring.

Next up I fabricated a chromoly rear subframe to suit the fibreglass Harley XR750 style tail section/seat. The tank is a fibreglass Champion style tank from the UK.

For the exhaust system I kept the FMF expansion chamber that came with the bike from the States and fabricated a new ‘mid pipe’ that joins up to a FMF muffler that I mounted central under the tail section.

Up front, I’ve got some ’04 yamaha R6 forks to which I mounted a Brembo caliper off a KTM dirtbike. The rear Brembo caliper is off a Ducati Monster sports bike. The bike was originally drum brake rear so I fabricated a mount for a CRF master cylinder and made up a new lower mounted rear brake lever/pedal.

The front CRF450 hub is laced to a 19×2.15 Excel rim and the rear YZF250 hub has a slightly wider 2.5” Excel rim. This was my first time lacing wheels so it was a bit of an experience. The tyres are Maxxis DTR-1 in a 27x7x19 up front and a 27.5×7.5×19 down the back.

For the radiator I cut the tanks off two CR250 radiators, welded them together and made up some new tanks to suit.

Paint wise I sprayed the frame, tank and seat myself in a Honda colour scheme that I thought would look right. Lastly I fabricated up some number boards and cut some vinyl to finish it all off.

The only bit of work that wasn’t carried out by myself was the seat. I wouldn’t say I’m anywhere near confident with a sewing machine.

CR500 Street Tracker:  Specs

Honda 1985 CR500 Engine & Frame

• Maxxis DTR-1 tyres 27x7x19 front and 27.5×7.5×19 rear – Excel rims F/2.15×19 R/2.5×19
• ’04 Yamaha R6 forks
• Ducati rear shock
• KTM Brembo front caliper
• Ducati Brembo rear caliper
• Custom tubular chromoly swing arm
• Custom chromoly rear subframe
• FMF Gnarly expansion chamber
• Custom stainless mid pipe
• FMF turbocore muffler
• XR750 style tail section
• Champion style tank
• CRF rear master cylinder
• Custom rear brake level
• Custom blue vinyl seat
• High bend wide flat track style handlebar
• Custom aluminium radiator

Photography Credit:  Earnest (@earnestco) and Jason Haselden (@jasonhaselden)

Mission Accomplished!

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• Follow Earnest:  Blog | Facebook | Instagram | Web | Youtube

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There are a lot of “bolt-on” cafe racers these days. We have nothing against that — there is an art to sourcing the right components for a build, and few parts bolt on without some fiddling, grinding, cursing, and blood.

That said, a bike sporting hand-made, scratch-built parts always stands out from the pack — and this 1975 Honda CB550 cafe racer, built by the Salvo brothers, has them in spades. Below, we get the full story on the build from brother Giancarlo Salvo.

Honda CB550F Cafe Racer:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by Giancarlo Salvo. Highlights by us.)

We are three brothers that grew up with a strong passion for motorcycles. We live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and have completed several builds in our shop and exhibited our bikes at several local events.

We started this particular build in early 2015, and entered the Dania Beach Vintage Bike Show in January 2016, earning 2nd place in the café category. This Honda has a very large number of hand-built and customized parts that Oscar Salvo (oldest brother) created from “scratch.”

Oscar has invested 1,000+ hours of hard, passionate work in this machine. The modifications are countless, but the real challenge is always to have every part that is not original, working as it should…for each new item you introduce into the design it requires adaptation to change and functionality.

For these type of builds although some may say are not “true” to a brand or an era, we believe it captures the essence of a real “café racer” due to its outer simplicity and racy stance.

Some of the introduced parts:

• Headlight bucket with speedo/tachometer integrated (speedo adapted to rear wheel)
• Aluminum Tank and seat pan
• Handmade leather seat and tank belt
• Handmade tail light
• Hand built oil radiator and gauge
• Keihin CR racing carburetors
• Joker rear sets pegs
• Ballistic cell battery
• Customized electrical system
• Rizoma mirrors
• Rear shocks and steering damper by Ohlin’s
• Vintage Honda Motors tank badge
• Front & Rear GP racing Drum Brakes and wheels

Thank you,
Oscar, Hernan & Giancarlo Salvo

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The Honda CB360, built from 1974-1976, was the successor of the venerated CB350. The parallel twin machine offered 34 horsepower at a dry weight of just over 350 pounds, and served as an alternative to the four-cylinder CB350/400F.

Enter James Fawcett of Slipstream Creations, based in St. Louis, Missouri. James is a creative renaissance man, who has worked as an auto mechanic, body man, graphic designer, web developer, and construction worker.  As his Project Gallery demonstrates, he builds furniture, bicycles, and motorbikes, and he is no stranger to the CB360. In fact, Bike EXIF featured his “Lean ‘n Clean CB360T,” saying of the build:

“We’ll admit: Brat-café style Honda customs are a dime a dozen. But top shelf finishes and attention to detail are far more rare, and this classy CB360T has both in spades.”

This bike is done in more of a scrambler/brat-tracker style, but the same concept applies. Few brat builds evince such workmanship, care, and subtlety of design. This bike works incredible well as a full package, and that is largely due to something mentioned in the build spec:

“All of the little, big details…”

That is nothing short of a build philosophy in and of itself. Below, James gives us the full story on the build.

CB360 Brat Tracker:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by James Fawcett of Slipstream Creations. Highlights by us.)

Last year a customer contacted me about building a custom bike, and after deciding on a general theme and style of bike for this build – a small displacement, early to mid-70’s Japanese bike – I set out to find just the right donor. The customer had pointed out several other CB360s that he loved, and I eventually found a good running, but worn-out bike in Kansas.

The owner had been in an accident, and had to sell his bikes (this was his backup bike for bad weather and poor conditions). After talking to the owner and mentioning I wanted it for a custom build, he was reluctant to sell it to me. He said he wanted someone to ride and enjoy it, not to have it chopped up. After sending him some photos of my other work and letting him know what we had in mind, he agreed, and was excited to see his reliable old CB360 take on a new life.

After trailering it back to St. Louis, I got to work. This build was on an aggressive timeline, and there was a lot to do. The bike was torn down completely, and everything but the engine internals were restored, replaced, or customized. Like my last build, I did everything except the seat upholstery, which included all of the paint and powder coating, the custom fabrication of fenders, seat pan, battery box, headlight bracket, re-lacing wheels, and more.

The lines are clean with the kick-up of the mufflers matching the angle of the kick-up at the back of the seat. The fenders match the arc of the tires nicely, and the lack of chrome keeps the flash to a minimum. In the end, this bike is so fun to ride. It fires right up and sounds great, and is a blast to just hop on and go.

The color is a mid-60s VW Beetle color called Anthracite. The tank graphics are a custom-designed spin on the old Honda wing logo that I stenciled and painted on the tank, and buried under the clearcoat. The combination of the dual sport tires, pipe wrap, and desaturated colors, really gives this bike an understated, but very thoughtfully put together feel. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

• Custom painted tank and custom designed and stenciled tank graphics based on the vintage Honda wing logo
• Custom fabricated battery/electronics tray mounted under seat
• Custom fabricated seat pan and custom leather seat
• Modified top frame tubes and rear hoop to match the seat
• Custom exhaust and shorty Biltwell mini mufflers
• Custom front and rear fenders
• Original hubs powder coated black and laced to wide aluminum rims
• Oversized dual sport tires
• Rebuild Keihin carburetors
• Charlie’s Place electronic ignition and new coils
• All of the little, big details

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We are so excited to showcase the newest build from one of our favorite builders, Revolt Cycles of the Philippines. The Honda XL100, first produced in 1974, was a near-unkillable little enduro, capable of thumping away for decades under the harshest conditions, with the barest of maintenance. The bike weighed just 178 pounds dry, and the 99cc four-stroke motor offered 8.5 horsepower — about the same as a modern-day Grom.

Revolt Cycles has created a fitting tribute to this machine with RVLT 15, dubbed “Lantuag” — a dialect word meaning “to roam.” This XL100 tracker is certainly capable of that, and we love the Paris-Dakar dual headlight setup and surfboard rack — a common accessory in the Philippines.

Below, we get the full story on the build.

Honda XL100 Scrambler/Tracker:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by Jon Louie Yu & Rj Ouano. Highlights by us.)

• RVLT 15 LANTU’AG (a dialect word from Bicol meaning “to roam/adventurous“)
• 1984 Honda XL100S
• Owner: Bjorn Dizon Pabon (owner Fluid Surf)

Remember when you rode your first motorcycle and all you can see of that memory is a big smile right across your face? The crash and burn effect of that experience? Or the full volume of elation having this thing right in between your legs plowing through madness and pure joy?

Well, that is the case of Bjorn Pabon from the province of Bicol, Philippines. He remembers all that in vivid detail as he tells us the nostalgic story of the motorcycle we restored and built for him.

Back in the day, Bjorn, together with his best bud, Rey, would sneak out the motorcycle of Rey’s father; a 1984 Honda XL100s from the garage and blast through the fields just to have a taste of a feeling we, as motorcycle enthusiasts, are all too familiar with when riding a motorcycle: Freedom… To their experience it was more than just a ride but a lifestyle. They saw themselves as young guns that defied rules and went the extra mile. (Compliments to our motto, “Live the Revolt way.”)

They would go on trails, finding new roads & places, swimming by the river, hunting & fishing, carry a sack of rice or wheat on the bike as sustenance for their family (workhorse bike), or simply going around the block hanging out with some amigas and amigos. Eventually at the end of the day, retreating home from their adventure only ending up being punished and scolded from their parents for being a “Lantu’ag!” (Roam around/adventurously hardheaded) but stubbornly do the same thing again if given the chance.

As they grew older, the bike was eventually sold to someone and time eventually consumed them and the bike was left to slowly fade into oblivion as a mere memory. Fast forward many years later…Bjorn somehow remembered the little Honda and the memories associated with it. He could never forget the image of how it provided joy and the experiences of carefree youth that then he started on a quest to find
that motorcycle. After a long period of time he managed to find it but was dismayed to know that the owner still used it and didn’t want to sell it. Bjorn thought that maybe some things should stay in the past and he goaded himself to eventually move on and forget about the little Honda.

It was until a decade after (2016) where hope was kindled once again, a friend of Bjorn told him the whereabouts of the bike and later on found out it was dead, rotting and left leaning on the front porch
wall of the house. But that did not stop him from asking the question, “is it for sale?” and told him that he has been chasing this bike for a decade. The owner simply didn’t have any interest with it anymore and happily sold it to Bjorn. As he hauled the little enduro in the back of his pickup truck, images of his experiences flashed back in his head along with a big smile slap across his face. It seemed it was really meant to be… (Ah that feeling we all motorcycle enthusiast can relate with) This is, Indeed, the chance for him to be that kid again.

But the journey wasn’t over yet. The bike had seen better days and required a lot of work on it. The bike’s acquisition prompted Bjorn to message us at Revolt Cycles about having it restored and customized, but it all seemed to be just talks since he was based in Manila while we were at the middle end of the country the Queen City of the south, Cebu City. But after months passed by, we decided to go up to Manila
to deliver our 1st client bike build from Luzon (RVLT 11 Barako Tractor), plus to participate in the 2nd Motobuilds Pilipinas 2016 (Custom Bike show).

There and then we met Bjorn in person, saw his bike and talked about the little Honda, which was all in pieces. But as we went on, we came in to the conclusion that he wanted it to be “revolted”, which is our take on being “customized”. We shook hands and agreed to build the bike for him. After a month he stuffed the bike in a crate and sent its way down to Cebu City. After 8 months of tedious work on the engine, chassis, sourcing out the right parts, converting it to a 12V system with a retro fitted CDI, new retrofitted forks & hubs, a surfboard rack to cater Bjorn and his love for the surf down the coast. From that on we gave back life to that motorcycle for Bjorn Pabon to continue relive, create new experiences and pass it on to his children in the future.

Be Social

• Built for: Bjorn Dizon Pabon / Fluid Surf:  Facebook | Instagram
• Built by: Jon Kevin Yu & Jerry Jones / Revolt Cycles:  Facebook | Instagram
• Images by: Rj Ouano (The Jeb Photography):  Facebook | Instagram
• Write up by: Jon Louie Yu & Rj Ouano

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“Our hands are black, our souls are cleansed.”

This is the motto of Last Century Bikes, a workshop in small-town Switzerland (Winterthur) run by enthusiasts Felix Kuhn and Alain Bramaz. Felix is a mechanical engineer and technician with 35 years experience, while Alain is a Desmo specialist and motor expert with 37 years experience.  What a duo!

Previously we featured the shop’s custom Gilera Strata, an Italian thumper with a beautiful copper-plated tank. Now the Swiss builders are back with one of our favorite platforms, the Honda NX650 Dominator. This unbreakable dual-sport has been turned into every kind of custom, from scrambler and tracker to single-cylinder cafe racer. As Felix says, it’s a bike with “unlimited possibilities.”

The boys from Last Century Bikes have built a gravel-burning, curb-jumping, go-anywhere machine that would look just right between the jackboots of Mad Max. This was a challenge in their homeland of Switzerland, where frame modifications are illegal unless a very pricey and time-consuming technical certification is purchased.  A new subframe is typically de-rigueur for these builds, so it’s amazing what they have done with the stock chassis.

This post-apocalyptic NX650 goes by the name “Hashirya,” which Felix explains while giving us the full story on the build.

Honda NX650 Street Tracker:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by Felix Kuhn. Highlights by us.)

Who still remembers the very plastic-dominated Dominator from the 90s? A great bike, but ugly. This machine offers almost unlimited possibilities as a basis for conversions. This NX650, as it was named by Honda, could remain an enduro — simply cheekier and mainly more beautiful!

In Switzerland we are not allowed to change the frame without a following technical certification for many thousand dollars. So the frame had to be untouched. So the bike has a gas tank of a XL500, a lowered ride height to become a more classic look.

The side covers were a big challenge. The opening in the frame looks too high with a complete cover, and the classic oval start numbers look unsuitable.

Want to know what the word “Hashirya” means? It describes a guy who loves to ride fast! So…the name is perfect.

Thanks Cerny for the great cooperation and the good ideas!

Felix

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The Honda CB500 twin was built for a decade, from 1993 to 2003. The liquid-cooled motor produced 57 horsepower, and the half-liter Honda twins were lauded for their confidence-inspiring handling and all-around performance. Couriers and commuters flocked to the machine, which just asked to be chucked hard into corners and wrung hard on the throttle. What’s more, the motors were reportedly built to last nearly 200,000 miles, meaning these bikes are still going strong today. In fact, the Portuguese often call the bike a “war machine.”

Enter Bold Motorcycles of Sertã, Portugal, located in the middle of the country’s longest and most mythical road, the Nacional 2. The two-man crew of Pedro and João have built this 1996 CB500 cafe racer out of their home garage — dubbed “B001” — and what an incredible job they have done. They are hoping their brand and builds will help foster a greater custom motorcycle scene in their area — we can’t think of a better way.

Below, get the full story on the build. (Words by Bold Motorcycles. Highlights by us.)

The Philosophy

Boldmotorcycles is more than a brand. It came out of love for motorcycles. For the will to transform. To improve the good. For the aesthetic beauty of things. For careful work and attention to detail. For making one feel good. For freedom. For the pleasure of riding. For pleasure. For simple pleasure.

The Crew

The crew is composed of two friends (an electrician auto and a teacher) with their lives and jobs, but with a passion for motorcycles, particularly the ones with a soul, with something different from all the others.

The Beginning

Everything started in 2016, when Pedro and João decided to make a new bike from an older one. After several possibilities and all the pros and cons measured they made a choice.

The Bike

The Honda CB 00 (90’s model) is a result of a Japanese and Italian partnership and a very good motorcycle, as Portuguese people use to say, “a war machine”, because of its reliability (it is probably the most common motorcycle in Portuguese driving schools) and it is projected by Honda to last around 300.000 km.

But if the CB reliability is a fact, is also true that she isn’t the most beautiful machine Honda ever made, furthermore has a difficult frame to work with. So, the main challenge is to transform a very good bike in a beautiful one too.

We decided to get our hands in it and the process ran slowly. We only have two conditions to follow:  to build a beautiful bike (at least to our eyes) and perform the most work as possible by ourselves.

The Workshop

The workshop, isn’t exactly a workshop, yet, but we are working on a new space. All the work is made in João’s home garage, in the backyard along the night and at weekends. He has a few tools, and other we borrow from friends as they were being needed. We did a workbench by ourselves and it is there that we do everything. Sometimes our workspace is a bit chaotic, but like a friend of us use to say, it is a place with a peculiar decoration.

Work Done

The bike was disassembled screw by screw, and the frame, the wheels, the superior suspension table and other small parts were lacquered.

The fuel tank is the original but the rear end is completely new, made in metal. The bike was painted in British racing green with two golden stripes alongside and the engine was painted in black and gold as well as the front fork.

The rear fender was reused from a typical Portuguese 50cc motorcycle and the front one was a readjustment of the original. The following parts were made new:  the seat and the grips, licence plate support, the front plate (light and speedometer support), battery holder, side mirror support, fuel tap, side plates (under the fuel tank) and the superior suspension wood table application.

The bike is super compact, very easy and fun to ride with a beautiful bass sound provided by a brand new exhaust. The tyres are the avon roadrider. The rear and direction lighting were changed to LED’s and for the headlight was chosen a yellow projector.

The speedometer, the brake and clutch levers are new as well as the stainless steel brake cable. The original air filter box was replaced by two race performance air filters. The electrical wiring was completely remade and all the electrical components were hidden in the motorcycle rear end (easy access).

The Motorcycle Scene

The local motorcycle scene is starting to grow slowly. There are a few bikes here, but all non-customized. We were the first ones to follow this vintage lifestyle, making customized bikes but the movement is gradually growing.

Furthermore we are located in Sertã, a small town right in the middle of the longest and most mythical Portuguese road, the Nacional 2 with 738 km so it is usual to see bikes around here.
We hope that in a few years we can see a lot of café racers, brats, scramblers, bobbers and other bikes around here, stopping by at Boldmotorcycles’ workshop.

Thanks again,

Pedro Ferrão

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Remove Before Flight…

Today we’re thrilled to present a Honda GL650 cafe racer hailing from Lithuania.

The Honda GL650 Silver Wing was essentially a punched-out version of the GL500, a midsize touring bike based around the CX500 V-twin engine.  Whereas the GL500 was a bit of a slow poke, given a wet weight of 550 pounds and only 495cc of engine displacement, the 1983 Honda GL650 offered 674cc and 60+ horsepower — good for quarter mile times of 13 seconds.

These Silver Wings, looking like miniaturized versions of the larger Gold Wing GL1100 of the time, were capable machines, but few would call them sexy or flickable or even fun. As Rider magazine said of the GL650:

“A very sensible motorcycle, this midsize touring bike, but perhaps too sensible for the American buyer.”

Enter Mantas Simanauskas of Lithuania, who built the Honda GL650 Silver Wing cafe racer you see here. Mantas is not very comfortable touting his own accomplishments, but we were able to coax some biographical details out of him.

Building custom bikes is his hobby, which he does in his evenings and free time. When he started building bikes four years ago, he didn’t even have a motorcycle license!  He would have his friends come over to ride the machines he built and give him feedback on what he needed to change or improve.  Once he started building, he never thought to stop. As he says:

I think the garage is in my blood

Below, we get more details on the build.

Honda Silver Wing Cafe Racer:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by Mantas Simanauskas. Highlights by us.)

Hi, this is my one of cafe racer project. Base was a Honda GL650 DII (RC10). Wheels are from Husqvarna SM610. Now the rear wheel is wider, 160mm. Brakes are Brembo, also from Husqvarna SM610.

For wider wheel, I have to remade the rear swing arm and cardan. Custom made seat with fender. Front forks from Ducati Monster with ZX10R clip ons and Biltwell handgrips.

Radiator from VT250, because it is more sexy. Paint color from BMW M4 with white pearl stripes.

And of course I cleaned the carburetor and rebuilt with new membranes. Re-elected starter clutch with new springs and rollers. Motul oil for engine, Kroon oil for shaft, NGK spark plugs. Muffler from CBR600, great sound.

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The Honda XL185 was a dual-sport introduced in 1979 as an updated version of the venerable XL175. The 180cc, air-cooled single produced 16 horsepower, and served as the base for Colin Seely’s TL200 trials bike. The larger XL500 and XL600 enduros tend to get most of the builder love…until now.

Enter Ilich of North Carolina’s LongShotMoto. Ilich is a data engineer by day, but a gearhead at heart who builds bikes out of his home garage. Recently, he decided to build a “retro yet updated” XL185 tracker to blast the trails around his home in Clemmons, North Carolina, dubbing the bike “Evocatus.”

Below, we get the full story on this build.

Honda XL185S Tracker:  Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

My name is Ilich, my home garage is called LongShotMoto. I am a data-migrations engineer by trade and a gearhead by heart. Grew up around motorcycles and recently I took my passion to resurrecting/building older bikes in my home garage.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

1980 Honda XL185S

• Why was this bike built?

Personal

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

I was looking for a retro-yet updated style tracker bike to ride dirt roads and trails.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Stripped down to the frame, top part of the frame reduced to match custom seat sanded and painted to a mate-black along with rims, custom rear fender, tracker handle-bars, short brake and clutch levers, straight pipe, carb rebuilt and jetted, new clutch, rebuilt transmission, new sprockets/chain, new breaks and clutch cable. AC/DC 12V inverter, front LED headlight.

• How would you classify this bike?

Tracker

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

The carburetor was jetted/tuned perfectly after a lot of trial and error.

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We were lucky enough to meet some incredible people at the 2017 Handbuilt Show in Austin. The bikes in the show were off-the-charts, as always, but there was also a staggering lineup on the street outside the show. This is always one of our favorite scenes:  “the show beyond the show.” These are bikes that arrived under their own power, sometimes making pilgrimages of hundreds of miles to stand raked and gleaming on the street.

Sitting pretty in front of Handbuilt.

One such bike that caught our attention on the street was this Honda CB550 by Eli Carver (@eli22carver). Eli and his twin brother, Tyson (@txrenegade), build some of the hottest bikes in the Lone Star State. BikeBound, as many of you know, is largely a father-and-son project, and we have long realized that motorcycles have special power to bring friends and families together.

We see a lot of CB550 builds, but this would stood out with the pure lines, classic aesthetic, incredible fit and finish, and details like the tail section being cut from an original fender. Hard to believe this was Eli’s first build, completely largely in his yard and on his front porch! While we didn’t get to meet Tyson and Eli in person at this year’s show, we look forward to calling them our “moto brothers” in years to come.

Honda CB550 Brat Cafe:  Builder Interview

(Answers by Eli Carver. Highlights by us.)

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I got into motorcycles after the loss of my parents about six years ago. They passed away two months apart and after that, my twin brother and I got into riding together. We rode together pretty often for a couple years and then he decided to get a CB café project going. The day we went to pick up his project bike, I told him that I was going to let him get through the initial learning curve of building a bike, and then I was going to pick one up. About four months later, I was buying a CB for myself for $250. It needed a lot of work. I didn’t have a garage, so I did all of the work either on my front porch or out in the yard. The neighbors were always curious about what I had going on. I started the build a couple years ago but in that timeframe, my brother and I sold the first bikes we had, bought some V-Strom 650’s and rode them to Alaska and back. To say that we both jumped into motorcycles with both feet would be an understatement.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

This build is a ’74 Honda CB550.

• Why was this bike built?

I built this bike really for the fun of it. I have always been into home construction so working with metal was a little different for me but it was a blast. There were obviously some personal reasons involved with losing my folks as well. Since my brother and I don’t have any other siblings, I knew that with us both getting into building bikes, there would always be a common interest between us to keep us together. Getting into a project like this also gives your brain something to do. Whether I was actually working on the build or researching where to go next with it, it has a tendency to consume you and keep your attention for quite some time.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

The design concept was pretty simple. I had been looking at bikes that I liked online for quite some time and saving photos of my favorites to my phone. After a while, I had a folder of about 20 bikes and the combination of those bikes was what I was building. I took my favorite parts of each bike and put them together in my build.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

All of it was touched at some point. I took it down to the frame, de-tabbed it, had it powder coated, and began building it back. I built many custom brackets for things, the tail section with a custom cut original fender, and the gauge cluster. Every bushing and bearing was replaced and all parts cleaned up for reuse at the very least.

• How would you classify this bike?

I guess it’s a café style brat. I was going for a classic look too.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

Since it was my first build, I was pretty proud to just complete it and be able to ride something that I had built. The first few rides, I was just waiting for something major to fall off but it never did!!

Follow the Carvers

• Eli Carver: @eli22carver
• Tyson Carver:  @txrenegade

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Today, we’re thrilled to present “Morrison” — the flagship bike of Denton Moto Collective, and the personal bike of our friend Fabian Campos.

The Denton Moto story began in the fall of 2015, when Fabian stopped at a gas station to make sure the trailer straps were tight on his CB160 vintage racer. Long-time bike builder and fellow moto nerd David Morales of Davmomoto was happening past and pulled over, having to learn more about the bike. Though the duo didn’t realize it at the time, Denton Moto was born.

“Morrison” is Fabian’s baby, a 1975 Honda CB500T that simply glows with passion and creative detail, using materials ranging from drum cymbals to olive wood to a Japanese metalworking technique known as shitame repousee. What’s more, this bike came off the assembly line in December 1974 — the same time that Fabian was born. Destiny!

“Morrison” was David Morales’s sixth build since leaving his day job. David has long been a metalworker, applying his skills to everything from hot rods to jewelry to vintage sports cars. When moving into his current home in 1995, he found a pair of 1969 Honda Z50A headlights left by the previous owner. As he says:

“They were like jewels to me, and took me back to my childhood, and the yearning I had for one of these very bikes.”

So began Davmomoto, under which name David builds custom bikes both big and small. Below, we give you the full details on the build.

Honda CB500 “Morrison”:  Build Details

“Morrison”
1975 Honda CB500T
Builder: David Morales of Davmomoto
For: Denton Moto Collective

First, the bike was first brought back to running condition with a couple of new carb kits. Once it was established that the engine ran well, the bike started undergoing modifications.

The rear section of the frame was removed and a new loop put in its place along with some new crossmembers that also act as seat supports. The seat lock was taken from its place on the side of the frame and placed underneath the seat. This allows quick seat removal with the turn of a key to access the electronics underneath.

A custom seat pan and foam was made with a saddle cover by Denton native and renown leatherworker Clint Wilkinson. Some special brackets were made to hold the custom leather saddle in place.

The frame was de-tabbed. The rear foot peg muffler mount was removed and a set of mufflers were cut off of a CB550 set, and fitted to the headers using the clamps from the original stock mufflers. The original rear fender was used but was tucked up under the bike to give it a bobbed appearance. T

he original front fender stay was modified, and used to hold up the rear fender. It is mounted to the swingarm, keeping it riding just above the tire.

The mid-section of the front fender was chopped out, keeping the factory rolled edges on the ends. Race tech gold valve emulators were placed in the front forks along with a set of progressive springs, and tapered steering bearings in the steering stem to firm up the ride.

A Moto Gadget M–unit along with handlebar controls and an M – button controller were fitted to the bike along with a modern combination voltage regulator/rectifier.

Bronze from drum cymbals were used to make the bases for the front turn signal bases well as the license plate light cover.

Grips were turned from olive wood by Jon Carpenter from Madwoods.

The dog bone shaped yolk on the handlebar clamps was made using a technique called shitame repousee, where a thin sheet of brass is worked with small steel punches in a pan filled with a tar-like substance called pitch.

“TIO” was placed in memory of Fabian’s uncle who first introduced him to the thrill of motorcycles at a very young age.

Photography by Darren Smitherman and Melanie Little Gomez.

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• Follow Denton Moto:  Facebook | Instagram | Web
• Follow Davmomoto:  Instagram | Web

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We’re thrilled to present another build from Bj English of Brick House Builds. Bj’s previous build, a CX500 tracker inspired by the two-stroke Honda 3-wheelers of the 1980s, was a huge hit on the blog and beyond. Now Brick House Builds is back with another CX, this time a 1980 Honda CX500 scrambler named “Ranger Green.”

Again, Bj has managed to build a CX unlike any we have seen. He went for a purpose-built, “government issue” design inspired by the National Park Service. The result is a bike that any park ranger would be thrilled to ride. Below, we get the full story from BJ on the build.

Honda CX500 “Ranger Green”:  Builder Interview

(Answers by Bj English of Brick House Builds, LLC. Highlights by us.)

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

My name is Bj English and I have always been a gearhead since as early as I can remember. My first bike was a Honda Mini trail 50 that started my motorcycle passion back when I was about 7 or so. From there it was an XR80 until high school where I rode an XL200 enduro daily and loved every second! From there I have always been involved with cars and bikes but in 2016 I decided to pursue custom bike building as my career, as I wanted put my name on something I had created. Over a year in and things are great!

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

1980 Honda CX500 Deluxe

• Why was this bike built?

This is a commissioned build for a customer that wanted a scrambler made from this specific bike.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

The customer gave me complete creative freedom aside from his only requests being a grille over the headlight and that we keep with the factory design of the rear suspension. From there I got to work and thought that we should go for something that would be understated yet very purpose built and unlike any other CX500 we had seen.

We kept it classy and went for a government issued look with that being from the National Park Service. Something a forest park ranger would ride! Earthy colors bring the vibe together along with a custom-designed logo influenced by the National Parks Service arrowhead logo. “Ranger Green” was born.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Fabricated items: boxed rear hoop assembly molded to the existing frame after lots of smoothing and shaping, inner splash guard/electronics tray molded into the bike, seat pan, GPS speedometer mounting plate, number plate, 2 into 1 header/crossover, geometric skid plate from 10 individual pieces of steel, battery mount below swingarm pivot, shortened front fender, custom rear fender mounted on factory swingarm, headlight brackets.

Modified items: Smoothed forks, smoothed fuel cap cover/hold down, modified radiator grill and surround, shortened clutch and throttle cables, modified brake lever.

Random: Lots and lots of polishing of individual components, seat is covered with duffel bag material, fuel cap cover is made from duffel bag strap, extensive powdercoating used, in-house designed CNC speedometer drive delete.

• How would you classify this bike?

Scrambler

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

I am proud of the fuel cap cover hold down, the fitment of the skidplate around the header/engine/battery giving the bike a flat bottom, and the speedometer drive delete.

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• Follow Brick House Builds LLC:  Facebook | Instagram
• Follow Charles Nardi Photography:  Website

Custom CX500 Builds

Honda CX500 Scrambler by Brick House Builds - We’re thrilled to present another build from Bj English of Brick House Builds. Bj’s previous build, a CX500 tracker inspired by the two-stroke Honda 3-wheelers of the 1980s, was a huge hit on the blog […]

Honda GL650 Silver Wing Cafe Racer - Remove Before Flight… Today we’re thrilled to present a Honda GL650 cafe racer hailing from Lithuania. The Honda GL650 Silver Wing was essentially a punched-out version of the GL500, a midsize touring bike based around […]

Honda CX500 Scrambler by Droog Moto - The husband/wife team behind Droog Moto has quickly established a signature style, building post-apocalyptic trackers, scramblers, and desert sleds that Mad Max would love. Recently, Max and Erica Droog moved from scorching Arizona to Washington […]

Honda CX500 Tracker by Brick House Builds - The Honda ATC250R was the hottest 3-wheeler of the 1980s, with a 2-stroke screamer of a motor, manual clutch, and air-assisted suspension.  The machine was designed for ATV racing, and has come to represent all […]

Honda CX500 Cafe Racer by Rolling Retro - Nothing we love more than a shed-built cafe racer — especially when it turns out as clean as this one.  The Honda CX500 has become a favorite among builders, with its ‘Guzzi-style V-twin, stubby wheelbase, […]

Honda CX500 Cafe Racer by LV Custom - The Honda CX500 is experiencing a big renaissance these days. Who would have thought that the “plastic maggot” would become the darling of custom builders the world over? This particular specimen is the work of […]

Honda CX500 Cafe Racer by BBCR Engineering - Few bikes have started life as unloved as the Honda CX500. Designed by Shiochiro Irimajari, the man behind the incredible six cylinder CBX1000, Honda billed it as ‘First to the Future.’ Though hoping it would […]

Honda CX500 Brat Cafe by Therapy Moto - Here we have one of the prettiest Honda CX500 customs ever, built by Lars Engelviken of Norway’s Therapy Moto.  The “Poor Man’s Guzzi” is a tough bike to turn pretty, but Lars managed just that. […]

Honda CX500 Scrambler by Jeroen Kraijema - Some people build their bikes in sheds, some in garages.  Some have fancy shops.  Some only yards.  Some, like Jeroen Kraijema, must resort to the living room in the dead of winter.  After all, it gets […]

Honda CX500 Cafe Racer by Ironwood Motorcycles - Ironwood Custom Motorcycles of Amsterdam is quickly becoming one of our favorite custom builders. Earlier this month, we featured their incredible Yamaha XS650 scrambler. Today we have another work of two-wheeled art, a 1978 Honda […]

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Here at BikeBound, we’ve been lucky enough to meet so many builders, riders, and fans from all over the world who simply “get it” when it comes to bikes. One of these is our new friend Ceasar Saingchin of Queens, New York. With the very first email, we knew we were dealing with a kindred spirit. Said Ceasar:

“I just discovered your site recently and I really dig it! I particularly like that you feature more trackers/scramblers and fewer Ultra-Builds (what I call builds with ridiculous resources). Very few sites showcase trackers and scramblers enough and it’s refreshing to see a site that does.”

While we love sharing “Ultra-Builds” now and again, our bread-and-butter is the custom bike of the real world, which is built more with heart and hard work than a big bank account. Enter the saga of Ceasar’s Honda XR650L, or “The Four Deaths of the Alley Cat.” Below, we get the full story from Ceasar.

Honda XR650L “Alley Cat” Street Tracker with 5 Lives Left

(Words by Ceasar Saingchin. Highlights by us.)

So you may be wondering why the weird subject line. In a nutshell my bike has been through HELL but has been back from the dead a few times. The closest it’s been to death was after a HUGE truck plowed through it (caught on video: http://bit.ly/2qEWqyf). This was right outside of my job. I took a look out my window of the 8th floor here in midtown Manhattan and my heart dropped. Long story short, I shed some tears, then got some insurance money and used it to fix her up, do a front end upgrade and shoot a decent paint job on the tank.

Death #2: I was also told by previous owner that he blew the motor when his buddy forgot to reinstall the fuel screw. Bike ran decent when I test rode it so didn’t think much of it.

Death #3: Shortly after buying, I swapped the carb and didn’t realized how hot the motor was getting from the jetting being too lean. On a hot summer day I heard some clicking from the right side of the motor – Dropped valve seat.

Death #4: Replaced the head with a used one off of ebay. A year and a half later, more weird sounds coming out of exhaust. When hot, the valve seat would drop, but then reseat when cool (expanding aluminum/steel variation).

Finally replaced the head with a lightly used 2015 unit. Running really strong now. So after a near death brawl with the Mastiff of trucks and three heart attacks, I reckon my bike has 5 lives left.

After the latest heart bypass I named her Alley Cat. Great bike for the streets of New York. Nimble, strong, been through hell, but still tough as nails.

Originally picked up out East in Long Island, I rode her to Queens, New York where I rent out a few sq feet of space to do what I can. My buddy and I work below a roughly 60 apartment building 12-car car park. The space isn’t large enough for a car so the landlord rents it out to us for motorcycles.

I spent a bit of time with a wrench and an angle grinder and the rest is history. It was a simple formula for the thumper:  wheel & tires, subframe, tank, exhaust and general crap removal.

“Alley Cat” XR650 Street Tracker:  Build Sheet

Name: Ceasar Saingchin
Email: saingchink@gmail.com
Location: Queens, NY
Bike Make, Model, Year: Honda XR650L 1999
Title / Nick Name: XR650L Alley Cat
Style of Bike: Tracker
Instagram: @Ceasar_Goes

• Donor Bike: XR650L 1999
• Carb: 2004 CRF250R Carb – Keihin Flatside Carb 39mm
• Wheels 18″ Excel Tasakasago
• Rear Tire: Shinko 705
• Front Tire: Shinko SR428
• Front Brake Disk: EBC 300mm Rotor
• Front End: 2008 CRF250R Forks and Triple Trees
• Exhaust: Custom
• Seat: Custom
• Headlight: Hella 500 Black Magic (not seen in above photos)
• Handlebars: Renthal
• Passenger Pegs: Yamaha R1
• Tank Pads: Custom

Detail Shots by Michael Kowalczyk

The following shots are by Michael Kowalczyk:

Credit: @michaelkowalczyk.eu

Credit: @michaelkowalczyk.eu

Credit: @michaelkowalczyk.eu

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Tom Gilroy of Purpose Built Moto is steadily turning out a whole stable’s worth of custom bikes on Australia’s Gold Coast, along with a staggering array of custom parts:  LED Lights, Headlights, CNC triple clamps, stainless steel mufflers, and more.

Recently, he built a very sweet Triumph scrambler / desert sled, and now he’s back with a 1992 Honda Nighthawk brat/cafe/streetfighter hybrid, built for Mitch Saunders.  Below we get the full story on this build.

Honda Nighthawk Brat Cafe:  Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

Purpose Built Moto:  Parts Manufacturer of LED Lights, Headlights, CNC triple clamps, Stainless steel mufflers, and Customs Garage in Gold Coast Australia.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

1992 CB750

• Why was this bike built?

This bike was passed between two of my good friends, one of them fell on hard times and had to sell his unfinished project. While the new owner Mitch wanted to put his own spin on the build I made sure that we also kept true to seeing the original owners vision be brought to life.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

The CB750 is an iconic bike, the 1992 model is not…it’s an ugly duckling. I wanted to put my own touch on this bike with a look back on the Great 1970’s model bikes that made Honda famous. The colour scheme utilizes the vintage Honda Orange while the rest of the bike reflects more of a modern, aggressive and almost street fighter style.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

The frame was shortened and hooped with a handmade seat and burnt orange stitching. The forks were rebuilt and a custom CNC Triple clamp was made to suit the new clip on bars. Under that is a Dual LED light-bar headlight set up with matching mounts.

Under the seat is a floating battery box and electrics tray covered in by some hand beaten aluminium side covers that have been detailed with stainless steel mesh.

• How would you classify this bike?

This is a tough one to put in a box, while it has the spirit of a brat being stripped bare with a short seat and no chrome. The CNC triple clamp, Clip ons and Street fighter style headlight tell a different story.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

This bike features the first CNC triple clamp I’ve ever designed, so the whole front end of this bike I just love. Looking from the back with the seat going up into the wide shoulder section of the tank flowing with the lines of the paint details, I think it all just works.

Follow the Builders

• Purpose Built Moto:  Facebook | Instagram | Web

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The Honda CB400F is such a neat machine, a 408cc inline four produced only from 1975-1977.  The bike had an array of cafe racer styling elements, such as low handlebars, rear set pegs, and that swoopy, signature 4-into-1 exhaust — possibly the most beautiful stock exhaust ever produced.

The rev-happy, lightweight four ended up being highly successful in club and privateer racing, and the bike continues to have a cult following, with owners such as Top Gear‘s James May.

Enter Toby Jones of OtC Customs, who is first to admit that he has problem. Below, we get the full story on this CB400F.

Honda CB400F Cafe Racer:  In the Builder’s Words

(Words by Toby Jones. Highlights by us.)

Hi, my name is Toby and I have a Honda CB400F problem, or so it seems. While over the past few years our shop, OtC Custom Motorcycles, has done builds on quite a few different vintage bikes, I can’t help but return to Honda’s classy little 400cc four when the opportunity arises.

Although its performance doesn’t quite measure up to its two stroke competitors of the time from Kawasaki and Yamaha, there is something about these little gems that keeps me on the lookout for them. Unless you’ve ridden one it’s hard to explain, but Honda managed to put together a Swiss watch of a motorcycle that feels designed and engineered “all of one piece.” I’m sure there is a Zen Buddhist word for it.

This particular bike is a ’75 model that was rusting away in a trailer park in Indiana. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the help we had getting our hands on this one. I found the bike for sale in a post on social network group (Indianapolis Vintage Motorcycles), but I live in Florida and the bike was in Indiana.

Enter Randy Schwind, a friend and founder of Indianapolis Vintage Motorcycles. Randy managed, not only to pick the bike up for us, but also with the help of I.V.M. members Scott Ledingham and Randy Thompson, get it delivered from Indy to my shop, 1200 miles away in Vero Beach Florida. Actions like these really say something about the people involved in the vintage motorcycle hobby. Great folks! On a sad note a few months later, after a long battle with cancer we lost Randy Thompson. I like to think he’s up there smilin’ down on this one.

The design concept for this build came from another of Honda’s models that was ahead of its time. Although a bit out of my price range these days, I’ve always been a fan of the GB500T from the early 80’s. I really dig the GBs classy look, the alloy rims and clip-on bars and decided to incorporate them in this build along with the custom café seat.

I’d have to classify this build as a very mild Café Racer style and much of the bike remains stock. It did, of course, require a complete restoration. After being completely stripped the frame and larger pieces were sent off to Precision Powder Coating in Melbourne Florida for a super-slick layer of their black magic. The smaller bits (that would fit in our oven) were coated here in the shop.

After test firing the engine and finding a dead cylinder (bent valves in #2, somebody missed a gear) the engine was disassembled and inspected. It received new valves and a complete top end rebuild. The ignition was also upgraded with a Dyna S system.

Strange thing that I noticed on this particular bike. Although it had obviously been neglected in recent times, there were many clues that at some point the old motorcycle had been well cared for. The engine was squeaky clean on the inside, the timing chain had been adjusted regularly and even the swing arm showed signs of being greased. We did our usual and the bike received new, brakes, bearings, battery and sweet Avon AM26 tires. I also laced up new alloy rims with new spokes front and rear.

We did do a bit of custom fabrication on this one. The gauge mounts and dash panel were custom built, DCC headlight mounts were cut to fit and powder coated the stock front fender was bobbed and lightening holes were cut in the original chain guard. Although the CB400F was only available from Honda in blue, red or yellow we chose to go with classic black for the paint work.

For parts suppliers we turned to Dime City Cycles for the chrome headlight housing, 2 ½” tach and speedo set, ignition coil set, headlight mounts, grips and 24” megaphone muffler. David Silver Spares is responsible for the beautiful reproduction header pipes among other restoration pieces. 4 into 1 provided the AGM battery and electronic regulator/rectifier combo and many of rubber restoration parts needed. The café style seat is from Texavina and the rear shocks are from TEC.

On this build, like all of my customs, I try to do everything I can right here in the old shop and this bike is no exception. One of the great things about our hobby is learning new skills and techniques and though I sometimes fall short of exactly what I was shooting for I’m always looking to improve for the next one. After working some long hours to get it ready in time, this old black bike is headed for the Riding into History Vintage Motorcycle show in St. Augustine FL on May 20th and we can’t wait. By the way, I’ve already been asked if this bike is for sale and my answer is “not right now, but keep in touch.”

Riding into History Update

Says Toby:

The 400 picked up a merit award in its class and the SL70 you were nice enough to feature scored $2450 in the auction for the K9s for Warriors!

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