Four CBX750F customs from Grego’s Customs of Brazil…
In 1983, the Honda CBX750 appeared, an evolution of the beloved CB750 that offered a 93-hp DOHC inline four engine and the boxy styling that would become so popular in the 80s. Improvements included hydraulic tappets, lightweight valves, and a shallower oil sump that uses the front frame tubes for additional capacity. The CBX750F ran the 1/4-mile in 12.1 seconds, had a top speed of 131 mph, and was deemed “genuinely flickable” by the motoring press.
Interestingly enough, there was a CBX750P police version that would remain in production until 2003, serving in motorcycle police units in nations as various as Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, and Turkey. The CBX750P had shaft-drive, a slipper clutch, crash bars, megaphones, and more.
Enter our friend Georgios Kiriakopoulos (@gregoscustoms) — aka “Grego” — a Greek-born builder who moved from his home island of Crete to Brazil five years ago, where he’s become known as something of a “CBX Whisperer.” Brazilians have a particular reverence for the CBX750F, as this potent 750 sporting machine was built exclusively in their country for much of its production life. Says Grego:
“The Honda CBX750F became a really famous motorcycle here in Brazil mainly because after the production in Japan stopped at the end of 1986, but the motorcycle continued to be produced exclusively in Brazil from 1987 to 1994.”
In Brazil, the CBX has earned the nicknamed “Galo,” meaning Rooster — based on the popular but illegal betting game Jogo de Bicho, the Animal Game. Grego now has a flock of the these four-cylinder roosters, two of which have won the nation’s premier bike-building competition, “Moto Customizada do Ano,” hosted annually by our friends at MotoCultura.
Below, we get the full story from Grego on his four Galos, with photography by Santiago Teixeira.
Honda CBX750F Customs: In the Builder’s Words
The nickname the bike earned from the Brazilians is “Galo” or “7 Galo” (which means “Rooster”). This comes from the game Jogo de Bicho, which is an illegal exchange of bets on numbers that represent animals. These are four of same model but different year CBX750F’s that I’ve built in the last four years.
The first one is a 1991 CBX750F Indy that I bought and customized to get me around Sao Paulo when I first came here from Crete, Greece five years ago. I decided to participate in a competition with this motorcycle in order to get in contact with the Brazilian custom scene and get to know some people and I won first place! After that, I was known as Grego, and my hobby became a profession.
The second one is a 1989 Honda CBX750F that I built in 2018 based on the design of my friend Homaro Batista.
The third one is a 1991 Honda CBX750F that I built in 2019 in order to participate again in the national custom competition. It gave me one more first place and a reputation as the “CBX Whisperer,” although these are not the only kind of bikes I customize.
The fourth one is a 1986 Honda CBX750F that I recently finished, designed by my friend and motorcycle enthusiast Carlos Delgado.
The photographs were taken with the help of my friend Santiago Teixeira.
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