Blog — Honda

Thornton Hundred CR500 Tracker

Seeing as flat track fever is still fresh from the weekend it seems appropriate to feature this beastly CR500 by young blood Thornton Hundred Motorcycles from Milton Keynes. 21 year old Jody Millhouse runs the business solo, building custom motorcycles and specialising in wheel building. As is so often the case, It's Jody's dad's fault he's not a butcher, baker or candlestick maker. Millhouse Snr is an accomplished spanner-hand himself, with a few Streetfighter magazine cover features to his name, so it's no surprise to see the tinkering gene being passed on. Rather than follow the herd and stick a...

Rua Machines #12

The Honda NX650 Dominator has been used and abused as a custom mule nearly as often as Airhead BMWs, with results varying from wow to ouch. Trends seem to be shifting from stripped minimalism to an amalgamation of eras and styles. The Dommie is capable of looking good no matter the outfit, so long as the correct tailor has been engaged. Rua Machines from Portugal are one such master of transforming the ordinary into suave sophistication. They were called upon to revive a tired 1988 model (an early one with the all important kick start) owned by an agronomist from...

Méca Services 92 Honda Vigor

Every now and again I see a bike that combines the "come and ride me" factor with a clear demonstration of well executed engineering. Much of the time that balance swings heavily in one direction. Not in a negative sense but a personal preference, I appreciate cohesive and considered design. Honda's NX65o Dominator and FX650 Vigor have been done to death over the last few years, so a slick and fresh approach like this one by Paris workshop Méca Services 92 got me all excited. Méca's owner Isidore Delgrosso sent these photos into us a while ago so it's about...

Dab Design LM#1

Precision. It's either your thing or it's not. Some dance around in the hinterland pretending but for me you're either a Chabott Engineering type of creative freestyling genius or a methodical engineer. Simon Dabadie from Dab Design is the latter. A young Frenchman and recently qualified engineer who worked in 3D design & printing and rapid prototyping for custom builders while still a student and has built up a black book of satisfied big name customers including Roland Sands Design, Holographic Hammer, Deus Ex Machina, Skully Systems and VIBA Motor. Clearly a talented and ambitious chap, Simon has started his...

Victor's CB900 'Lady Mirror'

Rescuing vehicles from abandonment and offering them a new lease of life is a truly rewarding process. Despite the lack of economic logic in converting a ferrous pile of scrap into a shining work of art, people from all corners of the globe seem to go weak at the knees for a vehicle with weeds growing through it. Victor Esnaola from General Alvear near Buenos Aires, Argentina, is just like us. His buddy had spotted a 1981 Honda CB900f languishing on an equine stud and opened negotiations with the owner. Two years later and Victor is enjoying a steel stallion...

Anthony's CG125 'V2'

With a workshop stacked to the gunwales and an inbox bursting at the seams it's easy to become blasé about how bikes could or should be customised. But as with pretty much everything in life, you never forget your first time and the enamelled Honda tank badge on this CG reminded me of my first build. Anthony Harris is relatively new to the custom scene but not to motorcycles and thanks to this tidy little restomod he's inspired the next generation. Anthony gives us some background "Turn back the clock to 2012, I was looking for a different ride from...

Kevils MOTO #3

Here we have the latest airhead to roll out of Kevils Speed Shop, those perennial BMW specialists operating out of Paignton, Devon. Wait a minute... Stop the press, hold the freaking phone. What have they done with those shin worrying cylinders? Some serious origami magic must have been deployed on this wide wagon to fold those lugs up on themselves and into that single pot motor? It is barely recognisable from its original boxer format, the purists eyes will roll... Over to Kev to explain. "For quite a while now, a few potential customers have enquired if Kevils build custom...

SkaBikes CB350

Excuses bug me, and I can conjure them up as good as most. The tank might get scratched, loads of bikes get pinched around here, my clutch lever is on the way out, I'm still running my engine in, those parts I ordered aren't here yet, the weather is no good, I don't live in Santa Cruz..... I could go on but you've heard them all before and have plenty to add. Luckily there are others out there that just get out there and 'use what they built'. Steve from Ontario, Canada is one such guy; we featured his CB350...