Scrambler builders often choose a Honda as the donor bike. The best starting points are the single cylinder thumpers, such as the tough XR series and the popular NX650 Dominator. Both have reliable, easy to work on and hard-to-kill engines. Other builders will choose older but even simpler Hondas from the 1960s and 1970s, such as the vintage CB and CL bikes, which also have a good parts supply.
Repeat custom is the lifeblood of most businesses, including bike builders. Ten years ago, Matt Helders bought a very sharp Triumph T100 from Richard ‘Mule’ Pollock—and he’s just gone back for more. This time, Matt has taken delivery of an absolute weapon: a crisp, vintage-style Honda with a most unusual exhaust system. And despite the…
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There’s a tipping point where a hobby turns into a career, and Sérgio Almeida is sitting on it. Based in Portugal, he started WKND Customs while holding down a full time job as a designer—hence the name. But thanks to an influx of orders, he now splits his daytime hours between bikes and freelance art…
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Honda motorcycles have a reputation for being unkillable, but whoever used to own this Honda CL350 sure gave it their best shot. By the time it ended up at Slipstream Creations, it had a missing muffler, a massive dent in the fuel tank and a Tupperware container for a taillight housing. But true to form,…
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It’s a singles party this week: we’ve got a spunky Honda XL350R scrambler, a Kawasaki AR80 cafe racer, a Kawasaki KX100 land speed racer, and an intriguing single-cylinder Buell project. Plus Beachman releases a new e-bike.
Read more »The NX650 Dominator is a staple of the European dual sport scene, even though production stopped 18 years ago. Like the Suzuki…
Read more »There was a time when the Honda NX650 Dominator was an uncommon, yet surprisingly sensible, donor for a custom project. But Dominators…
Read more »The sequel is seldom as good as the original movie, but the opposite is usually true with custom motorcycles. Taking another crack…
Read more »Miguel Castro seems to be working his way through a checklist of custom motorcycle styles. His first build was a cafe racer,…
Read more »Boundaries are getting blurred in the custom scene. Genre-hopping bikes are everywhere, and it’s getting harder and harder to pigeonhole many builds.…
Read more »A Honda CB650R scrambler inspired by the Dakar rally, a quirky shovelhead from Keino Cycles, and a peek at the latest bikes…
Read more »Way back in the day, scramblers were really just road bikes that were adapted slightly for desert use. And the same is…
Read more »There are some builders who have a very ‘freestyle’ approach, grinding and hammering away at metal until things look right. And then…
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