Pretty Fly for a CityFly: Dream Wheels’ Honda CLR125

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As far as we’re concerned, small capacity bikes don’t get enough love. They’re frugal, cheap to run and can go about anywhere (if you have the patience). So they’re usually relegated to commuter or courier duties. Hélder Moura of Dream Wheels Heritage sees potential for more—especially in Portugal, where Dream Wheels is based. There, you can ride anything up to 125cc with just a car driver’s license.

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“This is definitely a new market that could become quite interesting,” says Hélder, “and so far we have not seen many examples in the world of custom builds.” Dream Wheels’ latest foray into the little bike scene is this 2001-model Honda CityFly CLR125. The CityFly shares the popular XLR125’s ultra-reliable 124cc power plant, but it has slightly more ‘urban’ styling.

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This particular CityFly was acquired from a pizza delivery guy, before Dream Wheels set about transforming it. “The style we want to give this build was a scrambler for the city,” says Hélder. “We wanted functionality, and lines that are a mix of new and old.”

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This meant a pretty radical transformation. For starters, Dream Wheels straightened out the CityFly’s awkward lines with a 1990 Yamaha FS1 tank, and a custom-made subframe and seat. The tank needed some restoration work, and its filler cap’s been customized further with an old fridge magnet.

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Dream Wheels also fabricated a set of fenders and side covers, and a new battery box (there’s a small gel battery inside). The inverted forks are from RMX50; they’ve been rebuilt, re-sprung and lowered. And the rear shock’s been lowered to match. A Yamaha XS400 donated its 18” front wheel and disc brake, while an 18” Rexfelgen rim (a brand made by Excel) was laced up at the rear. Both are wrapped in Heidenau K67 trials rubber.

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On the maintenance side, the CLR’s engine needed a bit of a refresh and a new coat of paint. There’s a new transmission, new brake and spark plug lines and a K&N air filter. The chunky silencer is a rebuilt, second-hand FMF Mega Max II unit, fed by a hand-made header. Scrambler-esque running gear includes a set of Renthal bars, and an enduro-style headlight, with a yellow lens and a number board. Dream Wheels also fitted a LED taillight, a smaller speedo and a set of mini-switches from Blitz Motorcycles.

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Pitta Designs executed the skate-influenced paint job on the tank and side covers, offset by the brown saddle, and brown finishes on the engine, brakes and forks. As a finishing touch, Dream Wheels used red spoke nipples for the rear wheel, a red plug lead, and painted the rear shock spring.

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As if this little CityFly wasn’t cool enough already, it also comes with a removable skateboard rack. Perfect for lazy rides down to the beachfront.
Dream Wheels Heritage |

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First published on bikeexif.com

H Garage Honda Gold Wing

In 2012 Scott Halbleid left his career as a graphic designer to focus his efforts on building custom motorcycles. As a trained, multidisciplinary artist his skills already included sculptural and fabrication techniques which when combined with a lifelong love of motorcycles had him positioned perfectly for the transition. Since he opened the doors of his 'H Garage' workshop he has amassed an impressive portfolio of custom builds, but this '78 Honda Goldwing, his latest creation, is the icing on the H Garage cake.

Scott acquired the Gold Wing when an acquaintance stumbled across it decaying in a barn and offered it up for sale. He had already been tempted by another Gold Wing he'd seen at a swap meet months before so convincing himself to lay down the cash was an easy task. After taking ownership of the ageing GL1000 it was decided the bike would be his next workshop project with an aim to transform it into a fully faired bagger. Thankfully after some deliberation while observing the stripped down Honda the bagger theme was ousted in favour of a Hot Rod/Mad Max themed bike, naked, raw and packing plenty of attitude.

With the beast of a bike taking up a large chunk of real estate in Scott's 2 bench workshop the Gold Wing build had to be prioritised and completed as soon as possible. Over the following 6 months he transformed the 1800cc behemoth into his minimalistic road warrior named No. 5 to commemorate his fifth H Garage workshop build.



After the initial tear down the Gold Wing's frame and its water cooled, flat 4 engine were cleaned and painted before being reunited once again. Hot Rod parts manufacturer Mooneyes supplied a set of solid alloy "moon discs" to conceal the bikes cast wheels and the stock Honda fenders were stripped to bare metal. In the rear he trimmed the fender and rolled it around to sit over the rubber at 5 minutes past twelve and tucked an integrated brake/signal LED strip beneath the lip of the fender.

With the removal of the bikes faux fuel tank (on this model Gold Wing the real fuel tank lives under the seat) a new air filtering system was required, so Scott once again looked to an aftermarket manufacturer in the Hot Rod scene for a solution. Performance carburettor specialists Holley had the perfect solution in the form of a large billet filter that perfectly fit the top of the frame so he mounted it using a custom made inlet system, feeding all 4 of the bikes carbs.

When it came to the bikes exhaust extra time was spent refining its design prior to fabrication. A pair rectangular tips were underslung on the frame to visually draw the bike lower to the ground. Shooting out horizontally from either side of the bike the mufflers were welded to the stock headers and produce an exhaust note that'd put most Harley Tourers to shame. With modifications to the flow of gases through the carbs and out of the engine some tricky tuning was required. For this Scott enlisted the help of Chad Francis of RetroWrench who solved the problem with careful synchronisation, jetting and a bit of needle drilling.

The bikes factory controls were swapped out with MotoGadget switches, new cables and hand levers mounted to a set of drag style bars. To help keep cables to a minimum a GPS speedo with integrated tacho sits on the backbone of the frame. The headlight has been replaced by an alloy framed, mesh faceplate and a pair of high intensity LED Fog lights perched atop the engine guard rails provide enough light to illuminate a small stadium.   

Suspension has been upgraded with Progressive rear shocks and rebuilt fork internals and all of the tired old brake lines have been replaced with braided ones. The seat pan was designed to wrap over the fuel tank which protrudes out from the top of the bikes frame. Using several welded sheets of steel it hugs both the frame and tank perfectly allowing easy access to the tanks filler cap.

The final finish on the bike was achieved by applying a custom paint colour to the face plate and the fenders before laying down a satin clear coat which gives them the appearance of raw steel. The gas tank, radiator surrounds and various brackets were stripped bare before being clear coated in a heat proof clear coat while the frame, drivetrain and forks were finished in satin black.

There are so many incredible details on this bike that I had to ask Scott what he likes most about the No. 5 Gold Wing to which he replied... "Riding it! It's loud, obnoxious and fast. People seem to dig it too which is always a plus." What's your opinion?x

(H) GARAGE     |     Photos by Craig Schneider

first published by returnofthecaferacers

Ultra Noir: A blacker than black Honda CB750

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Murdered-out customs used to be all the rage. But lately, builders have been favoring more diverse color palettes. Which is a real pity: done right, black-on-black can be downright beautiful. Clockwork Motorcycles‘ Samuel Guertin proves it with his latest offering: a 1978 Honda CB750 with a brawny stance and subdued finishes.

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“It needs to be all-black” was his client’s primary request—and the helicopter-mechanic-turned-bike-builder was more than happy to comply. But first, he had to get the CB back on the road. “The bike was a non-runner,” he explains, “and was worked on by some mysterious guys with questionable skills. Just the fact that a concrete screw was screwed in the engine head, to hold the valve cover in place, was enough to scare most.”

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Thankfully, Samuel believes that no motorcycle deserves to die. From his workshop just outside of Montréal, Canada, he stripped the engine down and began rebuilding it. Even the heads themselves were damaged, so J-Precision were called in to resurface them, cut new valve seats and install a new guide. All of that was put back together with a 836cc Wiseco big-bore kit, SuperFlow valves, Beehive racing springs, heavy duty studs and a performance camshaft.

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Samuel also rewired the entire bike around a Motogadget m-Unit control box, and installed a new electronic ignition and high output coils. Adding a little more grunt are a set of Keihin CR29 carbs with K&N filters, and two-into-two headers terminated with less restrictive mufflers. Shifting his attention to the CB’s lines and proportions, Samuel trimmed the rear of the frame—adding a new loop and trimming any superfluous tabs in the process. The front forks from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 were installed, via a custom aluminum front hub and top triple tree—both machined by Devin at Cognito Moto.

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The rear shocks are from Hagon, with the springs powder coated black. To balance out the bike’s stance, Samuel laced up a pair of 18” wheels with stainless steel spokes and nipples. The GSX-R offered up its dual-disc front braking system too—which he admits is slightly overkill for the older CB750. A custom seat was made up, and sent to Ginger at New Church Moto to wrap in black leather. The effect is echoed on the leather-wrapped grips, shift lever and kick starter.

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Moving to just under the seat, Samuel built a small box to house the electrics. He decided to retain and expose the CB’s stock oil tank—treating the opposite side to a one-off side cover with a brushed, blacked-out metal effect. The same effect’s been applied to the fuel tank’s filler cap cover, with the addition of a nifty Clockwork badge. The tank itself has had its stock emblem brackets removed to neaten it up.

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Thanks to a full complement of Motogadget componentry, the cockpit’s as minimal as can be. M-Switch push buttons, an m-Lock keyless ignition and a tiny Motoscope mini gauge have all been installed. (The latter’s been dropped into the triple clamp itself, along with a set of LED warning lights.) Other finishing kit includes a neatly tucked-away LED tail light, a smaller headlight and turn signals, clip-ons and new foot pegs.

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To honor the client’s initial request, just about every component has been finished in gloss, satin or matte black. Only a few metal highlights punctuate the darkness—like the fasteners and the stainless steel spokes. The final effect is both alluring and menacing; a well-balanced classic with modern performance, handling and braking.
Merci to Samuel for saving it.
Clockwork Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Photos by Cimon B Photography

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First published on bikeexif.com

Hammerbike Honda CB550 Crimea

Siberia. 13 million square kilometres of the most sparsely populated land on Earth and as it turns out, home to one of the coolest custom Honda CB550's around. Roman Molchanov runs the workshop 'Hammerbike Customs' in the frozen heart of Siberia (that may not be an accurate statement, but it sounds cool) where he services customer bikes and builds world class custom motorcycles. In a country where custom workshops are as rare as people and spare parts are as readily available as leprechauns Roman's built a custom CB550 that's as cool as the snow surrounding the Hammerbike workshop.

Based on a 1979 Honda CB550 the 'Crimea' is almost unrecognisable in its new Hammer Bike form with its comstar wheels, classic Honda inline 4 motor and elements of the original frame being all that remain of the original bike. In order to complete the build Roman had to source many of the new parts from Japan or international sellers on eBay while the remainder of the required pieces were fabricated by Roman himself in the Hammerbike workshop.



The Crimea has a distinctly steampunk feel about it emphasised by the brass highlights and old school springer front end, which was originally from a 1945 Harley Davidson WLA. In the rear you'll find a set of Ohlins Piggyback shocks which tie in with the colour scheme nicely, but seem to be out of place on what looks like more of an art piece than a daily rider. Roman assures however that the bike is in fact ridden and is a reliable commuter and if you look carefully you will also see a tiny pair of LED lights mounted in the springer front end to make sure it can be seen in traffic.



The carburettors have been "borrowed" from a Yamaha FZR and mounted using custom intakes of Roman's own design. The brakes have been upgraded to Brembos and the custom made exhaust is finished with a Supertrapp muffler thats been brushed back to match the finish on the rest of the bodywork. All of the alloy components such as the oil tank (which is actually the fuel tank), the tiny in frame tank (which houses the electrics) and the front plate are all custom made with the only stock item being the rear fender which is a modified Harley Davidson V-rod part.

While I will admit that Steampunk style and brass embellishments aren't usually my thing I am a big fan of how this bikes turned out. The mix of textured and non-textured, matt and satin black finishes work beautifully and the gold highlights are more tasteful than tacky. Short Siberian Summers present a builder like Roman with plenty of time to work on his custom builds, but the real challenge is locating customers and the dollars to invest in projects like this.

HAMMERBIKE CUSTOM

spotted on Generation Bobber

First read on returnofthecaferacers.

Glory Road’s CB750K

Glory Road Motorcycles is a small retail space that’s just opened in the heart of Adelaide, Australia. Step inside and you’ll find apparel, riding accessories—and some fine motorcycles, like this Honda CB750K.
The shop is new, but owner Tom Harrison has been turning wrenches since the age of 17—when he left school to work at a garage specializing in Minis. For the last couple of years, he’s been building bikes under a tiny carport in the ‘burbs.

Tom’s acquired enough skills over the years to handle all the fabrication himself, outsourcing only the paint and trim. Which explains why this sleek, boat-tailed ’73 CB has a look that sits somewhere between handcrafted and factory.
Originally bought as a wreck, the CB750K was one of the first builds on Tom’s bench—but it took a back seat to more pressing projects. Now, much to our delight, he’s finally finished it.

The fuel tank is stock but the beautiful tail unit is new, shaped from sheet metal. Tom started by trimming and reinforcing the rear of the frame, and making a new seat pan. The seat is neatly covered in tan waterproof leather.
Underneath it, the stock side covers, oil tank and air box have all been binned. The space is now shared between a new battery box and an elegant, handcrafted oil tank.

Just ahead is a row of Keihin CR carbs, fed by K&N filters. Tom’s stripped and rebuilt the engine itself, fitting an 830cc piston kit and a new cam for extra oomph. The cases have been water-blasted clean.
The highlight of the build is undoubtedly the stunning, four-into-two exhaust system. Tom’s bent the stainless steel headers to trace the shape of the frame, and then hand-rolled the mufflers himself—TIG welding everything. We’re sure it sounds just as good as it looks.

Up front, the forks have been lowered slightly, held in place by CNC milled aluminum triple clamps. Steering is via a pair of clip-ons, matched to rear-set pegs mounted on CNC milled brackets.
Rounding off the cockpit is small speedo, and a chrome headlight held by custom mounts. A small taillight’s been fitted at the back on a side-mounted license plate bracket.

The wheels have been rebuilt with new stainless steel spokes, and the hubs and rims powder-coated satin black. Critics rejoice: the Firestone Deluxe Champion tires that are currently fitted will soon be replaced by Avons.
Finishing the build off is a paint scheme as classy as the mods themselves: black, with OEM decals and badges. Could you think of a better livery to drive home the Honda’s vintage vibe?
Glory Road Motorcycles, Shop 3, 249 Wright Street, Adelaide | Website | Facebook

First published on bikeexif.com and ratherberiding

Paint It Black: CB 750 x Corpses from Hell

Done right, hand-drawn illustrations on custom motorcycles can be seriously cool. And Maxwell Paternoster (AKA Corpses from Hell) sure knows how to do it right.
So when we saw a fuel tank adorned with Maxwell’s artwork pop up on his Instagram account, we were immediately curious. And it turns out that the rest of the bike is just as cool.

It’s based on a 95-model Honda CB 750, and it’s been put together by Robinson’s Speed Shop of Leigh on Sea in England. Proprietor Luke Robinson met Maxwell at The Bike Shed event, and they hit it off.
“I’m a massive fan of his work,” says Luke, “so it was brilliant to meet him in person.” Luke commissioned Maxwell to paint a leather jacket for his wife, and the idea of collaborating on a motorcycle followed soon after. The CB 750 was the perfect candidate.

Work began with the subframe: Luke fabricated a new one with a tighter angle and made up a new seat unit designed to also accommodate the electronics. The fuel tank’s from a Honda CB500T—it’s had a new tunnel welded in, so it fits on the wide CB 750 backbone.
But as the bike started coming together, it didn’t feel quite right. “The first dry build looked out of proportion, and like a drag bike,” says Luke. “So I ended up shortening the swingarm by 60mm.”

Luke also dropped the front suspension by 40mm to improve the stance. He’s used a custom-made top yoke, machined to fit a Motogadget Motoscope Mini instrument. (Which unfortunately didn’t arrive in time for the photo shoot.)
“Being a racer myself, I still wanted the bike to be used on track—with another tank though,” says Luke. “Handling is top of the list and still a work-in-progress. It’ll probably result in a front end swap later.”

Luke rebuilt the CB’s engine with new rings and bearings, and had the heads gas-flowed. The bike’s been thoroughly rewired too, and now runs off a small Lithium-ion battery, hidden under the swingarm.
For the exhaust, Luke’s fitted a Danmoto muffler to headers that he hand-made. They’ve been designed to hug the engine a little more, to cater for the drop in ride height.

To replace the air box, a set of air filters were made by bonding filter foam to aluminum housings. “I spent a long time getting the correct length on these—the Venturi effect sure helps iron out the flat spots you get from foam or cone filters.”
Danmoto also supplied the rear-set pegs, and Luke’s fitted clip-ons, adjustable levers and Biltwell Kung-Fu grips. The only switches left on the bars are the kill switch and start buttons. Everything else has been relocated to under the seat.

When all was said and done, the CB was wrapped in black and sent to Maxwell to apply his art—his only brief being to include the shop’s name. “I’m a strong believer that if you’re a fan of someone’s work, then let them do their thing,” says Luke.
Maxwell’s executed his typically kooky artwork beautifully, using a gold leaf technique. And even to our jaded eyes, this CB 750 wears it well.
Robinson’s Speed Shop website | Maxwell Paternoster Instagram | Photos by Aaron Jones

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

 

First published on www.bikeexif.com