Category: Australia

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

Few motorcycles can tackle the Australian outback as well as a Honda XR600. This is the machine that kick-started Honda’s 18-year Baja 1000 winning streak, and the reliability and raw power of the mighty XR have made it a desert racing legend.

The 1996 model we’re looking at here was originally set up for the brutal Australasian Safari. And it was pretty tired by the time Sixty-Six Motorcycles of Perth got their hands on it.

“It’d had a hard life smashing through the outback, and was showing its age,” says Sixty-Six’s Peter Ellery. “We decided to create a thumper which had attitude, but with a clean aesthetic.”

Peter’s first port of call was finding the right fuel tank—but the frame’s awkward backbone complicated matters. Eventually the team settled on a Honda CB250 unit. “It had the right proportions and a period look—so the tunnel was modified and on she went!”

Next, they lopped off the XR600’s subframe and fabricated a new, slimmer one to complement the tank’s lines. Resting on top is a custom-made tan leather seat.

Thanks to a pair of 17” SM Pro rims, the stance of this XR600 is now more motard than desert racer. The rims are laced to Talon hubs, and wrapped in Shinko 705 rubber. The front forks have been rebuilt and lowered to suit the smaller wheels.

Sixty-Six redid all the XR’s wiring too—in the process moving the ignition to under the seat in a neat little aluminum box. They also installed and rejetted a Mikuni TM40 flat-slide carb. The new exhaust muffler is an off-the-shelf item. (According to Peter, it took a few mandrel bends to make it fit the header pipe.)

There’s a 7” headlight up front, and the turn signals, tail light, mini-switches, grips and mirrors are from Posh Japan. But the heat shields, chain guard and single-sided front fender bracket were all made in-house.

Sixty-Six opted to finish the XR600 (now dubbed “X ON”) in subtle hues. Dave Williams handled the tank, while the frame was powder-coated black and the engine painted in a black wrinkle.

It’s the perfect retirement for a bruised old racer. We reckon it’ll be just as much fun on the street as it was in the sand.

Sixty-Six Motorcycles website | Facebook | Instagram

Few motorcycles can tackle the Australian outback as well as a Honda XR600. This is the machine that kick-started Honda’s 18-year Baja 1000 winning streak, and the reliability and raw power of the mighty XR have made it a desert racing legend.

The 1996 model we’re looking at here was originally set up for the brutal Australasian Safari. And it was pretty tired by the time Sixty-Six Motorcycles of Perth got their hands on it.

“It’d had a hard life smashing through the outback, and was showing its age,” says Sixty-Six’s Peter Ellery. “We decided to create a thumper which had attitude, but with a clean aesthetic.”

Peter’s first port of call was finding the right fuel tank—but the frame’s awkward backbone complicated matters. Eventually the team settled on a Honda CB250 unit. “It had the right proportions and a period look—so the tunnel was modified and on she went!”

Next, they lopped off the XR600’s subframe and fabricated a new, slimmer one to complement the tank’s lines. Resting on top is a custom-made tan leather seat.

Thanks to a pair of 17” SM Pro rims, the stance of this XR600 is now more motard than desert racer. The rims are laced to Talon hubs, and wrapped in Shinko 705 rubber. The front forks have been rebuilt and lowered to suit the smaller wheels.

Sixty-Six redid all the XR’s wiring too—in the process moving the ignition to under the seat in a neat little aluminum box. They also installed and rejetted a Mikuni TM40 flat-slide carb. The new exhaust muffler is an off-the-shelf item. (According to Peter, it took a few mandrel bends to make it fit the header pipe.)

There’s a 7” headlight up front, and the turn signals, tail light, mini-switches, grips and mirrors are from Posh Japan. But the heat shields, chain guard and single-sided front fender bracket were all made in-house.

Sixty-Six opted to finish the XR600 (now dubbed “X ON”) in subtle hues. Dave Williams handled the tank, while the frame was powder-coated black and the engine painted in a black wrinkle.

It’s the perfect retirement for a bruised old racer. We reckon it’ll be just as much fun on the street as it was in the sand.

Sixty-Six Motorcycles website | Facebook | Instagram