Category: Honda CX500

For better or worse, some mods have become commonplace. Air boxes get removed, smaller batteries get installed, and subframes are almost always redesigned. Especially when you’re dealing with the Honda CX500.

No one ever accused the CX500 of being pretty, and it’s the awkward flow of its rear end that carries most of the blame. The solution is usually to hack it off and start over—but what happens when your client asks you really nicely not to?

This 84-model CX500 comes from Kerkus Cycles, and was brought in by a lady rider looking for her first cafe racer. But Kerkus founder Azahar was under strict instructions: anything his crew did had to be reversible. Because, in Malaysia, the CX500 is rare.

And by rare, we mean really, really rare; there are only four known CX500s on the road. Legend has it that the bike was never officially imported, but the big wigs at the Malaysian Honda distributor brought a few in for personal use.

Azahar’s actually an architect, but Kerkus is where he really gets his creative juices flowing. “Custom bikes are my passion,” he says, “it’s where I channel my stress, gain calmness and polish my design skills.”

Together with his partner-in-crime Raveen, Azahar manages a four-man crew out of ‘The Garage’ [instagram.com/thegaragekl]—a “hub for petrolheads” in Kuala Lumpur. And they were more than happy to take a crack at this CX500.

After brainstorming with the owner, it was agreed that while nothing was getting hacked, a lot was coming off. So all the original bodywork went into storage, save for the fuel tank. (It survived the cull, but was repositioned to sit at a more attractive angle.)

Then it was time to fettle the CX500’s tail section—without using an angle grinder. Kerkus fabricated a new seat pan and rear hump, working with the Honda’s stepped frame. The seat’s been finished off with a gorgeous diamond-stitched leather.

Things still looked a bit gawky at the back, so the guys made a pair of number boards to draw the eye and hide more of the frame. Lower down, they removed the air box and built a new electrical tray to tuck everything away under the seat. It took an extensive rewire—and the addition of a Lithium-ion battery—to get everything to fit.

The rest of the bike underwent extensive tweaking, and a fair whack of restoration work too. Kerkus dropped the front suspension a bit to correct the stance, but kept the Honda’s 18” Comstar wheels. They’ve been repainted in gloss black, and wrapped in classic tires from Swallow (a popular brand in Malaysia).

Up front are new clip-ons, grips and controls, and a slick new triple clamp sporting Kerkus’ logo. The headlight’s an off-the-shelf item, but the brackets holding it are one-offs.

There’s a low-mounted Bratstyle taillight doing duty out back. And then there’s the exhaust: an exquisite two-into-two system, ending in two reverse cone mufflers, all built in-house.

Kerkus went for a timeless livery on this CX500: a classy mix of matte and gloss black, offset by gold pin striping. Pretty much everything’s been refinished; the engine’s been sandblasted and repainted, and the frame and swing arm have been aqua-blasted and powder coated in matte black. Every nut and bolt’s been cleaned up and treated to fresh blue zinc.

We tip our hats to Azahar and co. for transforming the Honda CX500 into something far more stylish, without tearing it apart. And we’re not the only ones that like it: the bike took top honors in the Cafe Racer class at the recent Wilayah International Motofest.

Now let’s just hope it never gets returned to stock.

Kerkus Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Khairul Badri

We live in strange times. So it feels right to kick off 2017 with one of the strangest customs we’ve seen in the history of Bike EXIF.

Yes, this is a fully functioning motorcycle with stone bodywork. It’s a 1982 Honda CX500 modified by Chris Zernia, who lives in Mendig, Germany, and is clearly one wave short of a shipwreck.

The bike is Zernia’s entry into the charmingly-named “Build da Fukker” contest run by the German magazine Custombike. Not surprisingly, Zernia is now one of the three finalists in the competition.

The stone is basalt, mined from the Eifel mountain range a few kilometers away from Zernia’s house. Basalt is a dense volcanic rock, and rather heavy, but it can be shaped relatively easily.

Zernia started out with 450 kilos (990 pounds) of basalt, and whittled it down to individual pieces weighing around 60 kilos in total.

First off was the fuel tank: It’s similar in shape to the Honda original, with a small cavity inside for the fuel. The standard fuel filler neck still fits, although it’s been lengthened.

Zernia has reinforced the CX500’s frame, we are most pleased to hear, including extra runs of four-millimeter steel tube along the top to help support the screwed-on seat unit. (Which is a work of art, right down to the tuck and roll pleating of the ‘upholstery.’)

The seat is not as unpleasant to use as you’d imagine, Zernia says. “I’ve sat down for a long time, I swear.”

There’s an LED striplight neatly flushed into a carved recess at the back of the tail unit, but the headlight was the actually hardest part of the stonework—calling for very fine carving and adjustments. A real lamp fits precisely into the cavity, held with glue, and works just fine.

But midway through the build, disaster struck: The 500 cc water-cooled engine blew up. Zernia paused the build, closed the garage door and went on holiday to Tuscany with his wife. He soon spotted examples of the alabaster carving the region is famous for, and his energy was revived.

Back in home in Mendig, Zernia installed a replacement engine and carried on with the build. It was obvious the suspension needed help with the extra weight, so he’s fitted the forks from a Honda VT600 Shadow up front, and Harley Dyna shocks out back.

The Comstar wheels are now fitted with Bates Baja tires, a modern-day homage to the legendary Goodyear Grasshopper.

The CX500 now weighs 355 kilos dry—around 780 pounds—which is still considerably less than a large American cruiser such as the Harley Road Glide. “The Honda goes quite normally,” Zernia shrugs.

Right now, he’s enjoying his new-found celebrity, with TV crews turning up at his door. Next, he’s going to aim for a Guinness World Record for the fastest motorcycle made of stone. And after that, he’s going to build a Harley Sportster out of basalt.

That Harley, though, will be fitted with a front brake. “Riding without one is something I will never do to myself again,” he says…

Adapted from text by Katharina Weber in Custombike, with permission | With extra thanks to Christopher Rausch of Motor Rausch for the tip and images.

The turnaround in the reputation of the Honda CX500 is quite remarkable. Despite its unsavory nicknames, the water-cooled V-twin is now in serious demand by customizers—three decades since production ended.

It’s not an easy bike to modify. The tank sits awkwardly on the frame, higher at the front than the back. And behind the engine, said frame bears more resemblance to a Victorian baby stroller than a motorcycle capable of doing the ton.

So we have great admiration for the handful of builders who can make a CX500 look good. And it’s a pleasure to induct a new builder into that esteemed company: Justin Holmes of PopBang Classics, a small custom shop on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Justin is a one-man show, specializing in pre-85 bikes of any make or model. “I’m a mechanic and spray painter by trade,” he tells us, “but worked in automotive engineering for over six years.”

“I’m all about keeping bikes simple, classic and classy. Get rid of the excess, and give bikes the lines they should have.”

His latest build is long and low, and a far cry from the 1981-spec donor CX500 Custom. “It cost $500 as a completely dismantled basket case, engine and all,” says Justin. “But it came with enough to spares to build the bike five times over.”

Justin’s client Dan had just two simple instructions: paint it green, and put the biggest tires possible on it.

Justin started by molding a Norton-shape fuel tank out of fiberglass—modifying the tunnel to fit the CX500 backbone. The paint is from Jaguar, an iconic British Racing Green—with a custom stained timber effect and a gold leaf pinstripe.

The next job was to bend up a new Chromoly rear frame, mount the extended shocks in a better position, and fit a custom-made brass and aluminum taillight. There’s now a battery box welded underneath the frame too.

The V-twin has now been glass-blasted and completely rebuilt with a new crank and pistons, so it should be good for another thirty years of life.

The carbs have been aqua-blasted, and now suck air through intakes machined out of aluminum round bar. Look closely and you’ll spot a foam filter between two layers of brass mesh inside.

Justin’s even fitted a hydraulic clutch, with matching master cylinders on the clip-on bars. And rather than just spray the motor with hi-temp black, he’s shot it with a subtle mix of metallic grey and brown. It’s finished off with brass nuts and custom made stainless badges, and there’s lustrous polished brass on the radiator too.

The CX500 was one of the first Hondas to have Comstar wheels, but they don’t suit the style of this bike. So Justin used CAD to design spoke adaptor rings for the front and rear hubs, and had them made with a water jet cutter.

They’re now laced up to a set of painted 18 x 2.75 Excel rims with polished brass nipples. And to keep Client Dan happy, the rubber is Firestone’s chunky Deluxe Champion pattern.

Because of the large tires, the rear swing arm has been shaved a little. And the fork tubes are shortened 40mm to get the stance just right. A CB400 bottom triple clamp increases the fork travel, and is matched to a custom-made top triple—which accommodates a Motogadget Mini speedo, countersunk LEDs, and flush-mounted buttons.

The superb detailing doesn’t stop there. The headlight is a vintage spotlight with a brass ring and mount, matching the brass highlights elsewhere. Justin’s retrofitted a new lens, bulb and stone guard to bring it up to modern standards.

The wiring is all fresh and hidden in neat braided sleeves—most of it running to a flush-mounted box under the brown-waxed leather seat.

The fully adjustable rearsets are one-offs: Designed on CAD to match the pattern on the motor, and then subjected to the water jet. All the linkages are custom made, along with blank-off caps for the side of the frame. The grips are Brooks England leather cycle wrap, with custom-made end caps.

It’s a while since we’ve seen this level of perfectionism, but that doesn’t mean this CX500 is a trailer queen. “The bike handles really well despite the large tires,” says Justin, “and loves to cruise at high speed. It’s quite nimble for its size, and super-light.”

Keep an eye out for the PopBang Classics name—and if you find yourself on Queensland’s sunny Gold Coast, pop over to the workshop for a visit. We have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more about Justin Holmes in the years to come.

PopBang Classics | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Kenny Smith

Whenever a new Ed Turner build hits our desks, we do a double take. Karl Renoult—the enigmatic Frenchman behind the brand—certainly has a knack for the audacious.

Luckily, Karl also has the skills to back up his over-active imagination. But when a new client went to him with a very specific idea of what he wanted, he had trouble reining himself in.

“Kevin provided me with an entire folder of photos and diagrams,” says Karl. “It was well put together…but too limiting!”

Kevin’s first request was to base the build on a Honda CX500. Karl felt that a Moto Guzzi would be a better option, but Kevin held his ground. A CX500 Sport with 30,000 miles on the clock was sourced.

Karl hauled the Honda back to the workshop and began stripping it with Kevin’s ideas in mind. But when he had it down to the bare frame, the brief went out the window.

“There are no words to describe the frame,” he says. “It’s an affront to design.”

Leaving nothing but the steering column, Karl rebuilt the entire frame from scratch, with far more agreeable—and exciting—lines. The re-work also included an Öhlins-equipped mono-shock conversion at the rear. The front forks are from a Triumph Speed Triple, mounted via a set of custom, water jet-cut triple clamps.

All that remains of the original CX500 are its wheels and engine. The OHV V-twin has been spruced up with a mix of raw, polished and painted finishes, and Karl’s fitted velocity stacks in place of the airbox.

The otherwise unsightly wheels have been drilled and polished. They now somehow suit the revised CX, with a double brake disc arrangement up front (borrowed from a BMW) helping the bike stop quicker.

The new chassis also hosts a performance radiator and electrical fan, and the battery has been relocated to below the swingarm pivot. Following the frame’s new contours is an exquisite stainless steel exhaust system—hand-made from tip to tail.

Up top is a peculiar, one-off tank; Karl shaped it out of resin, carbon and Kevlar, with assistance from his friend Joe. It flows neatly into a custom seat—covered in leather and Alcantara.

The cockpit’s now equipped with clip-ons, new levers, mini-switches and Biltwell grips. The headlight’s a vintage Marshall rally unit, and there’s an LED tail light under the rear hoop.

Small LED turn signals have been mounted at the rear, but that’s where the amenities end. There are no forward turn signals, mirrors, or a speedo or tacho. For tires, Karl’s partnered with Avon, and has fitted their ultra-grippy Roadriders.

The bike’s been finished in warm, brooding tones—with a splash of red on the engine block. The hydro-dipped Samurai graphics on the tank are echoed in the Oriental-style font on the engine logos. And there’s a ‘Rising Sun’ design cut into the triple clamps and custom rear-set plates.

Karl was nervous when he delivered the CX500, knowing full well that it bore no resemblance to the original brief.

Kevin’s response? He reportedly loves it, and almost shed a tear when he first saw it.

“I tried to make him what he wanted, and not what he asked for,” says Karl. “Sometimes, there’s a difference.”

Ed Turner | Facebook | Instagram