“The 1988 Honda NX250 was a gem of an Adventure Bike that never got the appreciation it deserved.”
This is what ADV Pulse had to say of the 26-hp, liquid-cooled thumper, available in the United States from 1988-1990. Although most attention these days goes to the bike’s bigger brother, the Honda NX650 Dominator, the NX250 was quite the performer in its own right, offering a top speed (87 mph) and 0-60 time (6.2 seconds) not too far short of the Kawasaki KLR250.
Pierre-André Dalcq of Belgium saw the potential in this little adventure bike that could. Believe it or not, this was his first custom bike, built in his parents’ garage no less — quite the accomplishment for a man who is neither a mechanic or engineer. Below, he gives us the full story on the build.
Honda NX250 Custom: In the Builder’s Words
(Words by Pierre-André Dalcq. Highlights by us.)
There’s not too much to say about the built itself, as it’s my first one ever and I’m not a mechanic nor an engineer.
I just bought the bike in its original condition and quickly got bored of its look. So I decided to dismantle it, clean it and modify it as a winter project. Here in Belgium the weather is too shitty to ride during these months anyway.
I quickly realized that this bike is not a very good base for a custom built because of the special and asymmetrical tank and before I started to work on it I didn’t have a precise idea of what it would look like in the end. It was mostly trial and error.
I knew that I wanted to get rid of all the plastic parts and make it an all-metal bike. My goal was also to make it as light as possible as the engine is not very powerful. So I only kept the essentials and threw away the fairings and other stuff.
Once I just had the frame, the wheels and the engine in front of me, I started to see what it could become and I designed all the parts by myself. I had no real inspiration as you don’t see a lot of NX250 customs, so I’m pretty happy with what I came up with to change the look of this bike.
I guess you could say there’s a bit of Mad Max and Transformers in it.
The most difficult part of this build is that I had not a lot of tools to make it. I made it in my parents’ garage with just a hammer, a drill, a saw and a screwdriver. The seat was probably the most challenging part to make, as I really wanted to make it all by myself I used an old skateboard for the base and had to learn to use the sewing machine of my mom.
But I loved it and it rides great. I will probably do it again with another bike in the future! Thanks in advance for the featuring and don’t hesitate to ask me if you have other questions.
Follow the Builder
- Follow the Builder: Pierre-André Dalcq (@pa_dalcq)
Great story but you’re wrong on one thing:
I’ve owned two NX250 and two KLR250 (one an early first year model and an 04).
The NX will leave them for dead. Trust me.