We are so excited to showcase the newest build from one of our favorite builders, Revolt Cycles of the Philippines. The Honda XL100, first produced in 1974, was a near-unkillable little enduro, capable of thumping away for decades under the harshest conditions, with the barest of maintenance. The bike weighed just 178 pounds dry, and the 99cc four-stroke motor offered 8.5 horsepower — about the same as a modern-day Grom.
Revolt Cycles has created a fitting tribute to this machine with RVLT 15, dubbed “Lantuag” — a dialect word meaning “to roam.” This XL100 tracker is certainly capable of that, and we love the Paris-Dakar dual headlight setup and surfboard rack — a common accessory in the Philippines.
Below, we get the full story on the build.
Honda XL100 Scrambler/Tracker: In the Builder’s Words
(Words by Jon Louie Yu & Rj Ouano. Highlights by us.)
- RVLT 15 LANTU’AG (a dialect word from Bicol meaning “to roam/adventurous“)
- 1984 Honda XL100S
- Owner: Bjorn Dizon Pabon (owner Fluid Surf)
Remember when you rode your first motorcycle and all you can see of that memory is a big smile right across your face? The crash and burn effect of that experience? Or the full volume of elation having this thing right in between your legs plowing through madness and pure joy?
Well, that is the case of Bjorn Pabon from the province of Bicol, Philippines. He remembers all that in vivid detail as he tells us the nostalgic story of the motorcycle we restored and built for him.
Back in the day, Bjorn, together with his best bud, Rey, would sneak out the motorcycle of Rey’s father; a 1984 Honda XL100s from the garage and blast through the fields just to have a taste of a feeling we, as motorcycle enthusiasts, are all too familiar with when riding a motorcycle: Freedom… To their experience it was more than just a ride but a lifestyle. They saw themselves as young guns that defied rules and went the extra mile. (Compliments to our motto, “Live the Revolt way.”)
They would go on trails, finding new roads & places, swimming by the river, hunting & fishing, carry a sack of rice or wheat on the bike as sustenance for their family (workhorse bike), or simply going around the block hanging out with some amigas and amigos. Eventually at the end of the day, retreating home from their adventure only ending up being punished and scolded from their parents for being a “Lantu’ag!” (Roam around/adventurously hardheaded) but stubbornly do the same thing again if given the chance.
As they grew older, the bike was eventually sold to someone and time eventually consumed them and the bike was left to slowly fade into oblivion as a mere memory. Fast forward many years later…Bjorn somehow remembered the little Honda and the memories associated with it. He could never forget the image of how it provided joy and the experiences of carefree youth that then he started on a quest to find
that motorcycle. After a long period of time he managed to find it but was dismayed to know that the owner still used it and didn’t want to sell it. Bjorn thought that maybe some things should stay in the past and he goaded himself to eventually move on and forget about the little Honda.
It was until a decade after (2016) where hope was kindled once again, a friend of Bjorn told him the whereabouts of the bike and later on found out it was dead, rotting and left leaning on the front porch
wall of the house. But that did not stop him from asking the question, “is it for sale?” and told him that he has been chasing this bike for a decade. The owner simply didn’t have any interest with it anymore and happily sold it to Bjorn. As he hauled the little enduro in the back of his pickup truck, images of his experiences flashed back in his head along with a big smile slap across his face. It seemed it was really meant to be… (Ah that feeling we all motorcycle enthusiast can relate with) This is, Indeed, the chance for him to be that kid again.
But the journey wasn’t over yet. The bike had seen better days and required a lot of work on it. The bike’s acquisition prompted Bjorn to message us at Revolt Cycles about having it restored and customized, but it all seemed to be just talks since he was based in Manila while we were at the middle end of the country the Queen City of the south, Cebu City. But after months passed by, we decided to go up to Manila
to deliver our 1st client bike build from Luzon (RVLT 11 Barako Tractor), plus to participate in the 2nd Motobuilds Pilipinas 2016 (Custom Bike show).
There and then we met Bjorn in person, saw his bike and talked about the little Honda, which was all in pieces. But as we went on, we came in to the conclusion that he wanted it to be “revolted”, which is our take on being “customized”. We shook hands and agreed to build the bike for him. After a month he stuffed the bike in a crate and sent its way down to Cebu City. After 8 months of tedious work on the engine, chassis, sourcing out the right parts, converting it to a 12V system with a retro fitted CDI, new retrofitted forks & hubs, a surfboard rack to cater Bjorn and his love for the surf down the coast. From that on we gave back life to that motorcycle for Bjorn Pabon to continue relive, create new experiences and pass it on to his children in the future.
Be Social
- Built for: Bjorn Dizon Pabon / Fluid Surf: Facebook | Instagram
- Built by: Jon Kevin Yu & Jerry Jones / Revolt Cycles: Facebook | Instagram
- Images by: Rj Ouano (The Jeb Photography): Facebook | Instagram
- Write up by: Jon Louie Yu & Rj Ouano
This is super cool. My first bike was a 1974 XL100 and I rebuilt it three times while beating the pants off of it from the time I was 9 years old until I got my license. We build bikes too, but had never thought of this one.
Jason, thanks for the kind words — we are big fans of your builds! We would love to feature something of yours — how about Daria’s CB450 or the CB350 street tracker?
DA, XL 100’s were scramblers right out of the factory! I like this bike keep up the good work.
Hey Guys! Very nice build and article. I love the look of your bike. Kudos to Revolt Cycles.
Doing a XL100 too… it’s a 1975 model. Hope to be able to catch Bjorn’ bike on the road sometime soon.
How much but India coming ?