Bolt Motor Co. builds a CBX for MotoGP legend Jorge Martínez Aspar!
On the 40th anniversary of his first-ever race, Jorge Martínez “Aspar” was selected to be inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame. The Spanish rider, who hails from Valencia, competed in Gran Prix racing from 1982 to 1997, taking home an incredible 37 wins and four championships in the 80cc and 125cc classes, including a historic “double” in 1988, when he won both championships! After he retired from racing, he became a successful manager of his own Grand Prix team, the Aspar Team.
When Aspar wanted a custom bike of his own, he enlisted the help of his fellow Valencians and racers Bolt Motor Co. — a workshop founded by racing driver Adrián Campos and run out of Campos Racing headquarters:
“Bolt Motor Co. is especially linked to Campos Racing, a Valencian Racing team currently competing in GP2, GP3 and Formula 3 World Championships, whose mechanics collaborate in the making of our outstanding custom builds.”
As befits the custom machine of a Grand Prix world champion, this six-cylinder CBX1000 is outfitted with an array of unobtanium MotoGP parts, including the Ohlins inverted forks, magnesium front wheel, and swingarm from an Aprilia MotoGP bike!
The bike is also running the front calipers from a Yamaha MotoGP machine, and then there’s the bespoke tailpiece designed and printed in 3D:
“It was designed in such a way that it can be removed, turning the bike into a comfortable two-seater. For this reason, the bike has rear footrests — had you noticed this small detail?”
Of course, the CBX is known for its legendary exhaust note, likened to an old-school F1 car at full song. Says Adrián:
“Aspar allowed us to advise him on the aesthetics and finishings, but he was very clear on the sound and the sensations he wanted when riding his bike. The look on his face was priceless when he heard the roar of his bike for the first time.”
Below, we get the full story on this incredible, one-of-a-kind CBX built for a MotoGP legend.
Honda CBX Café Racer: In the Builder’s Words
A Honda CBX1000 is not to be taken lightly, so let’s start at the beginning. Honda surprised the world by putting a six-cylinder 4-stroke on the track. This bike was designed by Soichiro Irimajiri, the engineer responsible for the bikes that led Taveri and Hailwood to win the 1966 and 1967 World Championships, respectively.
Honda eventually left World Championship racing, and Soichiro Irimajiri became managing director of Honda Motor Co., leading the Honda CBX project. The result of this work was a generously sized engine hung from a steel frame. This makes the six-cylinder not easily accessible. The carburetion of this bike and fitting the vacuum gauges was a difficult task due to the lack of space. If you don’t believe us, just ask our mechanics.
The Keihin carburettors, in groups of three, are angled slightly inwards. One of Soichiro Irimajiri’s obsessions was that the bike should not be too wide. In fact, the engine is only five centimetres wider than that of the four-cylinder CB750. To achieve this, he fitted a chain-driven auxiliary shaft above the gearbox to drive the alternator and ignition. Today, this system seems commonplace, but at a time when the alternator was located at the end of the crankshaft, it was revolutionary.
Honda CBX According to Bolt Motor Company
At the front, this bike has a component that is different from any other in the world. Of course, not every bike can have MotoGP World Championship features and parts, but this is what it’s like to customise a bike for Jorge Martínez Aspar, the four-time world champion.
Front end: The Ohlins inverted forks and the magnesium front wheel were taken from an Aprilia MotoGP bike. The Brembo front calipers were also donated by a MotoGP machine, but this time from a Yamaha. The hoses are Goodridge. All fine-tuned, balanced, and tested by the Bolt Motor Co. team.
Aspar was looking for a striking, yet comfortable bike, so we decided to use a straight handlebar where we gained in comfort and practicality. For the electronics, we opted once again for the best in the market: Motogadget Pro switch panels, grips, and odometer.
In the central part, we kept the HONDA CBX1000 tank to highlight the iconic six-cylinder engine. It took us long hours to make this six-cylinder engine run as fantastic as it looks: polishing, carburation, and a thorough tune-up.
In addition, the entire electrical installation is new. Our mechanics have checked, altered, and tested every inch of the wiring, using top-notch materials, along with all the electronics.
Focusing on the rear of this CBX, we’ve saved the best for last. The rear end of this Honda CBX is a carnival for the radical bike enthusiast. For this, we designed a very narrow subframe, with that insane borders. To fit everything together perfectly, the tailpiece was designed and manufactured in 3D by our team. This tailpiece is unique, not only for its design but also for what’s behind it. It was designed in such a way that it can be removed, turning the bike into a comfortable two-seater. For this reason, the bike has rear footrests — had you noticed this small detail?
Another highlight of this customisation is the swingarm. Fitting a swingarm from an Aprilia MotoGP bike into a Honda CBX was not an easy job. However, the result couldn’t be more spectacular.
At first glance, the most striking feature of Bolt Motor Company’s work is the exhaust system. These are handcrafted exhausts that, despite being handmade, achieve an almost heavenly sound and performance. Aspar allowed us to advise him on the aesthetics and finishings, but he was very clear on the sound and the sensations he wanted when riding his bike. The look on his face was priceless when he heard the roar of his bike for the first time.
The paintwork is the finishing touch to this arduous project. Aspar wanted a tank inspired by the paint used by Red Bull on their single-seaters. By adding the chequered flag, it’s obvious that racing will always be in his DNA and that of his bike.
We always boast that our work is unique in the world, but this time, we have gone a step further thanks to the materials provided by a top racing team such as the Aspar Team. It has been a real luxury to work hand in hand with Jorge Martínez Aspar and his crew, we hope you enjoy the result as much as we do!
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I remember hearing the 6 Open Megaphones at full blast from Hailwood’s RC166 250cc 6 cylinder @ Brands Hatch in 66. That Bike coming down the Front Straight sounded like a Fender Jazz Master on Steroids. One of 2 Honda GP Racers (RC166 & RC149 (125cc 5cyl) That I still had to plug my ears from over 50 ft away. This CBX with some Open Megaphones would be a Hoot Too … Neat Bike!
Top of the World Custom! Great photos but repetitive writeup.
The exhausts are pure sculpture and the editor should have included a sound track!
What a great looking, clever custom making a super classic in to a modern looking and probably fantastic handling superbike hopefully with a sound track to match. Magic!
I cannot believe you do not have a video of the bike running. This is useless!
no thanx!