We’ve loved watching the rise in popularity of restomod builds in recent years. Generally, restomods are considered to be vintage bikes that remain relatively true to their original aesthetics and silhouette, but have been brought into the 21st century with upgraded suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, and engine management / performance.
A few years ago, we mainly saw this kind of customization applied to vintage superbikes, such as the builds of AC Sanctuary and dB Customs, but we’re happy to see more builders giving the same treatment to vintage dirt bikes, dual sports, and roadsters.
Here is our list of the Top 10 Restomods we featured in 2022, based on traffic and engagement, listed in alphabetical order by builder.
• AC Sanctuary: Kawasaki Z1-R
• Atlanta Motorcycle Works: Kawasaki GPz1100
• Bald Anthony: Yamaha RZ350
• Bandisca: Yamaha XS650
• Kevin Borough: Honda CB750
• ForPlay Racing: Yamaha RD350
• Loko Dream Factory: Honda XR600R
• Steel Bakery: Honda CB750
• Roy Welton: Kawasaki Z1000
• Workshop43: Yamaha XT500
BikeBound’s Latest Restomods…
7/11 Heaven: 1986 Suzuki GSX-R Slabside Restomod - From Nabspeed Moto: Suzuki 7/11 Restomod inspired by the 1986 Suzuka 8-Hour Yoshimura GSXR… The 1985 Suzuki GSX-R750 revolutionized the world of performance motorcycles. Fondly nicknamed the “Slabside” or “Slabby” for its flat-sided bodywork, the […]
Basement-Built XL600V: Honda Transalp 600 Enduro - XL-Size Enduro: Marc Pfaffl’s Retrofitted Transalp… In the late 80s, Honda unveiled the XL600V Transalp as a “Rally Tourer” that could combine street performance, off-road capability, and long-distance touring comfort. At its heart was a […]
Czech Mate: Liquid-Cooled Jawa 350 Restomod - Roman Juriš fulfills a two-wheeled dream of his youth… For the latter half of the 20th century, many of us took for granted that we could acquire and ride some of the hottest, most iconic […]
Enduro Rebirth: Baja-Style BMW G450X Dual-Sport - What if BMW still produced their G450X enduro bike? In 2008, BMW Motorrad unveiled a machine few expected: a hardcore, race-ready 450cc enduro designed to compete with the Japanese and European dirt machines. Although the […]
The Good Kind of Dangerous: Full Carbon Yamaha RD350 YPVS - From Brothers Garage: “Black Widow” 300-lb Yamaha RD350 Restomod… In 1983, Yamaha released the RD350 YPVS — aka RZ350 or RD350LC II — a two-stroke giant-killer destined to become one of the most iconic and […]
The Stolen S4: Ducati Monster S4 Custom - “A Monster with clip-ons is one of the best hidden secrets out there…” The Monster is famous as the bike that saved Ducati in the 1990s, pulling it back from the brink of bankruptcy. “The […]
Father, Son, and ZRX: Kawasaki ZRX1200S - In the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, professional road racer Jake Holden set the fastest time ever up the mountain on a carbureted motorcycle. The bike was a custom Kawasaki “ZRX1224RR” built by James […]
Pure Fun Survivor: Yamaha RD400 Daytona Special - Purists Beware: Tim Coughlin’s 1990s-Style RD400 Road Ripper… In 1979, with the motorcycle world hurtling fast toward four-stroke dominance, Yamaha released the Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special — a lightweight, giant-killing smoker that would be one […]
“Is Pepsi Okay?” Suzuki RGV250 Kevin Schwantz Tribute - Nabspeed Moto’s Kevin Schwantz Pepsi RGV Replica… The legendary Kevin Schwantz earned the title of “Wheelie King” at the 1988 Macau Grand Prix, where he shaved an incredible 7 seconds off the outright lap record […]
BOLT #100: Kawasaki ZRX1200 Restomod - BOLT Motor Company’s 100th Build… Back in 2001, Kawasaki released the ZRX1200R, a neo-retro muscle bike that carried on the style of the ZRX1100 and original KZ1000R Eddie Lawson Replica. It had a beefy double-cradle […]
Boosted Classic: Bandit-Powered Kawasaki Z1000 Turbo - Dave Solomon of Butchered Classics puts a Bandit’s Heart in his Zed Turbo… It’s always a treat to hear from old buddy Dave Solomon, founder of Butchered Classics — an online community that “pays homage […]
Maverick Spec: 140-hp Kawasaki GPz900R Restomod - Top Gun-inspired Ninja 900 built by an experienced pilot and friends… When the Kawasaki GPz900R (Ninja 900) appeared in 1984, it was nothing short of revolutionary. The first of the iconic Ninja series, the 900R […]
Resto Enduro: Honda “XXL600” Restomod - Francesco Paura resurrects a legendary thumper… In 1983, Honda released the original RFVC (Radial Four Valve Combustion) single-cylinder dirt bikes, which were destined to become icons of a generation. With a hemispherical combustion chamber, centrally […]
Long Way Back: BMW R1150GS “Backdate II” - 100 Pounds Lighter: Backdated 1150GS from Blunk’s Garage… Introduced in 1999, the BMW R1150GS quickly began to accumulate awards and recognition. Cycle World named it “Best Sport Touring Bike” of 2000, and Ewan McGregor and […]
Six-Cylinder Salute: AC Sanctuary CBX1000 Restomod - AC Sanctuary’s RCM-693 CBX, straight from the Tokyo Motorcycle Show… Today, we’re thrilled to present the new Honda CBX1000 from Japanese master Hiroyuki Nakamura of AC Sanctuary. Just last year, we featured RCM-688, the first-ever […]
