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…
Sinister Restomod: 1216cc Suzuki Katana - Blacked-out Super Kat from dB Customs… When the Suzuki GSX1100 Katana appeared on the scene in 1981, it looked like nothing else on two wheels. Suzuki had enlisted German designer Hans Muth to design […]
Pick ‘N’ Gixx: Suzuki GSX-R 7/11 Slingshot - Torques Moto’s 1100-powered GSX-R750 Slingshot… Legend has it, the original Suzuki GSX-R “7/11” (GSX-R1100 motor shoehorned into a GSX-R750 frame) was featured in the September 1992 issue of Performance Bikes. The bike was said to outperform […]
Alps Ace: Suzuki SV650 Sport Special - A Sportier SV from Roman Juriš… Introduced in 1999, the Suzuki SV650 was destined to become one of the most beloved middleweight twins of the modern age. While the bike wasn’t particularly outstanding on paper, […]
Skoal Bandit Special: ’86 Suzuki GSX-R1100 Restomod - Big-Bore 80s Superbike from Drew Halliday… These days, we’re seeing a rise in the popularity of so-called “Youngtimer” superbikes from the late 1980s and 1990s. What’s a Youngtimer motorcycle? These are generally bikes that are […]
Force of Nature: Suzuki GS1000E Restomod - Gary Scotti’s 1170cc 16-valve GS Restomod… In 1978, Suzuki entered the 1000cc inline-four arms race with the 90-hp GS1000. The 8-valve engine was developed from that of the excellent GS750, bored and stroked to 997cc, […]
Cheetah Cub: Yamaha RD421LC Restomod / Hybrid - Colin White’s 421cc Cheetah Cub LC… In 1980, Yamaha introduced the RD350LC (Liquid Cooled) as the successor to the air-cooled RD400, along with a 250cc version aimed at the British learners’ market. The “Elsie” quickly […]
The Nitron Special: Honda CB900F Restomod - The “Daichi CB900F” from Japan’s Team CB’s… Introduced in 1979, the Honda CB900F was a 95-hp DOHC roadster based on the company’s European Endurance Championship racer, thus the “Bol d’Or” (Golden Bowl) name the […]
Mark II Missile: Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII Restomod - AC Sanctuary’s MKII Missile… In 1979, Kawasaki introduced the KZ1000 MKII, which offered new angular styling and a slight power boost out of the 1015cc DOHC inline four engine, now making 93 bhp. The crank […]
Yamaha SR400 “Café Scrambler” - In 2021, Yamaha ended the incredible 43-year production run of the SR400 — a bike that’s remained remarkably unchanged through those four decades of production. Introduced to the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) back in 1978, […]
Déjà Vroom: Kawasaki “KZ1165” Restomod - RCM-554: 1165cc Zed from AC Sanctuary… The Kawasaki KZ900 was the direct successor of the mighty Z1. At the time of its introduction in 1972, the original 903cc Zed was the largest, most powerful four-cylinder […]
Top 10 Restomods of 2022 - 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 […]
Ripsnorting Restomod: Suzuki RG500 Gamma - “The Dragon on an RG500 is the closest you can get heaven…” Introduced in 1985, the Suzuki RG500 Gamma was one of the most faithful two-stroke street-legal replica racers ever produced. It was derived directly […]
Resto-Monster: Honda CB1100F Restomod - 1123cc Honda Restomod from AC Sanctuary… In 1983, the Honda CB1100F arrived as the company’s king sport bike, designed to battle head-on with the 1100-class superbikes from Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha — bikes that were […]
Monster Zed: Kawasaki Z1-R Restomod - AC Sanctuary’s “Radical Construction Manufacture” Z1-R… In the world of high-powered Japanese restomods, one name has long stood apart: AC Sanctuary. Founder Hiroyuki Nakamura opened his shop in the 1990s. Since then, they’ve built a […]
Viva Vinduro! Yamaha DT400 Restomod - Purpose Built Moto builds a two-stroke ripper… The Yamaha DT400 is one of our favorite two-stroke enduros of the 1970s — a wolf in wolf’s clothing and a howling fury to ride. The factory bike […]
