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…
Straight Outta Sanctuary: Honda CB1100R Restomod - Possibly the Last: Honda CB1100R from AC Sanctuary… In 1980, Honda unveiled their first-ever homologation special, the CB1100R. Based on the CB900, the single-seat sport bike boasted a 1062cc 16-valve DOHC inline-four producing 120 bhp […]
Zed’s Not Dead: Kawasaki KZ1000 “A16R” Restomod - KZ1000-Powered “A16R 005” from AC Sanctuary… Hiroyuki Nakamura and his team at AC Sanctuary are famous for developing some of the fastest, sexiest restomod motorcycles on the planet. Though they work with many different […]
TÜV Approved: Yamaha SR500 Roadster / Scrambler - Workshop43 rescues a neglected classic… The Yamaha SR400 and SR500 were street-centric versions of the company’s 500cc TT/XT enduro bikes, which gained fame in the great African rallies of the late 70s. But their […]
Resurrecting a Legend: Kawasaki H1 Mach III Custom - Basket Case to Asphalt Warrior: 1971 Kawasaki H1B… In the annals of motorcycledom, few street-going machines have earned a more notorious reputation than the original Kawasaki H1 Mach III, a 500cc two-stroke triple developed for […]
Bernhonda: Bernardet x NX125 Hybrid Scooter! - Patina Perfection: Franco-Japanese Commuter Scooter from Seb’s Atelier x Objet Marcant… In the late 1920s, three brothers — René, Robert, and Roger Bernardet — began manufacturing sidecars in a small workshop in Bourg-la-Reine south of […]
Chem Trails: Yamaha RD400 Street Tracker - A Smokin’ Two-Stroke Tracker from DubStyle Designs… There are workshops who turn out a kaleidoscopic range of custom bikes, always experimenting with a style or era or make they haven’t yet explored, often at […]
Thundering Super-Sport: Honda CB900F Restomod - RCM-604 by AC Sanctuary… When the Honda CB900F first appeared in 1979, it wasn’t available in the States, as Honda was worried it might steal the thunder of the mighty CBX. American riders grew green […]
A-SPEC: Liquid-cooled Yamaha RD400 Café Racer - Armen Spec: Yamaha RD400(LC) from Armen Manougian… One of the bikes that stood out most to us at the 2024 Handbuilt Show was this stunning Yamaha RD400 from our new friend Armen Manougian — a […]
King Zed: Kawasaki “KZ1135” MKII Restomod - Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII from AC Sanctuary… The Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII was the 1979-80 version of the liter-sized Zed. It received some nice upgrades over the previous model, including fresh bodywork, larger carbs, electronic ignition, […]
RCM-632, Unveiled: Kawasaki Z900RS Restomod - Z900RS built to AC Sanctuary’s tastes… In 2017, Kawasaki introduced the Z900RS, a 109-hp naked retro that recalls the storied air-cooled inline-four Zeds of the 1970s. “You remember the 1970s, when things were simple, […]
Keep the Dream: Suzuki Katana GS1000S - 100,000 miles on a GS1000S Katana: “She’s family, that makes her priceless…” In 1982, a 1000cc version of the Suzuki Katana 1100 was introduced to qualify for AMA Superbike racing. The bore was sleeved […]
Fat Kat: Suzuki Katana “GSX1230” Restomod - Andy Harriman’s 1230cc Katana… In 1980, the Suzuki GSX1100S Katana came flashing across the motorcycle world just like its sharp-edged namesake, revealing a whole new vision of what a superbike could be. While the […]
Electric Boogie: Yamaha XT500 Restomod - Electric Start, Air-Cooled: Motogadgets’ 1980 Yamaha XT500… By the early 1970s, the big single-cylinder four-stroke off-roader was thought a species all but extinct. After all, the great British 500 singles like the BSA B50 […]
Radicalized: Suzuki Katana 1100 Restomod - Final Edition Katana, Radicalized by AC Sanctuary… In 1980, the original Suzuki Katana 1100 rocked the motorcycling world with its angular, space-age design. It was the vision of legendary German designer Hans Muth, who’d been […]
Rev Happy: “RIZKET” Suzuki GT750 Special - Alan Green’s RIZKET: Finalist for the 2024 KICKBACK Builders’ Builder Awards… In 1971, Suzuki introduced the GT750, a two-stroke triple-cylinder grand tourer that made history as the first mass-produced Japanese bike to offer liquid cooling. […]
