Greasy Hands, Clean Bike: Honda CBX Restomod

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

Modern Retro CBX1000 from Dubai’s Cafe Rider Customs…  

In 1978, nearly a decade since releasing the world-beating CB750, Honda unleashed the CBX1000, a brawny six-cylinder superbike with dual overhead cams, six Keihin carbs, and 105 hp  on tap from the 1047cc engine. The sheer size and power of the CBX intimidated some riders, which only seemed to heighten the bike’s allure.

“They may not have been the first kids in the 6-cylinder motorcycle game, but in their usual fashion they quickly took the reins. Making its debut as a 1979 model, the Honda CBX 1000 showed the world again what Honda was capable of. It had only been a decade since Honda set the CB750 loose, and the CBX seemed a fitting follow-up.” –Motorcycle Classics

While the bike was never a sales success, the CBX is a motorcycling icon, and it’s still known for having one of the best soundtracks in all of motorcycling. The howling fury of those six cylinders at full song sounds like nothing so much as an F1 car speeding down a high-speed straight.

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

Enter our new friend Fahim Rehman (@greasy_hands), an electric engineer whose passion for motorcycling led him to building custom bikes. Today, he’s the head builder at Dubai’s Cafe Rider Customs, where he was tasked with restoring this CBX to something closer to its original form…with some modern upgrades, of course:

“Initially, the bike was modified to resemble a naked sports bike. However, the objective of the current project was to restore the bike’s original appearance as much as possible, while enhancing its functionality.”

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

Fahim and his crew, consisting of assistants Jeevan and Sreekumar, got straight to work. Highlights include conventional Aprilia forks with custom yokes and upgraded Nissin brakes, a rear mono-shock conversion with wider rear tire, and a complete Motogadget rewire with GPS speedometer and Domino controls. The CBX is now running an electronic ignition, upsized oil cooler, aftermarket 6:6 exhaust, and original CBX side covers, tail lights, decals, and other touches.

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

The resulting build is a stunning blend of vintage style and modern technology, executed with a sharp eye for balance and very high degree of detail. Below, Fahim gives us the full story on the build, with photos courtesy of Siddharth Pandey (@sidpandey1) and editor Farhan (@tk_farhan).

Honda CBX Restomod: In the Builder’s Words…

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

About the Builder:

My name is Fahim Rehman and I go by the profile handle @greasy_hands on Instagram. For almost ten years, I have been in charge of the garage at Cafe Rider Customs, which is recognized as one of the pioneers in the cafe racer community in the area.

Despite having a background in electrical engineering, my passion for motorcycles led me to the field of custom motorcycle building. Over the course of a decade, I have created several cafe racers, some of which have received global recognition. Although I have worked on cafe racers from different eras, I have a particular fondness for vintage motorcycles.

About the Bike:

Initially, the bike was modified to resemble a naked sports bike. However, the objective of the current project was to restore the bike’s original appearance as much as possible, while enhancing its functionality.

Honda CBX1000 REstomod

The restoration started with the front of the bike. The original front forks and wheel assembly were replaced with those from an Aprilia, and a custom-made triple tree was installed to accommodate the tracker handlebar. The front fender was sourced from a CB400, and the front brakes were upgraded to Nissin. A 7-inch after-market headlight and retro-looking indicators were added. To create an old twin dial look, individual GPS speedometer and tachometer were installed on a custom-made bracket. The switch controls and throttle were replaced with Domino components.

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

A larger oil cooler was installed to improve the engine’s cooling. An original fuel tank was acquired to replace the one that had been installed during the earlier customization. The ignition was converted to electronic ignition, and Dyna ignition coils power the bike through NGK HT coils.

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

The rear subframe was fabricated entirely from steel to accommodate the lithium battery, K&N air filter, and all the electrical units. The original CBX side covers were also added. The entire bike was rewired using a Motogadget M unit blue.

Honda CBX1000 REstomod

The rear suspension was converted to a mono-shock, and a wider rear wheel was installed. Front and rear footpegs were fabricated to support the 6-into-6 aftermarket exhaust system. The newly fabricated rear subframe accommodated shorter seats and original tail lights from the CBX 1000. Finally, the bike was repainted in Honda red, and the original decals were added.

Honda CBX1000 Restomod

Follow the Builder

Owner of the bike: Frederick Ivor Bendle
Garage: Cafe Rider Custom, Dubai (@caferidercustom | Cafe Rider)
Head builder: Fahim Rehman (@greasy_hands)
Photography: Siddharth Pandey (@sidpandey1)
Editing : Farhan (@tk_farhan)
Assistant Thanks: Jeevan and Sreekumar

9 Comments

  1. Mike Common

    Very nicely turned out. The modern upgrades blend seamlessly with the classic lines of the ‘X’.

  2. Almost bought a CBX off the showroom floor. Wish I had of!

  3. Modificata veramente bene mi piace!

  4. My riding buddy had one with the six into six exhaust and the sound was beyond words when he’d blaze by at high rpms. He raced GPZ’s but loved his CBX for a street bike. Indeed! 🙂

  5. Roland Skate

    As a builder of plenty of custom CBX’s, I agree with Mike Common in that the old and new do blend seamlessly. Well done.

  6. Doug e Stowell

    The Honda cbx is a awesome bike love what been done to it !! Kick ass bike I grew up in the late 70s early 80s 2 friends of mine there were brothers they both bought the same bike bike same red color I recall the sound of those bikes when they were blocks from my house always loved that sound never forget it !! Sure wish those bikes and sone of the early 80s Kawasaki kz1000 we’re coming back on the market like they did with the Chevy Camero, the dodge charger and few others !! Ppl would love to see those bikes back out again!!

  7. Mike Honcho

    Next time turn the lights on, or better yet, take the pictures outside.

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