Rally Raider: Honda Dominator 650 Rally Bike

NX650 Desert Thumper from Manara Artwork…  

We’ve long said that many of our favorite bike-builders have racing backgrounds. Motorcycle racers tend to have a deep knowledge of geometry and mechanics, but racing doesn’t always allow them to express their creativity and style to its full potential.

Our new friend Paolo Manara is one such former racer turned builder. Born in Cremona, Italy, Paolo has always had a love for engines and motorcycles. He spent 12 years racing motocross successfully at a regional and national level, taking home two championships…but also several injuries.

“Until 2017, after yet another serious injury, I decided to hang up my helmet and embark on a new path, namely motorcycle customization.”

His first show bike, “Amazzone” (Amazon), built from an older Suzuki GSX-R, was quite the mind-blowing creation, combining his love of motorcycle performance with his woodworking skills and passion. Now he’s back with quite a different machine, a ’91 Honda Dominator 650.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ve come to know this model well. It was Honda’s air-cooled single-cylinder “trailie” of the 90s — an adventure bike that took inspiration from the Paris-Dakar Rally, and whose engine lives on in the XR650L.

This made it the perfect platform for what Paolo had in mind:

“Ths motorbike was built as a company project combining my two great passions, the love for off-road and motorbikes from the 80s and 90s… The project aims to propose a rally-raid motorbike for medium-long off-road trips, without neglecting aesthetics and adding a touch of my style.”

While most builders strip down the fairing-clad Dominator into a leaned-out scrambler, Paolo decided to embrace the Dakar-inspired bodywork and build an air-cooled rally bike that looks wholly distinct from what we’ve come to expect from these donors…and we love it.

Paolo says everything last component on the bike has been modified or replaced, right down to the last screw. It’s running modern inverted forks, Italian-made Boano bodywork, reinforced spoke wheels, a nonslip Tecnosel saddle, LED lighting, and much more. 

The result is a bespoke rally raider with a retro shape and modern suspension, brakes, and finishes — like an alt-world version of a Cagiva Elefant. It’s a sharp departure from his “Amazzone” build, demonstrating the Paolo’s range as well as vision — and returning to his off-road roots.

Below, we talk to Paolo for more details on the build, including a full mods list, and thanks goes out to Matteo Blaschich of StudioPiTre for the photos.

NX650 Rally Bike: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I have always been a motorcyclist, when I was young I competed in motocross in national championships for several years. Until 2017, after yet another serious injury, I decided to hang up my helmet and embark on a new path, namely motorcycle customization.

With my first “Amazzone” show bike and the great interest it aroused, I decided to make a business out of it and open my own workshop.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

1991 Honda NX650 Dominator.

• Why was this bike built? (Customer project, company promotion, personal, etc.)

This motorbike was built as a company project combining my two great passions, the love for off-road and motorbikes from the 80s and 90s, with the possibility of advertising my new business.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

The project aims to propose a rally-raid motorbike for medium-long off-road trips, without neglecting aesthetics and adding a touch of my style.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

In this project, every single component of the motorbike has undergone a modification or complete replacement; from the largest component down to the last screw, every detail has been taken care of.

Mechanics and chassis:

• Complete front end
• Modified air box
• Complete exhaust
• Lengthened swingarm
• Replaced front and rear braking system
• Modified rear subframe
• New carburetion
• Custom brake discs
• Reinforced wheel spokes

Components:

• Digital rpm counter
• Custom-made instrument holder
• LED front and rear lights
• LED depth lights
• Double thickness inner tubes
• 28 handlebar
• Handguards
• Simplified electrical system
• Boano mudguard and fairings
• Oversized footrests
• Non-slip Tecnosel saddle
• New tires
• Bushings and spacers machined from solid aluminum

Aesthetics:

• Painting of frame and wheel hubs in triple layer metallic
• Ceramic painted engine/swingarm crankcase
• Various anodizing
• Powder painting of matte black components
• Painting of fairings with graphics

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

These bikes are famous for their reliability, light weight with good mid-range torque. With the changes made to the suspension and intake exhaust, the bike is now more powerful and stable over potholes in fast sections, without losing handling.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

The aesthetics and choice of colors were a gamble but it makes me particularly proud as I decided to use colors and finishes never used before on this type of motorbike.

Follow the Builder

Website: www.manara-artworks.it
Instagram: @manara_artworks
Facebook: Paolo Gilles Manara
Photographer: Matteo Blaschich, StudioPiTre