Dinostyle Honda CX500 Custom Roadster

Custom CX500 from Dinostyle Garage…

We’re nearing 50 years since the Honda CX500 was introduced. Who expected this strange middleweight V-twin street bike, which earned the nickname “plastic maggot” during its heyday, would become a darling donor of the custom motorcycle world more than four decades after its release?

Introduced in 1978, the CX500 was Honda’s first-ever V-twin production bike. Honda has always been known to do things their own way, however, so the CX was no American or Italian clone. It was liquid-cooled and shaft-drive, with a longitudinal crank and stressed-member frame design, and the cylinders were rotated 22 degrees inward, splaying the exhaust wide enough to fit a front radiator.

“It is an oddity but a technological tour de force. I mean, I guess now you could maybe point to a liquid-cooled Guzzi or something that is similar, but back then? This mahfk was weird.” -Lemmy, Revzilla

The CX500 might have been lost to history — an innovative but wayward crack at Honda’s first V-twin — except that it simply worked. In fact, it earned the hard-won love of UK motorcycle couriers, who needed an utterly reliable mount to brave Britain’s roads in all kinds of conditions. Today, it helps that these bikes are plentiful, affordable, interesting, and sound great uncorked.

This 1985 CX500 comes to us from Ntinos Papaefthimiou of Trikala, Greece’s Dinostyle Garage. It’s the first custom we’ve featured from the Greek builder, but Ntinos has been building bikes for more than two decades, often rebuilding wreck-damaged machines into one-off café racers and scramblers…and he has a soft spot for vintage Hondas, especially the CX500.

Ntinos built this particular CX for a friend from boxes of parts, but there was no mistaking the vision of what the bike could become.

“The main idea was very clear — a classic and reliable Honda motorcycle transformed with modern touches and contemporary materials.” -Ntinos

It’s no easy feat to transform the awkward proportions of the original CX into a machine that pleases the eye, but Ntinos has done that and more. This is one of the more graceful CX500 customs we’ve seen, and the performance has been enhanced alongside the aesthetics with Yamaha R1 forks and brakes, a reinforced swingarm, YSS rear suspension, Excel rims laced to custom CNC-machined aluminum hubs, Mikuni carbs, custom exhaust, and more.

Below, Ntinos gives us the full story on this CX500 custom roadster.

In the Builder’s Words…

For the past 20 years, I have been passionately involved with motorcycles. My journey began by transforming damaged bikes into unique café racers and scramblers. Over the years, I’ve built numerous custom motorcycles, with the Honda CB and CX500 models holding a special place in my heart.

Today, I’m excited to present one of my favorite motorcycles from the 1980s — a 1985 Honda CX500 DELUXE 500cc. In this particular case, as often happens, a friend of mine asked me to complete a great project that had been on hold for two years, with all its parts stored in boxes!

The main idea was very clear — a classic and reliable Honda motorcycle transformed with modern touches and contemporary materials. This included upgrades to the brakes, suspension, wheels, and various other parts.

The frame of the motorcycle was modified at the front to accommodate new front forks from a 2004 Yamaha R1. An aftermarket handlebar was installed, equipped with all the necessary controls for ignition and lights, sourced from the same Yamaha model. Additionally, both the front and rear braking systems were upgraded with Yamaha R1 components for enhanced stopping power.

The rear section of the Honda CX500 was redesigned and modified to fit a custom seat from a Ducati Monster 620, which I personally upholstered. The wheels are fully custom and handcrafted, featuring CNC-machined hubs made from cast aluminum and Excel rims for durability and performance.

The rear swingarm was reinforced and modified for added strength, supporting a high-performance YSS suspension. A modern LED headlight was installed, along with a digital multifunction gauge displaying speed and RPM, and LED turn signals. At the rear, I kept the original Ducati tail light to maintain a classic touch.

I also fabricated a custom metal bracket to mount the license plate on the side of the rear wheel, inspired by BMW R models. The exhaust system consists of aftermarket pipes with modified internals for a deeper, more aggressive sound. Finally, I equipped the engine with two 34mm Mikuni carburetors to boost performance and responsiveness.