Hachimaan: Honda GB350 Chopper

Garage Dreams: MAAN-built Chopper from Sardinia! 

The new Honda GB350S is making positive waves among riders and reviewers. The retro single-cylinder thumper offers classic style, simplicity of design, and costs less than £4000 new. It have only around 20 brake horsepower and 21 pound-feet of torque, but the fun factor is high and the minimalist design is refreshing in an age of ever more complex and powerful machines.

“I think the GB350S might be about the most honest modern classic bike you can go out and buy. In fact, if it wasn’t for the LED lights, LCD element in the dash and fuel injection, it’s almost like Honda built it according to manufacturing standards from the 70s and 80s.” –Visordown

We recently featured the Honda Garage Dreams contest, where Honda provided donor GB350 models to bike builders and dealerships to customize for the 2025 Wheels & Waves Festival. There was only one entry from Italy, and it comes from our friend Nicola Manca and the crew of Sardinia’s Motocicli Audaci (MAAN). To our eye, it certainly seems the most extensively modified example in the contest.

Garage Dreams: Honda GB350 Customs!

MAAN won the 2022 contest with their Honda Rebel 500 Sand Racer, so they wanted to take things to an ever higher level this time around. The GB350S lends itself to scrambler and cafe racer builds, so Nicola and crew went a different direction:

“With this in mind, we decided that we would go the opposite way, building a Japanese-style bobber that would make the most of the bike’s real novelty: the single-cylinder upright engine. So we wanted to make a minimalist bike, with very little superstructure and a very clean line.”

Most of the bikes in the competition don’t have modified frames. In contrast, this MAAN-built bobber has a full hardtail conversion. The forks were shortened 50 mm, and the bike now has a suicide-style foot clutch and hand shift, which allows for a super-clean set of handlebars. The tank is a small peanut unit, and Willy Chiappa tackled the gorgeous candy paint job, complete with old-school flames.

“The bike still had to recall the 70s and the marine context of Wheels and Waves… The paintwork, especially in sunlight, makes the engine and all the construction work stand out even more.”

Given the level of fabrication involved in this project, it’s pretty amazing the MAAN boys built the bike in just 40 days!

“It took us over 250 hours of work, spending morning, evening and night in our atelier. But it was a wonderful challenge…”

The nickname, “Hachimaan,” has a special meaning:

“Hachiman (with one A), is in fact the kami of the Shinto religion representing the God of war. But he also represents the protector of Japan and the Japanese people. We therefore used this name as a tribute to Honda and the opportunity the Japanese manufacturer gives us to make these motorbikes for them.”

If you’d like to vote for this build in the contest, here’s the link: www.hondacustoms.com/it#hachimaan. Below, you’ll find our full interview with Nicola Manca (@miciogattillo) about the build, along with more photos.

GB350S Bobber: Builder Interview

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

The starting model is the new Honda GB350 of 2025. An air-cooled upright single-cylinder that lends itself perfectly to many conversions.

• Why was this bike built?

The bike was commissioned by Honda Italia for Motocicli Audaci to represent Italy at the annual contest held in Biarritz during Wheels and Waves. We had already participated in 2022 with a customisation based on the Honda Rebel 500, winning the competition with the Maanboard.

Sand Racer: Honda Rebel 500 “MAANboard”

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

Having already participated and won, we had to raise the bar even higher for this realisation. That’s why, once we saw the bike live, we assumed that it would be perfect for a scrambler, a brat, or a cafe racer. With this in mind, we decided that we would go the opposite way, building a Japanese-style bobber that would make the most of the bike’s real novelty: the single-cylinder upright engine. So we wanted to make a minimalist bike, with very little superstructure and a very clean line.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

We rebuilt the entire rear frame, making it rigid so that we could install a rear wing flush with the wheel. The fuel tank is a classic 8-litre peanut, which made it possible to make the engine even more visible. The front fork was shortened by 5 cm and the front wheel was turned to remove the brake disc mounts.

For an even cleaner look, we decided to install a “suicide” style gearbox with a foot clutch and hand lever, so that all levers are removed from the handlebars.

To further contrast the work done on the frame and superstructure, we entrusted the paint job to our friend Willy, to whom we gave the green light on his creative ability. The bike still had to recall the 70s and the marine context of Wheels and Waves.

He therefore created a candy paint job with old school flames. The same flames were also used in the fork stanchions, to which a chiselling was also added.

The paintwork, especially in sunlight, makes the engine and all the construction work stand out even more.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

Like all motorbikes made by Motocicli Audaci, this one has the word “MAAN” in its name. The one we chose was Hachimaan. Hachiman (with one A), is in fact the kami of the Shinto religion representing the God of war. But he also represents the protector of Japan and the Japanese people. We therefore used this name as a tribute to Honda and the opportunity the Japanese manufacturer gives us to make these motorbikes for them.

• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?

Being a bobber, we were not so interested in riding power, which is around 20 horsepower anyway. However, we figured that was enough for someone who wanted to ride such a bobber and enjoy the ride and the waves of Biarritz. Instead, we felt it was too little power to make a cafe racer and so this also made us decide not to make a bike in that style

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

Having a “suicide” type gear lever, it is definitely an extreme bike, not to be ridden by inexperienced people. Instead, it is a bike designed for those who believe that style is everything.

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

We are very satisfied not only with the realisation and harmony of the bike, but also with the fact that we were able to build it in only 40 days. It took us over 250 hours of work, spending morning, evening and night in our atelier. But it was a wonderful challenge and we are happy to have found so many favours from the public who were able to appreciate it live and in photos.

• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

We certainly have Willy to thank for the magnificent paint job. But also to our friends at Bobber Cycles who provided us with the necessary parts in a very short time. In addition to them, special thanks go to those who are voting for our bike on www.hondacustoms.com/it#hachimaan and supporting our project. We know that they are many and not only from Italy, so it means that they like our realisation regardless of the national vote to support us in the competition. We are in fact the only ones representing Italy in the contest.

Follow the Builders

www.motocicliaudaci.com
@motocicliaudaci
@miciogattillo
@wolf.slm
@william.chiappa121

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