XL Style Retromod: Honda Tiger 250 Scrambler

A Frame-Swapped Retro-Enduro Scrambler from Solace Motorcycle…  

The Honda Tiger (GL200) was a ~200cc SOHC machine produced and sold for many years in the Indonesia market. It was intended not as a small commuter, but as more of a premium middleweight street/sport-touring machine for that particular market. Though it only offered ~18 horsepower, the Tiger was nearly bulletproof and became a popular donor for customization. 

This build comes from our friends at Solace Motorcycle in Jakarta, who were behind Pungky Mardhany’s Yamaha WR155R “West Rambler,” which we recently featured.

The West Rambler Returns: Yamaha WR155R Scrambler

It was built for their client Haryo Djati (@haryodjati), who’s into classic / restomod cars and bikes. 

‘The design concept was influenced by the 1980s Honda XL125 model, but with modern touches and mixed ideas.”

The engine may have come from a 2005 Tiger 2000, but the Solace Motorcycle crew gave it a 250cc big-bore kit and swapped the motor into a red-painted Honda CRF150L dual-sport frame to create a much more dirt-centric machine. To this they added a KLX150 front end, fiberglass fuel tank, and handmade bodywork: side covers, fenders, bracketry, etc. 

The result is a 250cc dual-purpose machine with classic Honda looks and 21st-century underpinnings. As you might expect, this retromod creation definitely turns heads on the street.

“It feels very light and effortless to ride this bike due to the CRF150L frame swap and upgraded engine. It seems feels like everyone stops to stare at it since it has a classic Honda look…”

We love the ingenuity that went into this build, the old-school enduro look, and the head-turning nature that makes you wonder what is that? Well done to the whole Solace Motorcycle team. We look forward to featuring more from this Jakarta-based shop.

Below you’ll find our in-depth interview with the team, along with more photos and video of the build. You can follow the workshop online at @solacemotor. 

Honda GL200 Scrambler: Builder Interview

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

We are Solace Motorcycle from Jakarta, Indonesia. We are a creative collective with several different lines of work related to motorcycle lifestyle. We build bikes, working on collaborative projects with local and also worldwide brands; we’ve built our own community; and we also work on creative social media output in photography and videography.

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

The original engine comes from a Honda GL200 (known as the Honda Tiger in the Indonesian market), model year 2005. This was a favorite sport touring bike here from the early 2000s until they finally discontinued production on the final model in 2017.

• Why was this bike built? 

This bike build by order from our customer Haryo Djati (@haryodjati) who has an interested in retro-mod autos. He’s not only into bikes, but also classic cars (VW, Holden, BMW, etc.).

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

The design concept was influenced by the 1980s Honda XL125 model, but with modern touches and mixed ideas.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

• Frame swap with CRF150L
• Fiberglass fuel tank
• Custom handmade bodywork (side cover, fender, brackets, etc)
• Kawasaki KLX150 front end
• Engine upgrade (from 200cc to 250cc)

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

The engine hasn’t been dyno-tested, but commonly it will reach around 29-32HP with this upgrade.

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

It feels very light and effortless to ride this bike due to the CRF150L frame swap and upgraded engine. It also feels like everyone stops to stare at it since it has a classic Honda look. We never tested it off-road since we didn’t have much time to test this one.

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

This bike is our very first classic modern tracker that took from classic enduro DNA, and we did it correctly. Our workshop usually build something more common such scramblers, bratstyle, and cafe racers.

• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Thank you to Haryo Djati for trusting this project to us. And thanks to the whole Solace Motor team for making it it happen.

Follow the Builder

Instagram: @solacemotor | @solace.dev

More from Solace Motorcycle

---