Xuxu’s Team Sandraiders: Honda NX650 Dominator Rally Bikes

Two Classic Rally-Raid Bikes from a Father-Son Rally Racing Team…  

Today the Dakar Rally takes place each year in Saudi Arabia. While the landscapes and competition remain as epic as ever, there are those of us who remain nostalgic for the Paris-Dakar Rally of old, when legendary riders like Thierry Sabine, Hubert Auriol, and Gaston Rahier tackled North Africa on air-cooled machines of almost mythic proportions.

Today, that rally spirit lives on through events like Sandraiders, which takes riders on vast journeys across Morocco and Tunisia.

“Experience an adventure like the Dakar rallies of the eighties… More than 1400 km of beaches, tracks, deserts and mountains with the best medical and mechanical team and security.”

Founded by African rally veteran Pep Segura, Sandraiders isn’t a competitive race, but an adventure in the style of the old Paris-Dakar Rallies, complete with navigation and obligatory checkpoints. There are typically seven stages of 200-250 km each, and in the main class, only bikes built before 2000 are allowed. Jordi Arcarons, who raced Dakar 16 times and finished second four separate times, even rides alongside the participants. 

Enter our new friends Toni and Albert Viñas, the father-son duo behind Xuxu’s Team. In the 80s and 90s, father Toni competed in motocross, enduro, and rally raids such the Baja Aragón (1989-93) alongside his friends and uncles — together, they called themselves Xuxu’s Team. For the rallies, Toni rode a Honda NX650 Dominator and an XR600R, which share the same basic RFVC engine architecture.

Fast forward to the 2020s, and Xuxu’s Team was reborn as a father-son venture. Says Albert:

“From a family with a tradition of motorcycling and a passion for the Honda RFVC DOHC engine (a legendary and indestructible engine), the idea was born to prepare two Honda NX650 Dominators to participate in classic motorcycle raids.”

Their first event would be a big one — Sandraiders 2024 — which would involve crossing more than 1600 kilometers through the mountains and deserts of southern Morocco. The two Dominators are ’92 and ’96 models, but Albert and Toni prepared them similarly for the raid. 

While the NX650 Dominator features Dakar-inspired styling and the RFVC single that proved itself so bulletproof in the Baja-winning XR600R, it’s a long way from a real rally bike in stock trim — Albert and Toni had their work cut out for them. First they revamped the suspension to handle the fast, rocky tracks of Morocco.

“Reinforced springs with denser oil have been fitted to the front, leaving less air chamber for better response, and the rear shock absorbers have been replaced for ones with greater travel and better performance, greatly improving handling on rocky tracks and difficult terrain.”

The bikes now sport Dakar-style dual LED headlight kits with front fenders trimmed to match the bodywork, and the rear luggage racks have been swapped for lightweight but extremely tough POM (polyoxymethylene) plastic platforms that Xuxu’s Team produces in-house and sells. 

Other highlights include shorter-ratio transmissions, desert tires with mousse tubes, upgraded brake pads and air filters, and rally-style foam grips for all-day comfort on rough terrain.

They installed Bluetooth button panels for roadbook control, wider footpegs and taller / stiffer risers for stand-up riding, non-slip seat covers, and more. The custom vinyl wraps ooze HRC nostalgia, and full rally towers are in the works for their next raids.

Despite all the upgrades, these Honda NX650 “Sandraiders” are some 20 lbs lighter than stock, weighing in at ~340 lbs with approximately 50 horsepower on tap. They look absolutely amazing — straight out of the 90s Dakar — and they performed flawlessly for the father-son duo in Africa.

“Significant improvements to the shock absorbers make riding on fast, rocky tracks much safer. The change in transmission gives you more strength and a feeling of power when riding off-road… In the 2024 Sandraiders Raid through Morocco, the bikes proved to be very reliable and suffered no breakdowns.”

We love to see a father and son spending time together on two wheels, and we wish Toni and Albert many more safe and memorable adventures on their classic rally-raid machines. We’re sure their builds will inspire quite a few Dominator owners to take a rally approach with their conversions, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for more Sandraiders bikes to feature.

Below is our full interview with son Albert Viñas of Xuxu’s Team about the builds.

Honda NX650 Dominator Rally Bikes: Racer Questionnaire

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

Xuxu’s Team is a passion for old-school motorcycles and the world of motorsports in general. Our history dates back to the late 1970s when my father Toni Viñas started competing in motocross and enduro races and, together with his group of friends, they began to call themselves “Xuxu’s Team”.

Later, they began competing in rally raid races such as the Baja Aragón (1989, 1990, 1991, 1993) alongside with my two uncles, first with a Honda Dominator and then with a Honda XR600R.

From a family with a tradition of motorcycling and a passion for the Honda RFVC DOHC engine (a legendary and indestructible engine), the idea was born to prepare two Honda NX 650 Dominators to participate in classic motorcycle raids.

In 2024, we teamed up as father and son (Toni Viñas and Albert Viñas) in a classic motorcycle raid (Sandraiders 2024), crossing more than 1,600 km through the mountains and deserts of southern Morocco.

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

These are two Honda NX 650 Dominators from 1992 and 1996, respectively, which have been properly prepared and restored.

• For what class of racing was the bike built?

These are motorcycles prepared for amateur Rally Raid competitions for classic motorcycles manufactured before 2000.

• What custom work/upgrades have been done?

In this case, the same preparations have been made on both bikes.

The most significant improvement has been to the front and rear suspension. Reinforced springs with denser oil have been fitted to the front, leaving less air chamber for better response, and the rear shock absorbers have been replaced for ones with greater travel and better performance, greatly improving handling on rocky tracks and difficult terrain.

The front has been replaced with a dual headlight kit with LED bulbs, which greatly improves night riding and reduces weight at the front, and small LED turn signals that are more resistant to falls have been installed, as well as folding rearview mirrors.

Dakar-type hard compound tires with mousse tubes have been fitted, and engine response has been improved with a shorter transmission ratio.

In terms of handling, stand-up riding has been improved with wide footpegs offering greater grip, and the handlebar has been raised with 3 cm risers and washers that make the whole assembly more rigid.

Rally Raid foam grips and a Bluetooth button panel for roadbook navigation have been installed.
The original air filter has been replaced with a foam filter that offers better engine performance and is easier to clean.

In terms of brakes, reinforced brake pads have been fitted to withstand long stages with high temperatures, and the rear brake pump has been protected with a stainless steel piece.

For luggage, the original one has been replaced with a super-resistant and lightweight plastic platform made of POM (polyoxymethylene) plastic, manufactured in-house (we sell them), which is mounted on the original anchors (plug and play) where most bags on the market can be attached.

In terms of aesthetics, the bikes have been vinyl wrapped with an original design, and the front fenders have been trimmed to match the Dakar-style front dual headlight kit.

At the rear, an LED taillight has been installed with a smaller and lighter enduro license plate holder than the original. The seats have also been upholstered with a special non-slip material for rally raid competitions.

Further ahead, there are also plans to install a navigation tower to be able to see the different tracks on the course.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

The motorcycle does not have a specific name, but if we had to name it, it would be Honda NX650 Sandraiders, since it was specifically prepared for this raid.

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

With slight improvements, it reaches almost 50 HP. The weight has been reduced from the original 164 kg to approximately 155 kg.

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

Significant improvements to the shock absorbers make riding on fast, rocky tracks much safer. The change in transmission gives you more strength and a feeling of power when riding off-road.

The hard-compound tires guarantee long days of riding many miles at high temperatures. In the 2024 Sandraiders Raid through Morocco, the bikes proved to be very reliable and suffered no breakdowns.

• Anybody you’d like to thank?

Thanks to:
• LMR Graphics for their vinyl’s and help with the design.
• Trygonal for helping us manufacture our luggage rack kits.
• Sandraiders for organizing a magnificent experience and a great raid.
• Everyone who has been involved in our project.

More Photos

Follow the Builders

Xuxu’s Team: @xuxusteam | @avinaspi | @tonivinas
Thanks: @lmrgraphics | @_sandraiders | @boano_race_parts | @hondadominator650 | @tapdesigns | @mambatec | @flowmotionracing

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