Highly Customized CX650 from Irishman Daragh Heffernan…
In recent years, the Honda CX series has become an unexpected darling of the customs world. With its transverse liquid-cooled pushrod V-twin, the CX was a bit of a strange bird, but the bike soon proved itself a capable workhorse:
“BRITAIN’S 25,000 plus CX500 owners could hardly ask for anything more from their machines. Since the CX’s arrival in 1978, the machine has proved itself more than a match for the demands of just about any biker from cruiser and tourer to despatch rider and scratcher.” -Motorcycle, 1983
Later, Honda upped the ante with the CX650E Eurosport, which boasted a 177cc displacement increase, 28% power boost (50 to 64 bhp), Pro-Link monoshock rear suspension, rear disc brake, electronic ignition, distinctive bodywork, and other upgrades. You can think of it as the ultimate incarnation of the CX series…barring the CX Turbo, of course.
This highly customized CX650 Eurosport comes from Daragh Heffernan (@klawndara), a native Irishman who grew up in Spiddal near Galway.
“My first custom project was a engine powered go-kart that I made from scratch with box steel and took the engine from a Honda power washer.”
Later, Daragh and his friend Megan Lynch did a good bit of restoration on her father’s old Kawasaki KZ650, which gave him the bike-building bug. In 2022, Daragh moved to Perth, Australia, where he started working part-time at Rogue Motorcycles on top of a full-time mechanical engineering gig.
“Without Billy and the team at Rogue over the years that followed this project would not have been possible. Being able to learn as I went from everyone there and use the equipment and workshop was a priceless resource and made some equally priceless memories along the way.”
This was a passion project for Daragh, and he went all-out to create a bold machine whose design would honor the original while incorporating inspirational cues from some of his favorite machines.
“The design concept was based around old-school muscle cars and a love for mechanical beauty. I also wanted to pay tribute to the original design in some ways too. The idea was not to create a minimalist bike but something that celebrated the intricacy and detail that comes with these mechanical machines.”
Leaning on the expertise and resources of the Rogue team, Daragh has pulled off one incredibly well-executed build. He gives us a full list of modifications below, but let’s hit the high points. The donor was full stripped, the welds and tabs cleaned and smoothed, laser-cut support plates added, and everything painted with epoxy primer and a dark gray paint and matte clearcoat.
Daragh swapped in the front end from a 2006 Honda Fireblade, and one of our favorite elements is the front fairing. Daragh 3D-scanned the original unit, scaled down and modified it to suit the new forks, and 3D-printed it in ABS. It echoes the original but with a leaner, bolder look — much like the rest of the bike.
The wheels are custom. The OEM rear hub was laced to a wider rim, while the front wheel consists of a Cognito Moto hub and Excel rim. Daragh milled the original Pro Link rear shock mount to fit an R1 unit, and he modified a Kawasaki Zephyr 750 tail section to suit the custom subframe, which he’d welded up with a combination of TIG welding and silicon bronze brazing. He designed the taillight from scratch and 3D-printed it using backlight acrylic. Lorenzo from Poli Motor Trimming upholstered the seat to fit a scratch-made fiberglass seat pan.
The modifications go on and on. Daragh modified the tank shape, welding in new panels, and he custom-designed and built the dashboard inlay. The radiator grille is custom, and Daragh welded up the full exhaust system himself.
“This was my first full exhaust from scratch, so I was super happy with how it came out with all the pie cuts and tight fitment of the X pipe between the engine and frame.”
Daragh also stripped and rebuilt the engine, and made the wiring loom from scratch. As you can see, this young man has put an incredible amount of work and passion into this machine, and it shows. Daragh’s name is linked to the Irish for oak (Dair), which was a very sacred tree for the Celts, symbolizing the tree of life and interconnection, and the name of his brand, Kláwn Dara (phonetic for “Clan Dara”), points to this connection.
It’s easy to see that interconnectedness on full display within this build, where aesthetics, workmanship, and functionality fuse into a single creation.
“It’s a surprisingly responsive bike to ride with a lovely amount of torque from that transverse V-twin and a nice deep tone to compliment it. Despite it being a pushrod engine and redlining at 9.5k it feels like it revs out plenty and gives a nice bit of power up top. The updated suspension and brakes give it a much stiffer and sportier feel than before. Great for a cruise or some curves through the hills.”
Hats off to Daragh for an incredible build, and we look forward to seeing what comes next for this young Irish builder. Below is our full interview with Daragh about the build, along with more photos and video.
Honda CX650E Cafe Racer: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I grew up on the west coast of Ireland in a town called Spiddal near Galway. I bought my first motorcycle there and started doing small bits to work on it myself. My first custom project was a engine powered go-kart that I made from scratch with box steel and took the engine from a Honda power washer.
Later me and a friend Megan Lynch did a bit of a restoration project on her dad’s old Kawasaki KZ650. This definitely gave me a taste for bike building and I knew I wanted more of it. This was shortly before I decided to leave Ireland and move to Perth, Australia in August 2022.
By November I had managed to find a CX650 in New South Wales and organised to get it shipped over. Thankfully I had also started working part-time at Rogue Motorcycles as well as full-time mechanical engineering. Without Billy and the team at Rogue over the years that followed this project would not have been possible. Being able to learn as I went from everyone there and use the equipment and workshop was a priceless resource and made some equally priceless memories along the way.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
Honda CX650 Eurosport 1983.
• Why was this bike built?
It’s purely a personal passion project.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The design concept was based around old-school muscle cars and a love for mechanical beauty. I also wanted to pay tribute to the original design in some ways too. The idea was not to create a minimalist bike but something that celebrated the intricacy and detail that comes with these mechanical machines.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
– Custom rear wheel adapters to lace the original hub to a wider spiked rim and tyre.
– R1 rear shock, milled original Pro Link to accommodate.
– Rear subframe fabricated from scratch using a combination of TIG welding and silicon bronze TIG brazing
– Rear fairing from a Kawasaki Zephyr 750 modified to suit the subframe and body shape
– Custom 3D printed taillight designed from scratch using backlight acrylic
– Custom seat pan from fibreglass and seat upholstery
– Front end from a 2006 Honda Fireblade.
– Custom front wheel, Cognito Moto hub and Excel rim
– Custom front fender made from scratch
– Front fairing 3D scanned from original, modified and scaled down to suit new front end and 3D-printed with ABS and fitted with custom lighting
– Custom rear brake mount bracket and shifter mechanism laser-cut from stainless steel
– Dash inlay custom designed and made using a combination of laser cutting and welding.
– Tank shape modified and seat insert removed by welding in new panels
– Custom radiator grille
– Custom exhaust with x pipe
– Frame fully stripped down, welds cleaned and smoothed, laser-cut support plates added for subframe and to change body line and painted with epoxy primer and a dark grey paint with matte clearcoat.
– Custom designed number plate bracket from stainless steel
– Fully stripped and rebuilt engine
– Wiring loom from scratch
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
Stock it’s about 70 bhp and 218 kg. I’ll get it on the scales and dyno soon hopefully.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
It’s a surprisingly responsive bike to ride with a lovely amount of torque from that transverse V-twin and a nice deep tone to compliment it. Despite it being a pushrod engine and redlining at 9.5k it feels like it revs out plenty and gives a nice bit of power up top. The updated suspension and brakes give it a much stiffer and sportier feel than before. Great for a cruise or some curves through the hills.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I think the main aspects I’m proud of are the 3D-printed bits, as they were something a bit riskier and I had not gone that far with it before — so it was a bit of an unknown but I trusted the vision. Also this was my first full exhaust from scratch, so I was super happy with how it came out with all the pie cuts and tight fitment of the X pipe between the engine and frame.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
- Billy and the Rogue Motorcylces crew for all the support, knowledge, banter, and beers. Including Shaun Del La Sol, Phil Turnwald, Ben Selboskar, Riley Fell, Mike Schmidt, and Matthew Brand.
- Lorenzo for the upholstery at Poli Motor Trimming.
- And Nathan and Jared at Car Paint Shop Balcatta for the amazing bodywork prep and paint
Follow the Builder
Instagram: @klawndara
Wonder why my comment was removed? Weird.
Just a beautiful beautiful build.