This Retro-Inspired Custom Honda Is Ready to Dominate the Racetrack

The little CX500 has been reimagined as a fire-breathing race bike.

Austria‘s most famous export may be Arnold Schwarzenegger, but National Custom Tech Motorcycles could change that with incredible custom bikes like this Honda CX500, named “Highflyer.”

While we have seen Honda’s CX500 ugly duckling evolve into a beautiful swan as a custom bobber by Auto Fabrica or cafe racer like the Blacktrack BT-01, NCT Motorcycles has gone all-in remaking the little V-twin as a racebike, even posing it with color-matched tire warmers as if it were preparing to qualify for a MotoGP race.

They’ve even redeemed the factor Comstar wheels, powder coating them and the frame in matching black. Those are Avon tires on the Comstars.

The inverted fork is borrowed from a Ducati and is powder-coated blue to match the blue on Highflyer’s gas tank. The throwback paint scheme was inspired by Honda’s 2016 CB1000 TR concept bike, which was built to look like a flat track racer.

NCT went to familiar suppliers for the brakes and shock absorber, with Brembo brake calipers squeezing massive 320 mm front rotors and an Ohlins adjustable shock absorber controlling rear suspension movement in place of the old-tech twin shocks originally used.

The brakes and shock may be off the shelf, but the V-twin’s exhaust system is entirely hand-made in NCT’s shop.

Naturally, NCT ditched the clunky factory instruments, going in favor of Motogadget’s display atop an LED headlight.

We love NCT’s take on the CX500, illustrating the variety of style available to creative custom bike-builders.

h/t: BikeExif