Year: 1970/2021 | Built by: Dia de los Motos
You may know the Honda CB350 as one of the company's best-selling bikes, a slightly staid, reliable commuter. But not for part-time customiser Miguel Castro, who's taken a tatty 50-year-old example of Honda's bestseller and transformed it into a two-wheeled ray of Californian sunshine with added oomph and maximum desirability. Every inch of this custom build is both audacious and meticulous. Oh, and did we say colourful, too?
While by night Miguel Castro moonlights as Dia de los Motos, his day job is in advertising. There is more than a hint or two of that background in the way the Honda not so much catches the eye, but actively demands attention. It’s a look that says: "I want it now!" No one wanted the Honda before its transformation. The 1970 CB350 was resting sadly in a garage, engine seized, frame thankfully sound. Castro rescued the bike, and began imagining what this tired machine could become.
The seized engine was first on the workbench, for a full rebuild. New oversized pistons and rings are by Wiseco while the Honda now breathes through twin Mikuni VM30 carburettors with foam pod filters by Uni Filter. The new two into one exhaust was hand-welded: like so much on this custom, it's both bespoke and the work of one man, working in his spare time. Impressive is hardly the word.
Suspension is single-shock to the rear – with the help of some Honda CBR parts – and via inverted Suzuki GSX-R front forks at the front, where smart twin Tokico discs now do the braking. A custom rear subframe houses an equally bespoke saddle, commissioned from New Church Moto. Most arresting of all is that super-bold design to the tank, executed to Castro's specifications by Black Widow Custom Paint. Handlebars are by Renthal while the new headlight is by PIAA.
For anyone who's keen, Castro is keen to emphasise the bike is for sale, mostly so he can get on with another project. Price undisclosed, fun factor unlimited.
And now for a custom build of a different kind: the Yamaha TW225 by Deus Customs Japan.
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