Here's two wildly contrasting modified motorcycles vying for your attention. In the scrambler corner, a rescued CL350 brought bang up to date and in the cafe racer corner, a virtually unrecognisable CX500. What they have in common is that they're both Hondas, with all of the heritage and reliability associated with that storied Japanese brand. Which will be your Honda selection? A deliciously difficult choice.
Honda CL350 scrambler by Slipstream Creations
When this sleek machine arrived at Slipstream's workshops in St. Louis, Missouri it was in a sorry state. Dented all over and with a Tupperware container replacing its rear light, the CL350 had clearly seen better days. Slipstream recognised that despite its advanced years - the bike dates from 1972 - its best times lay ahead. And look at it now.
First-off the structural basics. The rear subframe was replaced by a striking, stylish unit, suitable for the one-person bespoke saddle that the client had decided on. The Tupperware tail light is long gone with a tiny LED unit in its place. Upfront, forks and disc brake are from a Honda CB360 while there are fresh 18" rims wearing on/off road tyres.
The battered original fuel tank has been rescued, refurbished and made as-new. The new colour scheme begins with subtle light grey for the frame and gold for the new wheel rims. The elegant stripes on the refurbished tank reflect these and add a chunk of blue which, along with black to all mechanical parts, creates a striking, on-the-money machine. A long life lies ahead.
Honda CX500 cafe racer by Harry Blaise Fryer with Jackson Motorcycles
This is one brutal machine, now cruising the streets of London in the hands of its owner Harry Blaise Fryer, who enlisted Jackson Motorcycles to create this dream of a cafe racer. The original motorcycle would win no prizes for looks, and that meant there was much work to do. Big changes front and rear came first: a slinky new subframe graces the rear in a monoshock setup, while a Suzuki GSX-R600 donated forks and twin front brakes for the reimainged front of the CX500.
An eye-catching set of RaceTec RR tyres by Metzeler add further muscle, with huge drag-style rubber to the rear. Fryer disliked the original tank and the curvy replacement you see here comes from a classic Benelli Mojave, adding the style of the 1960s to the build. A bespoke fuel cap finishes the look while the tank melds seamlessly into a one-off black saddle in Alcantara and leather, finished with dark grey diamond stitching.
Colour is provided by a take on Subaru blue complemented by silver to the tank, contrasting nicely with satin black on the frame and grey to the engine. The end result is an immensely powerful cafe racer with all that you need for both the style of the Kings Road and the substance of the open road. Simply brilliant.
Which one to own? In an ideal world, we'd avoid choosing between these two motorcycles and have them both as the perfect bespoke Honda motorcycle garage. The only difficulty then would be which to take out on an early Sunday morning ride. Now that's a difficult choice we'd like to have.
Get your fix of all things automotive at The Garage.
