Ten best Honda CB650R customs by Honda Europe

Cancellation of the Wheels and Waves Biarritz festival has not put a damper on Honda Motor Europe’s plans to showcase some of Europe’s best custom motorcycle builds featuring the Honda CB650R (retailing at RM43,499 in Malaysia). Commissioning builds from Spain, Portugal and France, 10 CB650Rs were modified by Honda dealers with fans able to vote for their choice on the Hondacustoms.com website, as was done previously with the Honda CB1000R Neo Sports Cafe Custom in 2020.

While retaining the stock frame and engine of the inline-four cylinder CB650R, builders were allowed free reign on bodywork, style and fittings, as well as colour schemes reflecting a specific theme or Honda racing colour. Amongst these are “Fenix” from Mototrofa Honda in Portugal, built as tribute after a fire devastated its workshop in 2019.

Fenix uses a swingarm from a Honda VFR750F sports-tourer and a front wheel taken from a CBR900RR Fireblade. The number ’93’ in the paint scheme by Nexx Helmets signifies the year Mototrofa was founded as well as homage to multiple MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez.

From France comes the CB650R Four, by Sagaz Honda of Toulouse, France, commemorating the legendary Bol D’or 24-hour endurance motorcycle race. The CB650R Four takes inspiration from the Honda RCB endurance racer of the 1976 Bol D’or at Le Mans, raced to victory by Jean-Claude Chemarin and Alex George.

ADN Motors France forwards the CB650R in flat tracker style, dubbed the “Flat Tracker.” Honda Racing Corporation colours provide the red, white and blue paint scheme, with spoked wheels from Kineo and Acerbis hand guards. A full titanium exhaust system from Arrow with twin outlets completes the flat tracker look along with a tail section from a Honda CRF modified to fit.

A bare-naked, stripped down cafe racer look comes from Spanish outfit Hakuba Motor, named “Akira.” The cafe racer seat is a custom-made carbon-fibre creation specific to Akira with the seat finished in Nubuck leather.

If readers are wondering why the Hedicion by Motor Sport Spain looks familiar, it is because this CB650R custom takes its paint scheme from the 1966 Brabham Honda BT18 Formula race car. Complementing the green and yellow racing livery, the Hedicion’s cam cover is painted yellow, complemented by the carbon-fibre cowl fairing and tailpiece, along with the titanium Akrapovic exhaust.