Categories: Cafe Racer

Honda Hornet 600 by Officina Ricci

Honda Hornet is not the first bike that comes to mind when You think about customising. But it turns out, as I was quite surprised myself – that it makes great “Cafe Racer” styled motorcycle. I managed to select a Top 5 post some time ago. This build would be an exceptional addition to that list.

Officina Ricci decided to take on this unlikely donor bike

I like to call this kind of builds as “Retromods”, as they are quite the opposite to  “Restomod” principles. In a restomod – You take an old motorcycle, and make it ride, brake, handle better. In “Retromodding” You take some pretty modern machine and since already rides good, You make it look old.

 I was inspired by the ‘Café Racers’ dating back to the 70s with the purpose of obtaining a ‘clean and essential’ vehicle.

In this particular case, the minimalism was the key. It turns out that taking a CB500K3 tank with side covers from Z400 (modified) does the job. As Lucca Ricci (the founder of Officina Ricci) states:

In order to reach my aim, I tried to focus on some details such as the painting and tail section, but I didn’t alter too many things. In fact, the only thing I modified was the wiring and, as a result, I obtained a more harmonious silhouette.  I also made the rims and the exhaust.

Spoked wheels always work. The only concern I have with Honda Hornet (not specifically this one, but all of them) is the coolant hose on the right side of the engine. The engine itself is not the prettiest one on the market. It doesn’t come close to air-cooled beauties from the ’70s. But it doesn’t matter as the bike presents itself as an excellent proposition for Hornet owners.

Lucca has a degree in Product Design, which helped him to make some details using modern tools and technologies like the 3D printer. Modern yet old-fashioned speedo from Koso fits the stock top yoke nicely (right between empty handlebar mounts). Classic looking rubber grips. Retro looking megaphone exhaust.

The overall result?

Brave bike choice paid off. It looks as classical as it’s possible. And it was the point of the build. Not bad as for the second project from Officina Ricci!

BTW. Lack of mirrors, brake light and turn signals is only temporary, to make the bike present itself better for a photo shoot. This thing is road legal!

 Source: Officina Ricci | Photos: Alan Montesanto 

Comments

comments

Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

Yamaha XT 600 “BS ONE” by Krystian and Janusz Bednarek

Long time, no text. I'm in a process of rethinking what this blog should be…

3 years ago

Honda XR250 “Aggressor 1” by Lucky Custom

Lucky Custom is a brand that was already featured on this blog. Twice... This tells…

3 years ago

Yamaha XV750 Virago “Drogon” by Kila Adame

Yes. It is another Virago. Yamaha XV750, somehow this mediocre machine has stolen the hearts…

3 years ago

Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 by Bad Winners

Oh man, how special this build is.  Cafe Racer genre reinvented by choosing the exotic…

3 years ago

Top 5 Custom Motorcycles of 2019

End of year is near... time to summarize 2019. Few general comments though. First of all…

3 years ago

BMW K1200RS by Ugly Motors

BMW K1200RS is not the first choice when You think about building a custom motorcycle.…

4 years ago

This website uses cookies.