Honda CX Black

The Birth of ‘SG Customs’ Honda ‘CX Black’
After I passed my bike test in 1987, I took to the roads on my brothers Honda CX 500. It holds fond memories for me and I remember it was the bike of choice for 1980’s dispatch riders. It was the perfect bike to develop my riding skills and it helped me transition to the more modern world of Japanese two wheelers.
In early 2015, I finally took the social media plunge and ventured into the world of Instagram. I noticed a real passion from bike builders using the Honda CX 500 as a donor bike to express their imaginations. I saw a build by Blacktrack motorcycles in Luxembourg priced at 34000 Euros and it got me thinking. I knew I could build a one-off machine to exacting standards and I enlisted the help of Steve Orrin at Agile services in Halsall, Lancashire.
Steve is a highly skilled engineer who seeks perfection. He is known for his hand built frames and supplies to race winning twin shock motocross teams.
In September 2016, I sourced a 1981 donor bike which was in a sorry state and partially dismantled in the back of a garden shed. I took the bike to Steve and we began the 5 year journey to create an iconic café racer and named it the “CX Black”.
We stripped the bike back to the frame and had it blasted to create a blank canvass. It would ultimately be powder coated in satin black. I wanted clean lines and I decided to marry the CX 500 frame with a CBR 900RR Fireblade front end. This added some modern engineering to the build and gave it a menacing stance.
Steve worked his magic; he created a unique single seat rear end, changed the tank shape by hand, installed the Fireblade front end, welded on new hangers to take the Fireblade rear sets and adapted the swinging arm/main frame working with BG Motorsports, Silverstone to engineer an Ohlin mono shock conversion. He hand crafted endless bolts, washers and brackets at his private workshop.
I had the front and rear hubs CNC machined in aircraft grade aluminium by Cognito Moto in Virginia, USA then imported them to the UK. The hubs needed to take modern spokes and be compatible with both a CX 500 and a Fireblade. Cognito Moto was the only international supplier I could find and they were perfect.
Central Wheel in Birmingham took the hubs and added lightweight Supermoto alloy rims threaded with stainless spokes. The rims and hubs were also finished in satin black and complemented with Dunlop Sportsmax Mutant tyres (F- 120/70 17 F & R – 150/60 27). Steve fabricated custom mudguards and intricate brackets which hug the finished wheels.
The bike was discreetly completely professionally rewired using the fabulous Motogadget M unit technology. We installed Oberon bar end indicators, an integrated LED tail unit, an LED Bates style headlight and Rebel Moto push button handlebar controls. An antigravity battery powers the electrics and custom HEL carbon brake lines and a Koso digital speedo completes the retro look.
I commissioned Max Torque Cans in Lancashire who built a one off exhaust system with a carbon end can that fits neatly beneath the engine.
The engine was completely stripped and rebuilt by specialist motor engineers because I wanted a clean bill of health. The engine was given a satin black finish by Camcoat and finished with a full set of Inox custom stainless bolts. The air box was removed and the carbs were stripped and re-jetted before being fitted with K&N pod filters.
This has been a no expense spared, unique, meticulous build of the highest quality. The actual list of works is endless and equates to over 600 hours. The bike has an aggressive look, fabulous grunt and is a real head turner.
Full build list, photo album etc can be made available upon request.
The bike appeared in London at the 2022 Bikeshed show where it attracted a huge amount of interest. The bike has remained in dry storage ever since and not seen the road so its like a brand new bike and I’ve finally decided to let someone else enjoy it. Please contact me to discuss if you’re interested on 07771767649, [email protected] or on Instagram sg_customs2015. I’m based in the North West.
£15,995.00 ono
Thanks for looking and hope you like it!