Honda CM200T Customized – BikeBound

Custommade C.A. rebuilds and reimagines a household heirloom… 

Obtainable from 1980-83, the Honda CM200T TwinStar was a beginner-friendly parallel-twin produced as a part of Honda’s “Customized Motorbike” lineup, utilizing the identical chassis, engine, and brakes because the CD200 Benly.

One of many extra common adverts confirmed a scholar in a varsity letterman’s jacket cruising in entrance of a faculty bus stuffed with impressed high-schoolers, and Honda’s promoting made a lot of the manufacturing facility customized type so common on the time:

“It’s that new type of lowdown look, however in a extra civilized dimension. Consider it as heck on wheels.”

Whereas these aesthetics have develop into a bit outdated, the TwinStar was a succesful little commuter with the anticipated Honda reliability and pluck.

Not too long ago, we heard from our good friend Christos of Greece’s Custommade C.A., whose buyer, Giannis, wished to revive his father’s 1983 CM200T, which had been sitting for practically 20 years within the storage. Nonetheless, when Giannis realized what unbelievable customized work the Athens-based store might do, he commissioned them for a full customized construct of his father’s outdated bike, taking inspiration from a Paris-Dakar-themed BMW he’d seen on the ‘web.

Christos and crew rebuilt the engine and carburetor to manufacturing facility spec, fitted KTM Duke 390 upside-down forks with disc brakes and a set of 18″ / 17″ wheels, prolonged the swingarm 5 inches for an extended wheelbase, revamped the electronics with an Axel Joost “trick field” and motogadget handlebar switches, and used the freed-up house contained in the body triangle for an underseat storage space.

Buddy of the workshop Vasilis (@_flets) dealt with the paint, airbrushing the Honda emblem on the tank, whereas different buddies and associates fabricated the scratch-built exhaust and customized saddle. The result’s one candy little scrambler certain to deliver smiles to Giannis for years to come back:

“It’s an absolute pleasure to journey her within the metropolis, on the again roads, and even the filth! The bike alone is a head-turner and the wonderful sound of the exhaust attracts much more attraction.”

Beneath, we speak to Christos for the complete particulars on the construct.

Honda CM200 Scrambler: Builder Interview

• What’s the make, mannequin, and 12 months of the donor bike?

Honda CM200T, 1983.

• Why was this bike constructed?

The preliminary concept was to really restore the proprietor Giannis’s Honda CM200T, which belonged to his father and had been sitting for years of their storage, getting rusty. It was stalled for greater than 20 years, however it seemed in fairly good situation primarily based on its age.

At first, the objective was to get it up and operating with none additional modifications. Giannis was pondering that because it has a small kind issue it could be ultimate for commuting and brief journeys. Within the meantime, a typical good friend had already collaborated with Custommade C.A. and knowledgeable him that we not solely restored his bike but in addition made customized components and completely revamped it. A couple of years later (enjoyable reality: Giannis was recovering from a motorbike accident), he determined to DM us on Instagram for the precise undertaking and that is how it began!

• What was the design idea and what influenced the construct?

The principle inspiration behind this undertaking got here from a beefy Paris-Dakar-themed BMW R 9 T which Giannis noticed on Pinterest. After a lot of designs and discussions, we understood that in our case, a extra minimal dealing with was required as a way to match the silhouette of our bike. It began as a brat, ended up a scrambler.

• What customized work was performed to the bike?

First was the engine and the carburetor. The engine was not operating nicely, with a great deal of smoke from the exhaust, so we selected a full rebuild. The block and head had been skimmed with new pistons and valve information fitment. Then it bought a recent powder-coat and every part was reassembled with new gaskets to the manufacture specs. The carb bought the identical stage of therapy with ultrasonic cleansing and glass-blast end.

As quickly as we had the engine performed, we moved onto the efficiency half with suspension and brakes. On the entrance we fitted a USD fork from a KTM Duke 390 with an 18-inch wheel and four-piston caliper with 320mm brake disc.

On the rear we fitted a pair of adjustable (preload and rebound) shocks to have the bike properly balanced, with 17-inch rim. The wheels had been mixed with off-road tyres. At that time we confronted an issue with the wheelbase of the bike — it was actually brief! We couldn’t discover a longer swingarm, so we resolve to increase the present one about 5 inches.

Subsequent step was the subframe, which needed to be a bit longer to match the brand new wheelbase, with customized facet panels to cover the battery and the electronics. All of the electronics had been hidden beneath the seat, due to the minimalist design of the Axel Joost trick field that covers all of the capabilities of the bike with solely two buttons. A two-switch handlebar module from motogadget was paired with the trick field and mixed with a Daytona Velona speedometer to offer a clear look to the handlebar.

For the lighting we use a 5.75-inch LED and pair of motogadget flip indicators on the rear, which had been mounted on our customized suspension mounts.

The taillight and entrance flip indicators had been constructed in-house with the assistance of our 3D printer. Customized mounts had been created additionally for the headlight-speedometer and the entrance and rear fenders.

 

A brand new full exhaust system was additionally produced from scratch by certainly one of our associates and a brand new seat to match the basic scrambler type of the brand new gas tank was designed.

Lastly all components however the gas tank and facet panels we powder-coated. The gas tank and the facet panels had been painted by our good good friend Vasilis (@_flets) together with his wonderful airbrush expertise.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

The undertaking is named “Catis,” impressed by how cats are pronounced in Greek, all through the island of Crete.

• Are you able to inform us what it’s prefer to journey this bike?

The bike is mild and agile! It’s an absolute pleasure to journey her within the metropolis, on the again roads, and even the filth! The bike alone is a head-turner and the wonderful sound of the exhaust attracts much more attraction. The trendy and high-quality elements of the suspension and brakes offer you a sense of security and management, leaving you with an enormous smile after each journey!

• Was there something performed throughout this construct that you’re notably happy with?

The bike’s left facet panel, which reveals an underseat storage space. Initially designed to be a set panel for hiding the house, it has been freed up due to the bike’s new electrical system.

Observe the Builder

Paint by Vasilis Flets (@_flets)

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