Honda Archives | Wind Burned Eyes

Does Honda’s CB1000F Prove Retro Bikes Are Ready to Compete With Modern Sportbikes?

Honda just took the wraps off its newest retro, the CB1000F, with a hillclimb run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It’s drawing direct inspiration from the legendary CB750F that Freddie Spencer piloted through the American AMA championships in the 1980s, but updated for 2026 riders who want style without sacrificing tech.

Under the skin sits a 1000cc inline-four engine borrowed from the Fireblade and re-worked for real-world punch. The result: 122 horsepower at 9000rpm and 76 lb-ft of torque at 8000 rpm.

10 Best 50cc Scooters In America

These are the best 50cc scooters in America that you can buy right now.

I talk a lot about motorcycles on this website, but there is another two-wheeled machine that deserves serious credit: the 50cc scooter.

Plenty of motorcycle riders write off 50cc scooters, but they miss the point. These machines are simple to maintain, easy to maneuver, and cheap to run. They pull triple-digit fuel economy numbers, fit into tight parking spaces, and offer built-in storage space that most street motorcycles can only dream of.

Can Honda’s V3R 900 E-Compressor Redefine How We Think About Performance?

Honda just filed a design patent that signals the V3R 900 E-Compressor is moving from concept to production.

The document, published in early July after a March filing with Australia’s IP office, shows a road-ready version of the 900cc machine with mirrors, signals, reflectors, and a license plate holder. It’s the clearest look yet at how Honda plans to turn its radical electric supercharger concept into a street bike.

Custom Honda CL360 Scrambler by Slipstream Creations

James Fawcett of Slipstream Creations breathed new life into a neglected 1975 Honda CL360 scrambler, a bike with immense sentimental value that had been given to its owner, Chris, for his 14th birthday back in 1985.

Over the course of four decades, the motorcycle had lapsed into severe disrepair from being stored outdoors, prompting a complete restomod transformation. Utilizing the CL360’s robust tubular steel frame, Fawcett stripped away unnecessary factory tabs and welded on a custom rear seat hoop bent from one-inch chromoly steel.

Custom Honda CB750F1 by Matthias Ebenhoch

Matthias Ebenhoch, a German engineer looking for an escape from his desk job, picked up a 1978 Honda CB750F1 Super Sport with a straightforward plan: spend three years and €10,000 to build a clean café racer.

Instead, between career shifts, relocations, and renovating a century-old house, the project stretched into a grueling nine-year, 1,300-hour obsession.

The E-Clutch Transition: Why Experienced Riders Are Struggling With Honda’s New Tech (And How to Fix Your Muscle Memory)

For twenty years, my left hand has had a singular job: pull, click, release. It’s a dance so deeply ingrained in my subconscious that I don’t think about it anymore. That changes with some of Honda’s new bikes.

Honda’s new E-Clutch is brilliant. It’s lighter than a DCT and more versatile than a standard quickshifter. But for those of us with a few hundred thousand miles in our “manual” memory banks, it creates a strange psychological friction. If you’ve found yourself “ghost-pulling” the lever or feeling like the bike is stalled when it isn’t, you aren’t alone.

Here is the truth about the E-Clutch transition and how to master it without losing your mind.

Custom Honda CX650 Cafe Racer by Kláwn Dara

Irishman Daragh Heffernan has taken a rare 1983 Honda CX650E Eurosport and transformed it into a custom cafe racer masterpiece he calls “Kláwn Dara.”

The project was born from a desire to celebrate “mechanical beauty” and muscle car aesthetics while paying homage to the original bike’s engineering, resulting in a build that is intricate rather than minimalist.

Custom Honda NV400 Scrambler V-Twin by Gondezh Custom Cycle

Dana Prasetya of East Java’s Gondezh Custom Cycle has transformed a 1997 Honda NV400—a small-displacement V-twin typically destined for the bobber or chopper scene—into a “Hooligan” street tracker/scrambler hybrid.

Inspired by the aggressive aesthetic of modified Harley-Davidson Sportsters, Dana aimed to prove that Honda’s liquid-cooled 400cc V-twin could serve as a lightweight, nimble alternative to a heavy “Hog.”

Custom Honda XR650L Scrambler by Parr Motorcycles

There are thousands of cool custom motorcycles out there, but this custom Honda XR650L scrambler might take the cake for me.

Spencer Parr of Parr Motorcycles from my own neck of the woods in Indiana transformed a 2024 Honda XR650L, a durable dual-sport that has been in production for over 30 years, into the stunning “Sunrise Scrambler,” designed to look as if it rolled off the Honda assembly line in the 1970s.

Custom Honda CBX1000 by Unik Motorcycles

Alright, let’s talk about a motorcycle that is less a machine and more a mechanical symphony unleashed. This is “Tatsumaki,” a 1982 custom Honda CBX1000, reborn by the wizards at Unik Motorcycles in Lisbon.

The legendary CBX is already one of the most iconic engines in history—a colossal inline-six—and for builders Tiago and Luis, the goal wasn’t just to customize it, but to truly set its thunderous heart free.