Written by Andrew Jones
?Maximum retro?. That was Tomek’s brief to himself. And as the one and only member of Warsaw’s T.Jasin Motorcycles, he sure wasn’t about to be overruled. Having skirted around the style for many of his recent builds, he clearly decided to go all in to see what he could accomplish. Naming the bike after the old-school moto circus spectacle, his ?Barrel of Death? Honda CB400 has topped out on many more levels than just a retro one.

Without a skerrick of pretence to belie his impressive build catalogue, the builder introduces himself. ?Hi, I’m Tomek from Warsaw, Poland, and I like to build custom vintage bikes. The bike which I have chosen this time is a classic Honda CB400 from 1978 with its very reliable twin engine.? This particular model was imported from the USA, maybe inspiring Tom somewhat in his retro aims. ?This time I decided to build a bike in a ?maximum retro? style. Apart from this, the main inspiration for the project was classic simplicity and high quality.?
?I disassembled the bike right down to the last screw and thoroughly planned out the build. Secondly, I cleaned everything. Thirdly, I cleaned them again.? With the parts shinier than a hospital’s surgical equipment, Tom then reworked and cleaned up the frame before turning his attention to the bike’s beautiful spoked wheels and the matching front brake drum. ?It’s the first time I’ve seen these wheels on a Honda CB with my own eyes...