When faced with a Honda CX500 in the shop, the first thing most builders do is ?fix? the frame. It looks awkward and droopy, and the usual solution is to either trick the eye, or get out the welding gear.
But Auto Fabrica decided to go with the flow. Once they’d stripped the bike down to the frame to map out their design, they fell in love with its unique stance.

?The surprise lay in the frame being such an organic form,? explains co-founder Bujar Muharremi, ?with a really awesome side profile.?
?We played around with the idea of reworking it, but it became a bit of a guilty pleasure. We decided to challenge ourselves to make it look purposeful and aesthetically pleasing.?

So the lads simply cleaned up the controversial frame before figuring out a complementary bodywork profile. A hand-beaten, aluminum tank did the trick; a slender unit that flows seamlessly into a stubby perch. The bodywork is impressive, almost liquid in form. There are shades of the ‘Type 6’ Yamaha XS650 that made it onto the cover of The Ride: 2nd Gear.

?The Type 6 was an exercise in metal shaping, and pushing our design skills and engineering to another level,? says creative director Bujar Muharremi.
The ?Type 8? CX500 has a similar treatment, and once again, it’s the little details that drive the point home.

The gas cap is a flush, pop-and-twist affair. And the seat’s a real masterpiece. It’s covered in dark, perforated leather, with a logo plaque and eyel...