Estonia is one of the smallest countries in Europe, with a population of just 1.3 million people?about the same as the city of Dallas. But it?s home to one of Europe?s top custom houses, Renard Speed Shop.
Shop boss Andres Uibomäe is an eclectic at heart, chasing quality and style rather than a signature ?look.? And his brilliant Honda XBR500 looks like nothing else we?ve seen: a mashup of trad custom paint, modern components and quirky styling flourishes.

Even the name is unusual. Andres has called his latest creation Anaconda, a rhyme inspired by Rhonda The Honda?the name adventurer Steph Jeavons gave to the bike she used for her seven-continent, global circumnavigation.
Renard bikes get a great reception on these pages, and that has spurred Andres to be brave. ?Good feedback on Bike EXIF has prompted us to create something totally different this time,? he says.
?Something colorful, something playful and original. This build is a composite of 70s American paint schemes, 80s Japanese engineering ? and 2020s Corona lockdown.?
As a donor bike, though, the XBR500 was not Honda?s finest hour. It deserved far more success than it got, and was powered by a punchy 44hp four-valve single. But it went head-to-head with the much less sophisticated Yamaha SR500?and lost.

?This is an XBR from 1988,? says Andres. ?A good bike to ride but not that popular. Its motor uses the same base as the Dominator, but the capacity has been reduced from 650 to 500.?
The dry-sump engine w...