When Honda released the CX500 in 1978, they had no idea how significant it would become in the custom world roughly four decades later. Initially released to scores of adoring fans, it eventually fell out of favor?and it’s design hasn’t aged well. But the revival of the café racer scene has meant a resurgence in CX500 popularity, led by builders that have figured out how to navigate its awkward layout.
Austria?s NCT Motorcycles clearly know their way around the Honda CX500. They’ve just worked their magic on this 1982 model, turning it into a way sharper motorcycle than what originally left the factory floor. And they even managed to retain its original Comstar wheels in the process.

NCT founder, David Widdman, was approached by a customer from Dubai who wanted his own twist on the classic Honda twin. David was happy to oblige?so after a bit of back and forth with the customer, they eventually settled on a design and the project kicked off. The donor bike was pulled out of a barn on a vineyard in France, and gradually transformed over two years.
NCT started with one of the CX500’s major oversights: its spindly front forks. They were replaced with a set of Showa units, lifted from a Ducati. Powder-coated black to match the rest of the bike, the wheels wear Avon tires in the factory sizes; 100/90-19 at the front and 130/90-16 out back.
Up front is a Brembo caliper, mounted on a custom bracket and gripping a massive 360 mm disc. Even though it?s ...