Earlier this week, we offered the bikes that dominated the competitors on the burgeoning Taiwanese {custom} bike present, Speed and Crafts. One machine specifically stood out—a plucky Honda Dax that took on bikes twice its measurement whereas snagging a silver medal within the hotly contested Freestyle class.
The bite-sized Dax wants no introduction. First launched within the 70s, earlier than being introduced again three years in the past as a part of Honda’s modern-classic mini-bike vary, its pressed metal T-frame is iconic. It’s additionally a chief candidate for personalisation.
This show-stopping Honda Dax is the product of a collaboration between JZO Crafts and Kunimoto Hidetoshi. JZO (‘Jie’ to his pals) is the person that Tough Crafts turns to for its fabrication wants. Kunimoto is the founding father of Nemoto—a store specializing in mini-bike elements.
At first, the plan was to show the Dax right into a tiny flat tracker—however then Kunimoto chimed in with an thought. “He’s an enormous fan of air suspension methods,” says Jie, “so he wished to include that characteristic. We retained the tracker-inspired look, whereas giving the bike a low and aggressive stance.”
Kunimoto’s thought concerned upgrading the Dax’s operating gear with new air suspension parts from RacingBros. A CNC-machined Over Racing swingarm was put in out again, whereas the wheels had been switched for 12” disc gadgets, fitted with Brembo brake calipers and Triforce carbon ceramic discs.
The Dax is notably low to the bottom when parked, till a distant management prompts the air suspension, elevating it to an inexpensive trip top. It would look like an pointless characteristic on a motorbike with a 777 mm seat top—however it’s a cool trick nonetheless.
Many of the Dax’s appeal comes from the truth that its chassis is successfully additionally its bodywork. So Jie and Kunimoto targeted on tweaking the bike’s fuselage cleverly, relatively than modifying it outright.
For starters, all the bits and items that make the air suspension work at the moment are packaged contained in the physique. To get that proper, Jie had to determine the place every particular person half would match—after which hyperlink all of them collectively. Cutouts close to the entrance of the chassis supply a view of the suspension reservoirs.
Jie additionally fabricated a titanium exhaust system that flows across the engine, right into a {custom} inlet on the right-hand facet of the physique, by means of the chassis, and out the again. A home made aluminum finish cap provides a trendy flourish to the tail finish of the Dax.
The aluminum flat track-style seat can be Jie’s handiwork, however the tasteful leather-based upholstery was dealt with by Qi Rui. The entire unit is mounted on a hinge, providing entry to the neatly packaged parts that cover beneath it.
Right here you’ll discover a custom-built aluminum gas tank, full with a pop-up filler cap, and the remainder of the exhaust header. A slim LED taillight is embedded behind the seat pan, whereas discreet LED flip alerts are mounted to the perimeters of the bodywork, simply ahead of the place the exhaust exits.
The alternative finish of the bike wears a one-off aluminum headlight plate, designed with an built-in housing for a punchy Baja Designs LED headlight. LED flip alerts flank the brand new nacelle.
The Honda Dax’s cockpit hasn’t gone untouched both. CNC-machined yokes from GTR Manufacturing take middle stage, whereas sporty clip-ons substitute the Dax’s mini-ape bars. They’re fitted with Domino grips and aftermarket brake and clutch levers, with CNC-machined switches built-in into the lever clamps.
The bike’s new digital dashboard is an aRacer iMode 5 unit, loaded with a {custom} JZO x Nemoto startup graphic. Elsewhere, Nemoto fitted fork guards, rear-sets, and a rear sprocket character from their catalog.
You may be questioning why the Dax sports activities a clutch lever and shifter peg when its transmission is computerized. That’s as a result of the blokes swapped the Dax’s engine (and transmission) for the mill from a brand new Honda Grom. The engines are the identical measurement—however the Grom unit makes use of a five-speed handbook ‘field.
A smattering of dress-up elements—like a CNC-machined dipstick from Mitomo and a transparent crankcase cowl—add an additional dose of favor.
However the Dax’s most placing characteristic is arguably its livery. Expertly executed by OneWay, the paint job makes use of swathes of gray and blue to enhance the polished aluminum sections. Large Honda wings take up as a lot area as they will on the again half of the physique, with delicate ghost graphics on the tail part the place it overlaps the design.
Though there’s lots happening with the JZO Crafts x Nemoto Honda Dax, it doesn’t really feel overly fussy. As a substitute, it’s low, modern, and cohesive, providing a contemporary tackle conventional {custom} motorbike genres. That podium end (and the opposite awards it raked in on the present) was nicely deserved.
JZO Crafts | Nemoto | Photos by Kin Lin
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