See It At Handbuilt – 1979 Honda CX500 Custom

Post Listing Update: This custom CX sold for $6,313 after 18 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions in Phoenix, Arizona.

8/28/20 Update: Two years later, Obersten Regal is back up for sale…and I saw it at Handbuilt, like I said I would!

Photo by Nathan May

Since then, the bike has covered approximately 300 miles – the seller bought it as “my first bike was a 1979 CX500 and I wanted to relive those early days with a custom version of that bike. I’ve had my fun with it – countless comments and kudos on bike nights – time to let someone else have fun with this one of a kind bike.” Find it with an unmet opening bid of $1,000 in Phoenix, Arizona here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions.

Post Listing Update: This custom CX did not meet reserve despite 32 bids up to $8,500.

Named “Obersten Regal” (German for “Top Shelf”), this CX500 project will be shown at the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in a few days. It’s one of the cooler CX builds I’ve seen in a while and I’m looking forward to inspecting it up close.

Built by Smith Brothers Classic Cycles & Customs out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this CX has a street tracker setup and a cafe racer setup (the photos show the latter). The list of components is incredible, which is where the “Top Shelf” name came from. Starting with the full motor rebuild, this got new pistons, rings, and rod bearings sourced from CMS in the Netherlands, the cylinders were bored out, it has upgraded heads and a complete Athena gasket kit.

Outside of the motor, this Honda has a rebuilt front end from a 2012 Yamaha R6, a custom Penske Racing shock, Suzuki GSX-R rotors, Warp 9 custom wheels, street tracker bars, and Tomaselli grips. There’s also a full Motogadget electronic system with a Speedhut GPS-drive speedometer. The new motor is claimed to put out 20 more horsepower than stock so the clutch plates and springs were replaced as well. For more information on the build, check out this story on Pipeburn.