CRSS #4 1979 Honda CBX1000

The 1979 Honda CBX1000 cafe racer by Cafe Racer SSpirit (CRSS #4) is one of the most refined custom builds ever to emerge from the six-cylinder legend, a motorcycle that walks the line between factory perfection and bespoke artistry.

The Concept

The Honda CBX1000 arrived in 1978 as a statement of excess and engineering ambition: six cylinders, twenty-four valves, and a silhouette that made every other sportbike look underdressed. Cafe Racer SSpirit, the Barcelona-based custom motorcycle studio behind the CRSS series, chose the CBX1000 as the foundation for their fourth numbered build precisely because the challenge matched their ambition. The brief was unusual: extract maximum drama from minimum intervention. Every modification had to feel inevitable, not added. The result is a machine a trained eye will study for minutes before spotting a single deviation from stock.

The Build

CRSS rebuilt the rear subframe entirely, integrating a hand-fabricated seat stitched in-house to match the original tank profile. Electronics were relocated and concealed behind bodywork, eliminating the visual clutter that plagues most Honda CBX custom projects. The suspension received a full overhaul: Ohlins rear shock absorbers replace the original units, while inverted forks transform the front end geometry for sharper, more predictable turn-in. A Motogadget speedometer replaces the stock instrument cluster with a unit clean enough to disappear into the cockpit. Rizoma clip-ons and Biltwell grips complete a handlebar setup tuned for the forward lean of cafe riding. The paint, applied over a bespoke metallic base coat, shifts tone with the light, giving the CBX1000 a presence that photographs cannot fully capture.

Specifications

• Builder: Cafe Racer SSpirit (CRSS), Barcelona
• Base motorcycle: 1979 Honda CBX1000
• Engine: 1047cc inline-six, DOHC, 24 valves
• Frame modification: CRSS custom-built subchassis, rebuilt rear frame
• Seat: Handmade CRSS seat
• Suspension (rear): Ohlins shock absorbers
• Suspension (front): Inverted forks
• Handlebar: Rizoma
• Grips: Biltwell
• Instrumentation: Motogadget speedometer
• Air filtration: CRSS custom air filters
• Mudguards: CRSS custom mudflaps
• Tyres: Coker
• Finish: Special metallic-effect paintjob
• Battery: Replaced and relocated

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