Japanese brand, Activewent all the way with this Honda GB350S in its cafe racer build featuring the model. Everything from body panels to some improved performance bits was thrown into the build.
If you stare at the bike from a distance, you’ll note that it’s a clean build without much fluff. Get closer, however, and you will be able to spot the attention to detail and the subtle performance enhancements that don’t stick out like a sore thumb. The parts used in this build were taken from Active’s catalog specifically made for the Honda GB350 which was launched sometime around May 2022.
The build starts with a Honda GB350S, a standard motorcycle with a 348cc single-cylinder engine that punches out 19.7 horses and comes paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. The motor’s air-cooled which is in line with the retro theme of the build, and it also comes stock with a single 310-millimeter disc in the front with a dual-piston caliper, along with a 240-millimeter disc at the rear with a single-piston caliper. Keeping things classic, the bike also comes with a set of twin springers at the rear along with a standard telescopic front fork.
From there, it was off to the custom parts department that starting with a tank by JAMTEC which was painted with a custom black and silver color scheme. Active managed to drop the weight of the bike by four kilograms or about 8.8 pounds, and this was achieved by way of removing heavy stock parts in favor of lighter and more aesthetic pieces that are in line with cafe racers.
It may appear that the frame was left stock, but Active put a performance damper to give the frame some added stiffness. Given how the GB is a retro model, it sports a frame that doesn’t use the engine as a stressed member, so some tweaking was done to compensate for its antiquated design. On top of that, the rear suspension was also lowered to give the bike a nice stance, and a different set of wheels was used and features six spokes instead of the multi-spoke cast set found in the bike’s stock form. Then the front brake caliper was also changed out for a Galespeed Blaborate four-piston caliper for added stopping power.
The bike also features a custom top hat that features custom foldable levers, clip-ons, and two analog gauge pods. The single-seat cowl’s also interesting, as it was derived from the stock GB350S seat.
The base price of a Honda GB350S will set you back about $4,400 USD (¥594,000 JPY). It’s unclear how much the total bill of the build was, but it's not impossible for catalog builds like this to set you back close to or over double the amount of the base bike.
