Race to Rebuild: Honda CB1100F Resto-Mod

By Richard Backus
Published on December 10, 2013
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Finished in record time, it’s hard to believe this is the same 1983 Honda CB1100F we showed you just a few months ago.
Finished in record time, it’s hard to believe this is the same 1983 Honda CB1100F we showed you just a few months ago.
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Stock gas tank and side covers get new accents.
Stock gas tank and side covers get new accents.
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Keihin CR carbs promise better performance.
Keihin CR carbs promise better performance.
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Upside-down GSXR front end with custom Buchanan’s spoked wheels looks brilliant.
Upside-down GSXR front end with custom Buchanan’s spoked wheels looks brilliant.
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1983 Honda CB1100F
1983 Honda CB1100F
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1983 Honda CB1100F
1983 Honda CB1100F
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Dime City Cycle’s Herm Narciso preps the CB1100F’s freshly powder-coated frame. Next up, the engine.
Dime City Cycle’s Herm Narciso preps the CB1100F’s freshly powder-coated frame. Next up, the engine.
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Engine in, swingarm and Gazi shocks in place.
Engine in, swingarm and Gazi shocks in place.
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And suddenly it’s almost a motorcycle again, with the full suspension, wheels, brakes, headlamp, handlebars, switchgear, speedo and wiring back in place.
And suddenly it’s almost a motorcycle again, with the full suspension, wheels, brakes, headlamp, handlebars, switchgear, speedo and wiring back in place.
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Comparing the finished bike (shown here) to our mostly stock 1983 Honda CB1100F starting point highlights the work Dime City Cycles put into giving our Honda upgraded looks and performance with a factory feel.
Comparing the finished bike (shown here) to our mostly stock 1983 Honda CB1100F starting point highlights the work Dime City Cycles put into giving our Honda upgraded looks and performance with a factory feel.
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Comparing the finished bike to our mostly stock 1983 Honda CB1100F starting point (shown here) highlights the work Dime City Cycles put into giving our Honda upgraded looks and performance with a factory feel.
Comparing the finished bike to our mostly stock 1983 Honda CB1100F starting point (shown here) highlights the work Dime City Cycles put into giving our Honda upgraded looks and performance with a factory feel.

Whoever said “slow and steady wins the race” never spent any time with Herm Narciso and Jason Paul Michaels at Dime City Cycles, because if they had, they’d know that not only can you work fast if you want to, sometimes it’s the best way to get things done.

Proof comes by way of our latest Dairyland Cycle/Motorcycle Classics Race to Rebuild, the 1983 Honda CB1100F that as of last issue was a long way from done. In fact, in our last update two months ago, our project Honda hadn’t progressed much beyond a partially stripped hulk, with visible progress limited to the test install of a 2007 Suzuki GSXR front end in place of the original unit. More than one person politely asked just how we thought we could pull this together in time for this issue.

Well, to give credit where credit is due, “we” didn’t really do anything, but Herm and Jason have, in less than two short months as the accompanying photos amply illustrate, successfully morphed our Honda from an old school mid-1980s sport bike into a new school retro ride — a resto-mod.

This was a unique build for Herm and Jason, representing their — and our — first dip into the resto-mod waters. Dime City Cycles has strong cred in the café scene, with multiple super-slick café builds to their credit, including the recently completed The Ace, a modern take on the classic Triton theme.

Cafés are cool, but for this build we all agreed it was time to do something different, and after polling enthusiasts on Facebook we settled on the resto-mod route.

So what is a resto-mod? If you’ve been to the local hot rod show, you’ve probably seen one. Remember that sleeper ’57 Chevy with the LT1 ‘Vette engine and fully upgraded, disc brake-equipped chassis sitting on a nice set of color matched GM rally wheels, all hidden under a mostly stock, restored body? That’s a resto-mod.

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