Honda Customs 2026
Mugen Hornet wins Battle of the Twins
Six weeks in the workshop have delivered a second Honda Customs crown for Portuguese dealer Mototrofa, whose green and gold Mugen CB750 Hornet topped the public vote in the 2026 Battle of the Twins.
Mugen collected 10,092 of the 42,119 votes cast, almost a quarter of the overall tally, to claim both the On Road category and outright honours. Italy’s DRS Custom won the Off Road category with Saharja, a Dakar-inspired XL750 Transalp.
This year’s competition pitched five Hornets against five Transalps, with the ten customs unveiled at Wheels and Waves in Biarritz before voting continued through the European summer.
Mugen – six weeks from concept to completion
Mototrofa’s approach leaves the Hornet recognisable while giving it a much more purposeful stance. Deep forest green bodywork, gold highlights, and exposed carbon match a shortened tail, bespoke bellypan, custom seat, and revised rear end.
The nose-down attitude and compact exhaust sharpen the profile, while the carbon wing beneath the headlight gives the front a distinctly MotoGP-influenced look.
In Honda’s interview with the winning team, Mototrofa revealed that the entire project took just six weeks. Experience from its earlier Fénix build helped speed decisions, although bespoke components and revisions kept the workshop under pressure.
Surprisingly, the team identified the paint and graphics as the hardest part. Several directions were explored before the builders settled on a restrained scheme, accepting that it might attract less immediate attention than a more radical finish.
Mototrofa – Mugen build team
“The challenge was to find the right visual language and, just as importantly, to know when to stop.”
The team credited Paulo Ferreira with creative direction, Guilherme Silva with communications and creative support, and Ivaldo Lima and Flávio Ferreira with the workshop execution.
Mototrofa previously won in 2021 with the Fénix CB650R. It becomes the competition’s second two-time winner, joining Italy’s Motocicli Audaci, which won with the Maanboard Rebel in 2022 and Hachimaan GB350S in 2025.
As for a potential next project, the Mototrofa team nominated Honda’s CB1000F as its dream starting point, with the retro-styled four offering scope for a different approach to either Mugen or Fénix.
Saharja takes the off-road crown
DRS Custom’s Saharja attracted more than 4,800 votes to lead the Transalp entries.
The Italian build combines HRC tricolour graphics with a substantial rally makeover. A handcrafted navigation tower carries a digital roadbook and TFT instrumentation, while the redesigned nose incorporates high-output LED lighting.
Handcrafted aluminium auxiliary tanks, an aluminium bashplate, steel protection bars, handguards and a high-mounted exhaust build on the desert-racer theme. Knobby tyres, a raised one-piece seat and rally footpegs complete a transformation that goes well beyond a set of Dakar-inspired stickers.
Last Lap and Sting Honey complete the road podium
Spain’s Stilmoto finished second in the On Road category with Last Lap, attracting more than 6,900 votes.
The Hornet-based racer wears bodywork that looks straight out of an earlier era, with its front fairing made from a 40-year-old NOS mould. A flat-topped tank, squared tail, white wheels and HRC-inspired colours reinforce the period competition look, while a single-sided swingarm and custom exhaust complete the package.
Third went to Poland’s Sting Honey, built by Honda Sokół with Steel Choppers.
Honeycomb detailing and a sharply tapered tail play on the Hornet name, with handmade bodywork, tank, seat and handlebar mounts giving the bike its own silhouette. The parts mix includes X-ADV spoked wheels and a CB125R headlight within the café-racer-style front fairing.
Dakar heritage and surf culture on the Transalp podium
CJ Ball’s ’86 Dakar Tribute took second in the Off Road category for the UK.
The build marks Cyril Neveu’s 1986 Dakar victory on the NXR750 through detailed desert-themed graphics, twin high-mounted exhausts, upgraded long-travel suspension and a raised front guard. Gold wheels, off-road tyres and race-number panels further the rally connection.
France’s Ocean Nomad completed the off-road podium, taking the Transalp towards the beach with a custom build by CB77 by Gauvin.
A round LED headlight, brown seat and weathered blue, ivory and orange paint give it a well-travelled appearance. Much of the original front bodywork has been removed, while a side-mounted board rack and matching surf and skateboards make the intended destination clear.
Honda reported votes from 102 countries and a 39 per cent increase in the total compared with 2025.
See all ten builds in our Honda Hornet and Transalp customs feature.
