Designed in the late 1970s as Honda's answer to middleweight European twins, the CX500 is cheap, durable and mechanically unconventional — exactly the sort of forgotten motorcycle that deserves a second life.

This 1981 CX was our first complete motorcycle custom. Lowering the riding position and stripping back the touring equipment revealed the visual strength of the longitudinal V-twin and shaft-drive chassis.

A rebuilt rear frame, clip-ons, freer intake and twin Megaton-style silencers give the engine and stance a sharper café-racer character without hiding the oddball engineering that makes a CX interesting.