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Honda Gold Wing Goes Off-Road

"Gold Wing" and "off-road" do not seem to go together too well, do they? Well, in its stock state, the Honda Gold Wing is far from what we'd normally call a scrambler, but for Josh Mott of Boise, Idaho, this is only a small problem.
Honda Gold Wing GL1100X 7 photos
Photo: Josh Mott Customs
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The 1981 GL1100 was brought to Josh's workshop with some scars after a nasty crash which left the right side pretty mauled, with broken valve covers , bent cam shaft and all. The rest of the machine was alright so JMR Customs went on an gave the engine a thorough overhauling and after rebuilding the carbs, they fabricated a pair of 2-in-1 exhaust pipes, as bare and simple as it gets, to match the new stripped down attire of the Gold Wing.

Since Josh started to tear down body parts from the original build, the new machine looked more and more like a great naked sportsbike, just perfect for trying something new. Suspensions were rebuilt with Race Tech parts, an off-road Renthal handlebar came in place, together with a Baja headlight, and dual sport tires.

A new paint job complemented the powder coating and with a lot of weight shaved off, it was time to test the Gold Wing, now called the CL1100X. Josh says the bike will surprise anyone who expects it to be just a lazy, bulky slacker: “you can get this bike into a corner so hot it will scare you. I know because I laid into a corner, touched a pipe on the ground, and it was almost game over, lol."

We'd have loved t see laced rims and more modern wave rotors to make this 94HP Gold Wing withstand the rough terrain better, but we love it just the way it is. Via the Bike Shed.
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