Photo: Emayat Wahab
Known to the broader public as HB-Custom, Holger Breuer is the guy behind some of the raddest custom bikes to come out of Germany in recent years. Naturally, classic BMW airheads seem to be his favorite motorcycles to work with, but the other platform we’ve seen him return to is the tried-and-true NX650 Dominator from Honda.
Pictured above is Holger’s latest take on the Japanese dual-sport, and it looks ready to tackle anything from the Dakar Rally to Baja. As a matter of fact, the bike was built to take on the Trans Euro Trail – a scenic adventure riding route covering some 80,000 kilometers (50k miles) through several European countries. It takes riders to every corner of the Old Continent, with most of the action occurring on unpaved roads.
As such, HB-Custom's rugged NX650 seems like the perfect machine for the job! The most intricate changes happened in and around the cockpit area, so let’s get that out of the way first. Using a mixture of handmade parts and KTM hardware, Holger fashioned a sturdy navigation tower that holds a smartphone mount up top and a digital Koso display down low.
Vertically stacked LED headlights from Hella are also attached to the aforementioned structure, and the tall windshield which fronts them was supplied by Rade Garage. The side panels attached to it have been fabricated in-house, while the high-mounted front fender is an aftermarket module from Polisport.
Joining the navigation tower in the cockpit is a Magura handlebar equipped with premium rubber grips, compact switchgear, and beefy hand guards. At the other end of the ergonomic package, we find a pair of KTM foot pegs mounted on bespoke brackets. The fuel tank and seat pan are still the factory Honda units, but the latter received a fresh bit of gel padding and two-tone upholstery.
Sir Breuer also retained the stock rear fender, simply attaching a set of grab handles to aid with getting the Dominator out of sticky situations. The suspension department saw some major improvements, though, in the form of modern fork internals at the front and a fully-adjustable YSS monoshock at the opposite end.
Down in the unsprung sector, we’re greeted by stainless-steel spokes and dual-purpose rubber from Michelin. Stopping power is summoned via braided brake hoses and drilled Brembo discs, with custom-built protectors keeping the latter out of harm’s way when going off-road. Axel Joost Elektronik provided a control module for the creature’s electronics, and it’s accompanied by fresh wiring all-round.
Then there’s the powertrain-related work: Holger refurbished the NX650’s single-cylinder engine, swapped its stock carburetor with a Mikuni TM40 item, and discarded the original exhaust in favor of a tailor-made substitute. Featuring a two-one-two layout, the new pipework ends in titanium LeoVince mufflers with carbon fiber tips. Lastly, the chosen colorway is a simple, yet striking mixture of red and black.
As such, HB-Custom's rugged NX650 seems like the perfect machine for the job! The most intricate changes happened in and around the cockpit area, so let’s get that out of the way first. Using a mixture of handmade parts and KTM hardware, Holger fashioned a sturdy navigation tower that holds a smartphone mount up top and a digital Koso display down low.
Vertically stacked LED headlights from Hella are also attached to the aforementioned structure, and the tall windshield which fronts them was supplied by Rade Garage. The side panels attached to it have been fabricated in-house, while the high-mounted front fender is an aftermarket module from Polisport.
Joining the navigation tower in the cockpit is a Magura handlebar equipped with premium rubber grips, compact switchgear, and beefy hand guards. At the other end of the ergonomic package, we find a pair of KTM foot pegs mounted on bespoke brackets. The fuel tank and seat pan are still the factory Honda units, but the latter received a fresh bit of gel padding and two-tone upholstery.
Sir Breuer also retained the stock rear fender, simply attaching a set of grab handles to aid with getting the Dominator out of sticky situations. The suspension department saw some major improvements, though, in the form of modern fork internals at the front and a fully-adjustable YSS monoshock at the opposite end.
Down in the unsprung sector, we’re greeted by stainless-steel spokes and dual-purpose rubber from Michelin. Stopping power is summoned via braided brake hoses and drilled Brembo discs, with custom-built protectors keeping the latter out of harm’s way when going off-road. Axel Joost Elektronik provided a control module for the creature’s electronics, and it’s accompanied by fresh wiring all-round.
Then there’s the powertrain-related work: Holger refurbished the NX650’s single-cylinder engine, swapped its stock carburetor with a Mikuni TM40 item, and discarded the original exhaust in favor of a tailor-made substitute. Featuring a two-one-two layout, the new pipework ends in titanium LeoVince mufflers with carbon fiber tips. Lastly, the chosen colorway is a simple, yet striking mixture of red and black.
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