This Custom Honda CB650 Scrambler Comes Equipped With Wooden Paraphernalia

Together they operate as Black Lanes out of Stockholm, and both were fervent skateboarding enthusiasts before discovering the joys of motorcycling. Every project they’ve worked on thus far has been outstanding in some way, yet the one we’re about to look at might just be the raddest thing they ever built. The customization process didn’t exactly start with an ideal donor, though.

As a matter of fact, it began with a pile of rusty parts rather than a working motorcycle. Andreas persuaded his neighbor to sell his disassembled 1980 Honda CB650 for just 400 Euros, and the man was surprisingly eager to make a deal. He’d been looking to get rid of it for quite some time, so the two shook hands and off went Andreas with the old Honda. Back at the shop, he and Hakan started pondering what lied ahead.

While doing so, they gave all the bits and pieces a once-over to get a better idea of how bad things actually were. Sure enough, there was a lot more work to do than initially forecasted, but the pros at Black Lanes felt undeterred and decided to press on. We’ve very glad they did, because the fruit of their labor is a genuine marvel to say the least!

First things first, Andreas and his teammate had to get the CB650’s inline-four engine back in working order. They consequently blessed it with a complete overhaul inside out, before wrapping its exterior in a stealthy layer of gloss-black powder coating. Air is now drawn in through individual aftermarket pod filters, and the exhaust headers terminate in a pair of reverse megaphone mufflers.

Black thermal barrier coating covers the exhaust plumbing from front to back, while a couple of bespoke heat shields are located near the foot pegs. Glancing higher up, we find the boxy fuel tank of a Yamaha XS400, which was sourced from eBay to completely alter the bike’s silhouette. Black Lanes modified its underside to fit on the CB650 frame like a glove, and the result looks incredibly neat from every angle.

Right behind the retrofitted XS tank, we notice a scrambler-style bench seat upholstered in black leather. It’s placed on a very stylish base made of walnut wood, and all this hardware is supported by a modified subframe whose southernmost section has been looped. An LED lighting strip was embedded into the tubing in that area, but the turn signals were installed a bit further ahead.

An under-seat electronics box can also be seen nearby, filling up the top section of the subframe triangle. Items like the CB650’s stock suspension, brakes, and Comstar wheels are still present following Black Lanes’ overhaul, but they were all refurbished and repainted to make them look brand-new. Moreover, the rims were shod in dual-purpose knobbies for a bit of light off-roading capability.

More wooden bodywork can be spotted at the front end, in the form of a flat fairing that resembles a tracker number board. It encircles a vintage-looking headlamp of aftermarket origin and is flanked by LED blinkers attached to the forks. Just like everything else on this machine, the cockpit area is incredibly tidy and worth admiring in close detail from left to right.

For the most part, the space there is taken up by a cross-braced handlebar perched on custom risers. It carries adjustable control levers, compact switches, and fresh rubber grips, along with walnut wood bar ends matching the front fairing and seat pan. Right in front of the handlebar is a single analog dial with integrated warning lights, but one may also see an ornamental bird made of tin toward the right.

According to the project’s authors, it’s meant to bring luck to the rider and keep them well out of harm’s way on the road. There are, however, no rear-view mirrors in sight, as there was no feasible way to fit them without messing with the cockpit's ultra-clean appearance. All the electronic bits and pieces were rewired through a Motogadget control unit, then it came time for Hakan and Andreas to take care of the paint job.

They chose an all-black affair for most of the items you’ll see here, drawing one’s attention to the snazzy wooden parts that really make this specimen stand out. A few metal components were left unpainted to keep things looking interesting, and the black paint was applied in a mixture of gloss and satin finishes. When all was said and done, Black Lanes’ scrambled CB650 looked absolutely top-notch!