Photo: L’Etabli d’Eddy via Pipeburn
Being a professional custom bike builder is rewarding yet tough, and even doing it as an amateur can present many challenges. Eddy Cuccaro over in France is fully aware of this, needing to somehow juggle his full-time job and family life while leaving enough room for motorcycle customization. Despite that, you’ll never see him taking shortcuts or doing things by halves.
He’s known to the bike-modding community as L’Etabli d’Eddy, and this sharp Honda Hornet is the latest entry in his portfolio. Starting with a 2001 model, the Frenchman performed a complete teardown and proceeded to modify it beyond recognition. The transformation process got underway at the back, where you will now find a handmade subframe and the repurposed swingarm of a Honda VFR800.
An adjustable aftermarket shock absorber is also present in that area, but the suspension upgrades carried out at the front are no less intriguing. Eddy did away with the Hornet’s factory forks, to then install an Aprilia RSV1000’s upside-down units for a huge improvement in the handling department. A tailor-made billet aluminum triple clamp links these modules to the bike’s chassis, but the RSV didn’t just donate its front suspension.
It also ceded its sturdy Brembo brakes and front fender, while the five-spoke wheels were taken from the aforementioned VFR. With the chassis taken care of, Eddy turned his attention to the bodywork. Up north, he used bespoke mounting hardware to install an aggressive front fairing, which was fabricated in-house and topped with a tinted windshield. It surrounds an oval LED headlight of aftermarket origin.
Glancing southward, we still find the Hornet’s original fuel tank taking pride of place center-stage, but it’s been fitted with a fresh aluminum filler cap. The motorcycle’s rear end is now home to a pointy tail section, as well as a gorgeous saddle upholstered by Joan Sellerie. You will also see a bare-bones license plate holder at the rearmost tip, complete with a pair of multi-function LEDs.
The equipment in that area is completed by twin slash-cut exhaust tips, which are part of a handmade stainless-steel arrangement built from scratch. Its headers run a four-into-one configuration toward a shiny collector box, to then continue upward and split into two separate pipes right beneath the seat. On the intake side of things, there is a quartet of custom velocity stacks ensuring ample airflow.
For the finishing touches, L’Etabli d’Eddy added aluminum rearsets down on the flanks and thin rear-view mirrors atop the front fairing. Lastly, the color scheme is a monochromatic affair for the most part, accompanied by neon highlights on items like the wheels and velocity stacks. Eddy Cuccaro may not be a pro when it comes to motorcycle customization, but he clearly knows what it takes to build a fantastic one-off!
An adjustable aftermarket shock absorber is also present in that area, but the suspension upgrades carried out at the front are no less intriguing. Eddy did away with the Hornet’s factory forks, to then install an Aprilia RSV1000’s upside-down units for a huge improvement in the handling department. A tailor-made billet aluminum triple clamp links these modules to the bike’s chassis, but the RSV didn’t just donate its front suspension.
It also ceded its sturdy Brembo brakes and front fender, while the five-spoke wheels were taken from the aforementioned VFR. With the chassis taken care of, Eddy turned his attention to the bodywork. Up north, he used bespoke mounting hardware to install an aggressive front fairing, which was fabricated in-house and topped with a tinted windshield. It surrounds an oval LED headlight of aftermarket origin.
Glancing southward, we still find the Hornet’s original fuel tank taking pride of place center-stage, but it’s been fitted with a fresh aluminum filler cap. The motorcycle’s rear end is now home to a pointy tail section, as well as a gorgeous saddle upholstered by Joan Sellerie. You will also see a bare-bones license plate holder at the rearmost tip, complete with a pair of multi-function LEDs.
The equipment in that area is completed by twin slash-cut exhaust tips, which are part of a handmade stainless-steel arrangement built from scratch. Its headers run a four-into-one configuration toward a shiny collector box, to then continue upward and split into two separate pipes right beneath the seat. On the intake side of things, there is a quartet of custom velocity stacks ensuring ample airflow.
For the finishing touches, L’Etabli d’Eddy added aluminum rearsets down on the flanks and thin rear-view mirrors atop the front fairing. Lastly, the color scheme is a monochromatic affair for the most part, accompanied by neon highlights on items like the wheels and velocity stacks. Eddy Cuccaro may not be a pro when it comes to motorcycle customization, but he clearly knows what it takes to build a fantastic one-off!
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