Honda Customs 2026: first Hornet win, and the road beats the dirt

• Overall winner: „Mugen“ based on the CB750 Hornet by Mototrofa (Portugal) with 10,092 votes
• Off-road winner: „Saharja“ based on the XL750 Transalp by DRS Custom Cycles (Italy) with more than 4,800 votes
• Record: 42,119 votes from 102 countries, 39 percent more than in 2025

It started at the Wheels and Waves festival in Biarritz, France, in June, and it ends with the winners being announced in September. For the first time, Honda Customs 2026 pitted two models against each other: five modified CB750 Hornets in the On Road category and five modified XL750 Transalps in the Off Road category. Honda called the duel „Battle of the Twins“, because both machines are powered by the same 755 cc parallel twin. The winner was decided solely by the public in an online vote at hondacustoms.com. In the end, a streetfighter from Portugal came out on top, built in just six weeks.

Who won Honda Customs 2026?

The overall winner is „Mugen“, a modified Honda CB750 Hornet from the Portuguese dealer Mototrofa. It received 10,092 of the 42,119 votes cast, taking both the On Road category and the overall standings.

According to Honda, that amounts to almost 24 percent of all votes cast. Within the Hornet category the share was even 36 percent. None of the other nine builds came close to that figure. The runner-up in the On Road standings reached slightly more than 6,900 votes, the winner of the Off Road standings slightly more than 4,800.

How is the Hornet „Mugen“ built?

Mugen turns the CB750 Hornet into a considerably more aggressive streetfighter without losing sight of its origins. As the guiding principle for the build, Mototrofa cites the idea that form should follow function and not the other way round.

The most striking feature is the paintwork in a dark forest green that runs across all body panels. Added to that are golden accents on the rear wheel, on the short custom exhaust and on the fork, plus many parts in exposed carbon. Beneath the headlight sit purpose-developed carbon winglets reminiscent of the aerodynamic wings from MotoGP.

The team also changed plenty on the technical side:

• bespoke swingarm, heavily shortened tail and modified subframe
• new belly spoiler under the engine
• clip-on handlebars and a custom-made seat
• lowered front end, giving the bike a forward-leaning stance
• relocated instruments and changes to the suspension

Six weeks from the idea to the finished motorcycle

In an interview with Honda, the team says the entire build took only six weeks. Experience from their earlier winning project helped them make decisions faster. Even so, time was one of their biggest opponents, because several parts first had to be designed, manufactured and then adjusted again during assembly.

According to the Portuguese team, the biggest hurdle was not the engineering but the paint and graphics. The team tried several directions and in the end deliberately settled on a restrained variant. In doing so they accepted that a wilder design might have attracted more attention at first glance. The team sums it up like this: “The challenge was to find the right visual language and, just as importantly, to know when to stop.”

Behind Mugen stands a small team. Paulo Ferreira was responsible for creative direction, Guilherme Silva handled communication and creative support, Ivaldo Lima and Flávio Ferreira carried out the build in the workshop. As their preferred base for a possible next project, the team names the Honda CB1000F.

Why is this win special for Mototrofa?

Mototrofa has now won the competition for the second time. The dealer took its first title in 2021 with „Fenix“, a modified CB650R.

That makes Mototrofa only the second entrant with two wins. Before them, only Maan Motocicli Audaci from Italy had managed it, having won in 2022 with the Rebel build „Maanboard“ and in 2025 with the GB350S bobber „Hachimaan“. What is also new is that a Hornet takes the overall win for the first time. For Portugal it is already the third title in seven editions, because in 2023 Art on Wheels won together with the artist Tamara Alves and the „Furiosa“ Dax.

Paulo Ferreira describes what the second title means for the crew: “This victory carries a strong personal significance for all the people in Mototrofa. Having the opportunity to have two winning projects in a European competition of this scale is something that makes us genuinely proud, especially because behind every project there is a team, countless hours of work, discussion, attention to detail, and above all, a great deal of dedication.”

The Honda Customs winners since 2020

• 2020: „Africa Four“ based on the CB1000R by Brivemo Motos (Switzerland)
• 2021: „Fenix“ based on the CB650R by Mototrofa (Portugal)
• 2022: „Maanboard“ based on the CMX500 Rebel by Maan Motocicli Audaci (Italy)
• 2023: „Furiosa“ based on the Dax by Art on Wheels with Tamara Alves (Portugal)
• 2024: „Bunker Imprint“ based on the CL500 by Bunker Custom Cycles (Turkey)
• 2025: „Hachimaan“ based on the GB350S by Maan Motocicli Audaci (Italy)
• 2026: „Mugen“ based on the CB750 Hornet by Mototrofa (Portugal)

Which Transalp won the off-road standings?

The off-road standings go to „Saharja“, an XL750 Transalp by DRS Custom Cycles from Rome. The build received more than 4,800 votes, which is 36 percent of all votes cast for the Transalp builds.

Saharja is a rally concept oriented towards the Dakar Rally. The motto of the build is roughly „inspired by the desert, built for the journey“. At the front sits a hand-built navigation tower with a digital roadbook, the electronic route description used in rally sport, and a TFT display. The reworked front end carries the familiar three-colour HRC paint scheme and integrated high-output LED headlights.

Added to that are golden rims and a golden handlebar, a tall one-piece long seat, CNC-machined aluminium racing footrests, hand guards, an aluminium engine guard and steel side protection bars with waterproof eight-litre dry bags. Additional hand-made aluminium side tanks, knobbly tyres and a high-routed exhaust round off the build.

Owner Paolo Di Russo says of the win: “It was an honour being involved by Honda Italia in the Honda Customs 2026 contest. Working on a Transalp and giving it a Dakar style was definitely an exciting challenge.”

Who is on the podium in both categories?

On the road, the Spanish „Last Lap“ and the Polish „Sting Honey“ follow behind Mugen. Off road, the British „’86 Dakar Tribute“ and the French „Ocean Nomad“ finish behind Saharja.

On Road: Last Lap and Sting Honey

Second place goes to Last Lap from the Spanish dealer Stilmoto, which received more than 6,900 votes, around 16 percent of all votes. The build looks like a Grand Prix racer from the 1980s. The complete race fairing was freshly pressed from an original mould some 40 years old, from unused old stock that Stilmoto still had in the workshop. The flat-topped tank and the angular tail are one-offs. A single-sided swingarm and a bespoke exhaust make the bike slimmer at the bottom and at the rear.

Third is Sting Honey from the Polish dealer Honda Sokół, built together with Steel Choppers. It is the first time a build from Poland has taken part in the competition. The name plays on the hornet: the paintwork shows a honeycomb pattern, and the rebuilt tail is meant to emphasise the Hornet’s sting. Fairings, tank, seat and handlebar mounts are handmade. Added to that are parts from other Honda models, such as the CB125R headlight in a cafe racer fairing and the spoked wheels of the X-ADV scooter. Sting Honey reached almost 12 percent of all votes.

Off Road: ’86 Dakar Tribute and Ocean Nomad

Second off road is the ’86 Dakar Tribute by CJ Ball from the United Kingdom with 20 percent of the off-road votes. It recalls Cyril Neveu’s Dakar win in 1986 on the NXR750. Typical features are the elaborate desert paint scheme, a high-routed blacked-out twin exhaust system, suspension with more travel, a raised front mudguard and number boards. Worked into the paintwork is also a quote from Dakar founder Thierry Sabine: “A challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind.”

Third is Ocean Nomad by CB77 by Gauvin from France. The build combines a sense of adventure with old surf culture and carries a deliberately aged look. The front fairing is missing; instead there is a classic round headlight with LED technology and a brown leather seat. The Transalp is painted in washed-out ocean blue, ivory and burnt orange. A short exhaust, US-style plates and a side rack with a surfboard and a skateboard complete the look.

Which other builds were on the grid?

Alongside the six podium places, four further builds took part, among them an entry from Germany. Honda Germany sent the Hornet „White Venom“ into the contest together with the builder Motocrew.

White Venom is a modern street tracker with white paintwork, a matt black frame and Rotobox carbon wheels with Dunlop slicks. Wilbers suspension changes the Hornet’s stance, while an X-shaped one-off exhaust with heat wrap is meant to deliver a strong sound. Added to that are a heavily shortened tail, a bespoke swingarm, a metal fairing, blade-shaped brake discs, a 3D-printed tail light and a CNC-machined top yoke and handlebar.

The other entrants:

• Concept 2077 (Switzerland, Stark Industries): Hornet with 3D-printed body panels, partly covered wheels and paintwork in dark candy red with gold
• Ruth (Austria, Reier Motors): Transalp in the style of the Baja desert races with completely new fairings in violet and neon red and a high-routed exhaust
• ATC750 (Benelux, Anquety Motor Sport): Transalp as a modern three-wheeler for off-road use with a new swingarm, rear axle and reworked drivetrain

How did the vote for Honda Customs 2026 work?

Voting ran from 12 June to 31 August 2026 online at hondacustoms.com. Before that, all ten motorcycles were on display at Wheels and Waves in Biarritz from 10 to 14 June.

According to Honda, it was the most successful edition of the competition so far, held for the seventh time in 2026. For comparison: in 2025, slightly more than 30,000 visitors voted, according to the manufacturer. The votes were clearly split: the Hornet builds in the On Road category received 28,775 votes, or 68.32 percent. The Transalp builds accounted for 13,344 votes, or 31.68 percent.

Also new this year was that the designers of the production models commented on every build. Giovanni Dovis designed the Hornet, Valerio Aiello the Transalp. Both work at Honda’s research and development centre in Rome. All ten builds can still be seen at hondacustoms.com, in several languages.

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