This Honda CX400 café racer cuts a sharp silhouette despite its quirky DNA, thanks to Tokyo’s Minami Motorcycle.
‘Ultimate simplicity’ isn’t quite how we would describe the fabled Honda CX500. Its blocky longitudinal V-twin motor was an oddball, paired with an awkward silhouette and bodywork that never quite harmonized.
The later Honda CX400 Euro—a smaller displacement model sold in Europe and Japan—was a slight improvement, with bodywork reminiscent of the CB750. But it was still pretty gawky, making it a questionable donor for a minimalist café racer.
No one told Kenji Heianzan, though. He heads up Minami Motorcycle in the quiet ward of Meguro in Tokyo, Japan. Clean café racers are the usual fare at Minami, where the philosophy is “quiet confidence, balance, and street presence, without pretense.”
“The concept was ultimate simplicity,” says Heianzan-san of this project. His approach to customization favors subtraction over addition, so the first job was to strip off all of the 1982-model CX400’s bodywork and start over.
The CX now wears a modified fuel tank from a Yamaha SRV250—an early-90s roadster with retro underpinnings. “It’s a common choice at Minami Motorcycle,” Kenjo tells us. “It’s easy to source and café racer-friendly, defined by its unique upward-sweeping rear line.”
One of the CX400 Euro’s defining features was its modern (at the time) Pro-Link rear suspension, which shed the CX500’s twin shocks for a single unit. That gave Minami space to fabricate an ultra-clean subframe to replace the stock piece. Finishing touches included a hidden splash guard to keep muck off the engine, a stylish solo saddle, and a 3D-printed cowl.
Moving to the front, Minami shunned the CX400’s anti-dive forks for the less fussy front end from a Honda CB750F. The forks were lowered by less than two inches, with a new YSS shock wedged into the back end. “It’s not extremely lowered,” says Kenjo, “so it can be ridden safely and without stress.”
The top yoke is a custom part, adorned with an etched Minami logo. It’s flanked by clip-ons, fitted with new grips and simplified switchgear. Handmade rear-set foot controls do duty lower down, while aftermarket master cylinders assist the refurbished OEM brakes.
Since the CX400’s engine was running strong, there was no need to rebuild it. Minami upgraded it with a pair of Keihin CR Special carbs—also lifted from a CB750, but rebuilt to work with the CX. “This part was challenging,” Kenjo admits.
Gasses exit via twin stainless steel exhaust headers with reverse cone mufflers. Minami also installed a Pingel fuel petcock, rebuilt the radiator, and stashed the bike’s battery in the new tail cowl.
True to Minami’s vibe, the Honda CX400 Euro’s livery embodies subtlety—a glassy midnight blue base, punctuated by low-key graphics. The engine and hard parts are finished in black, including the Honda’s quirky ‘boomerang’ Comstar wheels, which Kenjo held onto for their distinctive 1980s vibe.
Every last detail is exceptionally well-judged, resulting in an incredibly sleek Honda café racer that surpasses its quirky DNA.
Minami Motorcycle | Instagram | Images by Yuhei Kodaka
