The result is It’s always special when a professional tuner starts to build a bike for themselves. There is no client brief on the table, it’s all about their own personalities and tendencies. But it’s hard to pin down Christian Reier’s preferences—his latest build is a big difference from his lastdespite the fact that both are personal projects.
Nicknamed the ‘City Surfer’, this particular project dates back to 1969 Honda CB250K. Working at the Reier Motors workshop in the picturesque suburb of Lamprechtshausen, Austria, Christian transformed the unassuming twins into an everyday runner who is both a baby bag and a painting. Rolling art.
Christian began tweaking the CB250K’s stance by lowering the suspension at both ends. There are still a few inches of travel, but not more, which says a lot about Austria’s road maintenance regime.
Next, the subframe was cut down to make it as short as possible. Christian forged the seat assembly from 0.75 mm thick sheet metal and the saddle is decorated with brown leather. Secured by three thumbtacks at the back, the saddle swivels forward to reveal a storage point under the rear hump.
To further improve the bike’s convenience factor, Christian welded a custom rear rack to house a pair of fiberglass baskets, made from an old Harley. Brackets are specifically designed for boxes so they can be attached without further modification.
They’re the perfect addition to city bikes, especially if you’re afraid of backpacking while cycling. And since both the bike and the basket are lowered, they certainly won’t get in the way when you cross your legs over the saddle. To keep things street-legal, the basket frame also supports Bates-style taillights, turn signals, and license plate holders.
Peek under the saddle, and you’ll spot a custom stainless steel box. It’s where all the electronics are, including batteries, wiring, and relays. On the flanks are two very large UNI air filters, which feed air into a pair of Mikuni carburetors.
The engine itself was scrapped, rebuilt from scratch, and repainted. Double exhaust is also custom; the top sections go down the length of the bike and end at the MASS muffler below the panniers.
Up front, you’ll find the original headlights and fork covers, with new turn signals and a set of low LSL bars. The cockpit is beautifully simple, complemented by an MMB speedometer housed in a solid color finish.
Before Christian moves on to the eclectic Honda paint job, he has one more important item to tick off his list. The gas tank that came with the sponsor’s bike was in too good of a condition to be repainted, so he traded it in for a gas tank from a newer Honda CB250. It has slightly softer edges than the original, making it a good match for chairs and baskets.
Beautiful painting commissioned by a pair of Austrian-French street artists who passed by Jana and JS. They love to use city-inspired textures in their work, which Christian feels is perfect for the bike. That’s one good thing about fiberglass baskets — when it comes to artwork, there’s plenty of room.
The wheels and frame are painted black to make the artwork stand out more. The rest of the car has been fully restored, with clever color-coded small details, such as the green fuel pipes.
Christian has transformed this primarily Japanese means of transport into a stylish and practical urban running vehicle. It’s small, light and economical to run, even with Mikuni carburetors.
Christian explains: “The bike has very little suspension travel and is extremely low to the ground, providing a pure riding feel. “The design stands out and really makes Honda the center of attention. Jana and JS’s art complements its look perfectly.
Although this is a personal project of Christian, City Surfer is currently for sale. Just don’t send us groceries up there – we could be out for a while.
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