Have a lot of reason to choose Honda Dominator as a sponsor for a custom build. But for the crew at Morex Customs in France, it was a specific attribute that signed the agreement; its reliability. Honda’s clutch bikes are famous for being bulletproof, and these guys wanted to build a custom car disturbance person that will not only look great but run forever.
Based in Vezin-le-Coquet, a commune in Brittany in northwestern France, the Morex workshop is run by brothers Joan and Kévin Morel, along with their friend, Valentin Pointeau. Since all three are motocross riders, they wanted to give Dominator a bit of a modern off-road style.
“The idea is bold,” Kevin told us. “We wanted to take the powerful and reliable heart of a legendary motorcycle, while rethinking equipment powered by high-performance components. The result is a perfect blend of the ages—a bike with bold, modern lines.”
Turn a bike from a bone Honda NX650 Dominator it took the trio almost a year to become the edgy street racing car you see here. They also use a variety of techniques — from 3D design, to old-fashioned mechanical work.
Because reliability came first and because the sponsor’s bike was in poor condition, Morex decided to take the engine apart and rebuild. The cylinder was shipped to Revaltec for honing, before everything was reassembled with a new piston and full addition of gaskets, washers and bearings. The transmission is factory new, too.
On the outside, everything had been cleaned up and evaporated to the point of being unrecognizable. A BMC air filter was installed to replace the air box before Kévin built the all-new two-in-one exhaust system.
Most of Honda’s running gear is also new. Morex reattached the Honda axles to the 18-inch Excel rims with new spokes, then wrapped them in Continental TKC80 rubber. The original brake calipers have been refurbished, but the front now has an oversized disc from Braking, with a custom bracket to make sure everything aligns.
In addition, the front also has grips and reverse forks taken from Yamaha WRF450, shortened to suit the car. supercar stance and riding style. YSS fork does rear duty.
The Dominator’s new bodywork is svelte. The kit includes a replacement Yamaha 125 DTMX fuel tank, modified to fit Honda. Behind it, Morex redesigned the subframe to create a ladder configuration.
The supermoto-inspired front fender and headlight housings, along with the tapered rear bumper, were designed using CAD software. The final parts are then 3D printed using sturdy nylon material and finished in glossy black. LEDs are embedded at both ends.
The work is extremely neat and filled with neat details. Morex’s logo is embossed into each 3D printed part and the rear end is finished with a honeycomb grille on the taillights and a discreetly lowered inner fender. A blank panel under the seat hides the reworked wiring around the Motogadget controller.
Equal consideration has gone into the super-sparse cockpit. Neken motorcycle handlebars are front and center, equipped with new grips and Beringer clutch and brake controls. There’s even a single mirror on the left side, when you’re cycling instead of taking a picture of it.
The push-button shifter and tiny digital speedometer come from Motogadget. The rear handlebars are mounted on a clever little bracket that clamps directly to the handlebars, along with a discreet array of warning lights.
Finished in glossy black with custom Morex badging on the fuel tank, the Dominator is now appropriately nicknamed ‘Phantom’. Kévin is also happy to report that it works as well as it looks.
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