Daryll says: “I had an old Honda SL125 field bike when I was 13 or 14 and it was the coolest thing, so when a good mate of mine, Steve Booth, asked me to build him ‘something Steve McQueen would jump a barbed wire fence on’ I immediately thought of my old SL. Obviously it needed more power, electric start and mod-cons and soon the idea of what donor bike would be best formed in my mind: the Honda Dominator.
“The engine was reliable and well proven, and had that classic big thumper look about it. The frame was also perfect for the job, with not too much to chop away. A number of fuel tanks were offered up before deciding on a 1972 XL250, which was perfect giving the bike a real 70s look. The entire sub frame was removed and a new one was fabricated and welded to the existing chassis before it went off for blasting and powder coating along with numerous other parts such as the swingarm, which we had welded a short steel hugger to, footrests, and suspension linkages.
“The engine was completely stripped, blasted, painted, re-bored and rebuilt using new bearings and seals, a new crank, new piston and rings, new cam and followers, and of course new gaskets all round.”
Reassembly soon followed and neat touches like the hidden-away electrics and MotoGP-style silence added to the look.
Daryll added: “The final two pieces of the build, were the tank and seat unit. I managed to source a pair of classic RC Honda wings, which were applied to our freshly painted Honda Racing Red tank before the legendary Steve Adams, made and fitted the seat unit.”
The bike has been so well received that IDP Moto – based at the Silverstone circuit – is taking orders. Prices start just under £8000. Racer Jeremy McWilliams has even put money down. “The beauty of the bike is that you can tailor it to what you want,” explained Daryll. “We’re now building a beautiful little CB250 cafe racer as well as designing a gorgeous four-cylinder machine for a customer overseas.”
