Honda CB250 by Retro Bikes Croatia

Today’s feature build a retro custom Honda CB250 comes from Zagreb the capital and largest city of the Republic of Croatia. This retro machine has been beautifully tailored by Zeljko of Retro Bikes Croatia.

According to Zeljko “RBC wants to become a brand that reflects the personality of its owner, distinctive and irreplaceable, with its original retro style but always usable on the road. We want to see more individual and unique motorcycles, that true classic machines with attitude who amuse their owners and those who are about to become owners of such.

I started RBC (Retro Bikes Croatia) because I got bored of working in an office making lots of money for other people, and decided to try and make some for myself, doing something I love. My goal is to set up RBC with the aim of producing quality, affordable bikes in a Classic or Cafe Racer style. Nothing coming off the workbench will ever be too ‘extreme’ as the bikes must be usable everyday.

The Honda CB250 was chosen because it’s relatively rare here in Croatia and its satisfyingly beefy enough even though it’s only a 250. The other big attraction is the ease of maintenance, which is very important for the young riders that RBC is aiming at. They want style, but they have to watch for the costs too.

The engine has remained completely standard; all it needed was a good clean up, some new sparks and an oil and filter change. The Keihins were cleaned and inspected, re-jetted, synchronized, and equipped with open filters. The airbox, side panels, clocks, bars, rear fender, stop light, indicators, mirrors and countless other nameless parts were removed to get ‘the look’ I was after.

The frame, forks, swing arm and wheels were powder-coated and the tank painted. A modern front brake master cylinder was fitted (Honda 600) along with steel-braided hoses, fork gaiters, clip-ons and Beston grips. The seat and battery box were hand made and the frame was modified so they would fit neatly.

The electrics were renewed and moved partially under the seat, and the rear chrome fender was modified to fit. In fact, lots of parts were made specifically for this bike during the build simply because Honda could no longer supply them and because we wanted to add some personality.

I’m not a pro builder and I had no previous experience doing anything like this, but I have a strong determination, and that, combined with the help of family and friends enabled me to finish my first project.

Now I’m focusing that determination on making RBC a serious player in the bike-building world (I know it takes time), and want RBC to be recognized as the first of its kind in Croatia.

This retro custom Honda CB250 is now for sale and is exposed in a partner’s showroom in Zagreb.

Given the fact this custom Honda CB250 is the first build from RBC, Zeljko has done an exceptional job. Builds like these are the source of our inspiration and desire to own a custom motorcycle!