Wild Custom – Honda Gorilla

In Japan, Less than 5k, Small Displacement by Tim HuberLeave a Comment

Seldom are micro-displacement customs as involved as this one-off Gorilla. An enormous amount of time and resources went into creating this little, fully street-legal two-wheeler, which now boasts a laundry-list of aftermarket and bespoke parts. After spending years in California, this example traded hands twice, crossing state-lines both times, before winding up back in the Golden State with its third, and current owner who is once again selling it.

Starting up front, the Honda’s stock forks were replaced with a unit off an NSR 50 (curiously adorned in Ohlins logos?) with emulator valves and preload adjusters. The upgraded front suspenders have been worked by West Coast race suspension expert RJP, and are slotted in Kitaco billet triple clamps. The front-end also received custom-fabricated fender brackets, a Takegawa diamond headlight lens, and headlight ears from G-Craft, which also provided the rear-fender bracket. And in place of the stock rear shocks now sit a set of aftermarket units.

The stock power plant’s been replaced by a YX150 mill with a Trail Bikes race head and a Takegawa intake manifold. A Mikuni VM26-606 race carb has also been paired with a Tsukigi Racing stainless exhaust that’s currently fitted with a removable dB killer, and hangs from a bespoke bracket. All cables and hoses have been swapped out with braided stainless units, including custom-built braided oil cooler lines and fittings. A polished aluminum side-cover oil breather tank was also added to the mix.

On top of the engine and suspension upgrades, the braking hardware has also been seriously improved via the addition of a large disc and caliper out front. This bike now stops, goes, and turns quite a bit better than its stock counterparts. Though this example is plated and fully street-legal, the seller says they’ve actually taken it for several laps around Laguna Seca.

The headlight cover, left-hand side-cover, and tank all received a coat of orange paint, with the latter also getting white sides with black outlining. A set of Takegawa bars rest atop the forks, wrapped in new grips with matching orange bar-ends, and a single bar-end mirror is positioned on the left side. Takegawa is also responsible for the build’s kickstarter-lever and rear-sets (though the seller recently put the stock foot-pegs back on, they say the customer can pick which they want). There’s also custom foot-control brackets and a heel-guard for the exhaust. The stock saddle has been jettisoned in favor of what the seller refers to as a “G-Type” seat, and a sliver of a front fender was also tacked on up front.

The seller says the custom Honda is in great shape, and since the example has been in their possession they’ve changed all fluids multiple times, shod the wheels in fresh rubber, and supposedly added a white Takegawa speedometer up front to “match the white Koso RPM gauge” set in the headlight, though I don’t see this in the photos. While this Gorilla is obviously a custom job, it doesn’t stray so far from the original design that it’s no longer instantly identifiable as the pint-sized, primate-monikered Honda, and with its performance capabilities being significantly improved, this bike puts the “Go” in Gorilla.

Find this custom, street-legal Honda Gorilla for sale here on Craigslist in Highland, California with a price of $2,000.