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A Honda big single built for the Sunday Scramble…
Essentially, the Honda SLR650 was a stripped-down, street-centric version of the rugged NX650 Dominator. The bike offered the same 44-hp air-cooled single based on the XR650 engine, with a 19-inch front wheel and slightly lighter curb weight.
Enter Jody Millhouse, the 22 year-old phenom behind the UK’s Thornton Hundred Motorcycles. Jody needed a bike for a pair of events: the Bike Shed Sunday Scramble, which offers the owners of road-biased scramblers the opportunity to ride the trails around Surrey Hills, and the London Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. Both events take place later this month. So, not only did Jody need a bike, he needed one fast — in fact, he built this bike in just two weeks!
Below, we get the full story on the build.
Honda 650 Scrambler: Builder Interview
Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Jody Millhouse. I live and work in Milton Keynes and I own Thornton Hundred Motorcycles which I established in January 2016. I’ve ridden and tinkered motorcycles and bicycles since I was a child. My workshop is based in Hanslope in Milton Keynes and is fully equipped with 5 bike ramps, engine building room, paint booth and prep area and all the appropriate equipment to build pretty much anything I or my customers desire. I’m only 22 however I have gained enough skills to carry out all tasks of motorcycle building from welding/ fabrication, sheet metal work, welding/ brazing, painting and everything in between and have gained this wealth of experience through trial and error and various people helping me along the way. I believe this is a good USP for myself as a lot of people in the game are a lot older and I feel like I bring fresh ideas to my builds.
What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
1997 Honda SLR650
Why was this bike built?
The bike was built to use on the London DGR ride on 30th sept 2018, it was also built for the Bike Shed Sunday Scramble which takes place 16th sept 2018. It was built in two weeks to show what can be achieved in a short amount of time.
What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The design concept was to build a classic style scrambler on a proven platform, that also perform as a useable everyday bike.
What custom work was done to the bike?
The bike was fully rebuilt from the ground up benefitting from:
- Custom subframe to house the battery and various other electronic items
- New Honda cg125 tank
- Hand built front and rear aluminium mudguards
- Black PVD coated fork legs
- 17” wheels laced to original hubs with stainless spokes
- Continental TKC80 Tires
- Custom clutch window machines and welded onto the original side casing
- LED headlight and taillights
- Apico fat bars and risers
- Hagon shock
• How would you classify this bike?
Scrambler
Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I’m particularly proud of the clutch window that allows you so see the clutch spinning and operating when the bike is running, I designed, machined and welded this all in house.
Build Video
Follow The Builder
- Website: thorntonhundredmotorcycles.co.uk
- Facebook: @thorntonhundredmotorcycles
- Instagram: @thorntonhundredmotorcycles
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