Earlier this week, we presented the motorcycles that dominated the competition at the burgeoning Taiwanese custom bike show, Speed and Crafts. One machine in particular stood out—a plucky Honda Dax that took on bikes twice its size while snagging a silver medal in the hotly contested Freestyle class.
The bite-sized Dax needs no introduction. First released in the 70s, before being brought back three years ago as part of Honda’s modern-classic mini-bike range, its pressed steel T-frame is iconic. It’s also a prime candidate for customization.
This show-stopping Honda Dax is the product of a collaboration between JZO Crafts and Kunimoto Hidetoshi. JZO (‘Jie’ to his friends) is the man that Rough Crafts turns to for its fabrication needs. Kunimoto is the founder of Nemoto—a shop specializing in mini-bike parts.
At first, the plan was to turn the Dax into a tiny flat tracker—but then Kunimoto chimed in with an idea. “He’s a big fan of air suspension systems,” says Jie, “so he wanted to incorporate that feature. We retained the tracker-inspired appearance, while giving the bike a low and aggressive stance.”
Kunimoto’s idea involved upgrading the Dax’s running gear with new air suspension components from RacingBros. A CNC-machined Over Racing swingarm was installed out back, while the wheels were switched for 12” disc items, fitted with Brembo brake calipers and Triforce carbon ceramic discs.
The Dax is notably low to the ground when parked, until a remote control activates the air suspension, raising it to a reasonable ride height. It might seem like an unnecessary feature on a bike with a 777 mm seat height—but it’s a cool trick nonetheless.
Most of the Dax’s charm comes from the fact that its chassis is effectively also its bodywork. So Jie and Kunimoto focused on tweaking the bike’s fuselage cleverly, rather than modifying it outright.
For starters, all of the bits and pieces that make the air suspension work are now packaged inside the body. To get that right, Jie had to figure out where each individual part would fit—and then link them all together. Cutouts near the front of the chassis offer a view of the suspension reservoirs.
Jie also fabricated a titanium exhaust system that flows around the engine, into a custom inlet on the right-hand side of the body, through the chassis, and out the back. A handmade aluminum end cap adds a stylish flourish to the tail end of the Dax.
The aluminum flat track-style seat is also Jie’s handiwork, but the tasteful leather upholstery was handled by Qi Rui. The whole unit is mounted on a hinge, offering access to the neatly packaged components that hide underneath it.
Here you’ll find a custom-built aluminum fuel tank, complete with a pop-up filler cap, and the rest of the exhaust header. A slim LED taillight is embedded in the back of the seat pan, while discreet LED turn signals are mounted to the sides of the bodywork, just forward of where the exhaust exits.
The opposite end of the bike wears a one-off aluminum headlight plate, designed with an integrated housing for a punchy Baja Designs LED headlight. LED turn signals flank the new nacelle.
The Honda Dax’s cockpit hasn’t gone untouched either. CNC-machined yokes from GTR Manufacturing take center stage, while sporty clip-ons replace the Dax’s mini-ape bars. They’re fitted with Domino grips and aftermarket brake and clutch levers, with CNC-machined switches integrated into the lever clamps.
The bike’s new digital dashboard is an aRacer iMode 5 unit, loaded with a custom JZO x Nemoto startup graphic. Elsewhere, Nemoto fitted fork guards, rear-sets, and a rear sprocket character from their catalog.
You might be wondering why the Dax sports a clutch lever and shifter peg when its transmission is automatic. That’s because the guys swapped the Dax’s engine (and transmission) for the mill from a new Honda Grom. The engines are the same size—but the Grom unit uses a five-speed manual ‘box.
A smattering of dress-up parts—like a CNC-machined dipstick from Mitomo and a clear crankcase cover—add an extra dose of style.
But the Dax’s most striking feature is arguably its livery. Expertly executed by OneWay, the paint job uses swathes of grey and blue to complement the polished aluminum sections. Giant Honda wings take up as much space as they can on the back half of the body, with subtle ghost graphics on the tail section where it overlaps the design.
Even though there’s a lot going on with the JZO Crafts x Nemoto Honda Dax, it doesn’t feel overly fussy. Instead, it’s low, sleek, and cohesive, offering a fresh take on traditional custom motorcycle genres. That podium finish (and the other awards it raked in at the show) was well deserved.
JZO Crafts | Nemoto | Images by Kin Lin
