Classifieds of the month: budget bespoke bikes

Delve into the depths of the bikesales classifieds archive -- it’s a deep dive – and you can unearth hidden gems and diamonds in the rough.

This one-off Honda FT500 Ascot combines both of those attributes and must rate as one of the most unique bikes among the 16,000-plus vehicles listed on the site.

As the Victorian-based owner, Ken, notes: “Have you ever seen another bike like this”?

The machine started out as a regular FT500, chosen for its engine and electric start. Ken has since modified virtually every element of the machine to suit his personal needs.

Highlights include Difazio hub steering, dual front discs with AP racing calipers, a bespoke chassis, custom fairing and top box.

There’s 65,400 showing on the odometer and the asking price is $4999.

Slightly less dramatic – but just as open to creativity – is the Hunter Scooter ZH150 on sale in NSW.

Owner Flavio has been using the bike for running around the northern beaches and says it runs perfectly with only some minor surface rust as a result of its salt-laden environment.

The upside of that is the bike is being sold for $3200, compared to $4990 for the eight new examples on the site.

The Hunter Scooter look is based on the bikes rolling out of the Tokyo chop shops in the
early 2000s, where “originality defined character”.

The bareboned scooters use dropped suspension and a chunky rear tyre as a starting point for people who want to customise their scooter.

That makes this example ready for a conversion … and yes, there’s a sub-culture for tricked-up scooters to sit alongside the tail-dragging sportscars and lurid motorbikes beloved by Asian tuners.