The faithful Honda NX650 Dominator has proved to be a popular custom-build donor over the years. It could be due to the legendary reliability of Honda thumpers, the NX650’s relatively simple layout, or the fact that it can be picked up cheaply. Whatever the reason, there’s massive potential there—and STG Tracker has just exploited that potential in spectacular fashion.
Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and run by Marcelo Obarrio and Germán Karp, STG Tracker has a penchant for building impossibly slick street trackers. This 1989-model Honda NX650 Dominator has all the hallmarks of an STG build; sharp lines, an aggressive stance, and a livery that looks so good, it’s hard to imagine the bike painted any other way.
Picking the classic HRC palette for a custom Honda build can seem like a cheat, but STG has executed the theme so well here that it transcends criticism. Gold details complement the blue, white, and red graphics, while the frame wears Honda’s traditional bright red. Fresh finishes have the engine looking like it was built yesterday.
The whole thing looks clean enough to eat off—which is remarkable when you consider how ratty the donor bike was. Long before Marcelo and Germán made it pretty, the old Dominator needed a full engine rebuild to bring it up to par.
Once that was sorted, STG could focus on the fun stuff. “The idea was to make a fully enjoyable bike with full engine power and weight loss,” Marcelo tells us, “but also improve the suspension and brakes.”
To that end, STG grafted the upside-down forks from a Ducati Multistrada 1200 to the NX650’s front end by way of custom yokes. The Multistrada also donated its twin Brembo brakes, which necessitated the construction of a whole new front wheel. STG CNC-machined a bespoke hub and laced it to a 17” rim.
Another new 17” rim sits out back, laced to a disc brake-compatible Honda hub. This particular NX650 came out with a drum brake at the back, but STG seized the opportunity to convert it to a disc setup, with a Nissin caliper and master cylinder. Both the front and rear brakes are hooked up with HEL Performance brake lines.
STG kept the NX650’s stock rear shock, but rebuilt it from the ground up. Pirelli MT60 RS tires offer the perfect balance between dirt looks and street grip.
The NX650’s tattered plastics were all binned in favor of a cocktail of repurposed and handmade parts. The fuel tank is a recycled part from a 1970s dirt bike of undisclosed origins, while the leather seat is a one-off.
STG hacked off the Honda’s subframe and fabricated a new one, shortening the bike’s tail in the process. A handmade aluminum fender juts out the back while offering sufficient splash protection lower down.
The underside of the Dominator’s new tail section reads like a good round of Tetris. Twin LEDs hang from the underside of the fender, acting as turn signals and taillights. The whole arrangement is tucked tightly against a custom-made electronics box, while also accommodating the exhaust system and offering a spot to mount the regulator/rectifier.
Under the hood, STG rewired the whole bike around a Motogadget brain, sticking all the important bits in the new under-seat box, which now also hosts the ignition barrel.
At the opposite end of the bike, you’ll find the headlight nacelle from a Honda XR650L, retrofitted with an LED headlight. The front fender is another handmade aluminum part. STG shaped it to mate perfectly with the form of the headlight shroud, so that it looks like one single part from afar.
Sitting behind the headlight are new ProTaper handlebars, held in place by custom clamps that also house a small digital Motogadget speedo. New grips and Motogadget push buttons finish off the cockpit.
One of the Dominator’s many quirks is its twin engine outlets. STG put those to good use here, fabricating a two-into-one stainless steel exhaust system that snakes its way through the frame, exiting in a BMW-specific Akrapovič muffler.
As we’ve come to expect from Marcelo and Germán, this Honda NX650 Dominator hits all the right notes. It’s quite a runner too, according to Marcelo.
“The bike is amazing to ride—full power on every gear,” he adds. “Super skinny and light, like riding a bicycle!”
“Once you start, you can’t get off.”
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