The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to cancel the 2021 Wheels and Waves, but the festival is back in a big way in 2022. Last year, the event planned to showcase Honda’s new Rebel 1100 cruiser with several custom builds. With the 2022 show already underway in Biarritz, France, Honda made up for that lost time by rolling out ten Rebel 1100 projects for the public’s viewing pleasure.
As the name suggests, Wheels and Waves celebrates surf, skate, and custom motorcycle sub-cultures, and France’s FCR Original leaned into that theme with its Rebel Waves build. Channeling California vibes, the custom shop delivered a scrambler-style take on Honda’s cruiser with aftermarket suspension and a trimmed rear mudguard. A bright livery and skateboard rack completes the Rebel’s transformation.
FCR Original is no stranger to the Rebel platform either. The shop previously built the CMX Bobber and CMX Sport for the 2021 festival. Of course, with organizers calling off Wheels and Waves last year, the custom bobber and roadster made their debuts at the 2022 edition.
Gallery: Wheels and Waves Festival: Honda Rebel 1100 Customs
Similar to FCR Original’s divergent styles, the other Honda Rebel 1100 builds put the platform’s versatility on display. Portugal’s Motoveiga kept the Rebel’s cruiser roots intact but added some eye-catching paint and ornate graphics to turn even more heads. Honda Garonda of Portugal took a similar tack as their compatriots, with the Lucy drawing from classic cruiser design with its two-tone rust orange/white paint and white-walled tires.
Great Britain’s 5Four shop is known for its take on the CB1000R and CB1100 RS, and Guy Willison latest outing turns the Rebel 1100 into a street tracker. Complete with a retro gas tank, tall dual shocks, and a flat tracker tail section, the Rebel Street fully captures the tracker aesthetic. Hailing from Sardinia, Moto Cicliaudaci’s Manboard build prepares the Rebel for beachfront drag racing with a high-mounted exhaust, springer fork, streamlined tail cowl, and 19-inch wire-spoke wheels wrapped in knobby tires.
Spain’s Akaimoto takes a completely different route with its Rebel café racer. The stealthy black/gold paint scheme, custom tailpiece, belly pan, and clip-ons instantly imbue the cruiser with a sporty attitude. On the flipside, Ikono Motorbike keeps it low and slow with the Mikuniguro. Playing off Japan’s Bratstyle bobbers, the Mikuniguro opts for a trimmed dovetail fender, Z-bars, a bikini fairing, fork gaiters, and a blacked-out paint scheme.
Mallorca Motos rounds out the trio of Spanish entries with a neo-retro naked bike. From the inverted bars to the deleted rear mudguard, the hooligan machine looks ready to rip up the road. The Honda Rebel 1100 customs certainly showcase the cruiser’s custom potential and the ten builds will remain on display at the 2022 Wheels and Waves festival until July 3, 2022.
