In case you missed last week’s episode, iMotorbike’s weekly iM Cubaholic series covers everything about the iconic Honda Cubs. The Cub is one of the most important bikes in both the motorcycle and Honda’s history. Honda changed the way people look at riding motorcycles with the introduction of the Super cub and the ad campaign “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” back in the 1950s. Since then, Honda has sold over 100 million Cubs with a large Cub lineup/variants where some models are barely known. In this series, we cover everything from both known and unknown Cub models to their; history, specs, features and many more. Are you a Cub addict? well, this is something you wouldn’t want to miss!
The Honda EZ 90 was produced from 1991-1996. It was simply a cross between a scooter and a motocross bike. Soon after the launch in 1991, the funky and futuristic looking scooter moved its way outside of Japan and into the European and American market. Within a few years, the model gained a lot of attention from the public, however, as it wasn’t a road-going bike, Honda pulled the strings off the bike after a few years of production. But a few years earlier, Deus Ex Machina decided to pay tribute to the iconic Honda EZ90 Cub by building an XXL version of the EZ Cub using the Honda X-ADV.
The Honda X-ADV is one of the best looking practical scooter currently available in the market. As you can predict from the quirky functional design, the Honda X-ADV was actually designed at Honda’s main design facility in Kumamoto and its R&D facility in Italy. Well, folks at Deus Milano had taken the Honda X-ADV as a base for a unique project. The Deus Cub Cubed project transforms the funky X-ADV into an even funkier retro EZ 90 (EZ-9) Cub which had a cult following back in the 90s. With the help from Kaos Design in Milan; Deus has done a spectacular job in replicating the “vibe” of the EZ 90 Cub.
“In some ways, the EZ 90 is almost a toy,” says Deus boss Filippo Bassoli. “So we decided to play too. The structure faithfully copies the original lines but in XXL format. It took hundreds of hours of hard work; we built a model from which the moulds for the carbon fibre fairings were made.”
To mount the fairings, the folks at Deus added mounting and brackets using trial and error to find the right fitment and the result is just spot on. Talking of carbon fibre fairings, the proportions and the colour combination of the paint and stickers match the original EZ 90.
In the case of the engine, to go hand in hand with the enlarged body, Deus stuck with the original powertrain of the Honda X-ADV. The grunty 745cc parallel-twin engine coupled with the DCT transmission pushes 54 hp. Aside from this, the aftermarket SC-Project exhaust system gives a racier feel to the bike just like the retro EZ 90 Cub.
“The mechanical and electronic systems of the X-ADV are very complex,” says Bassoli. “It’s almost impossible to modify them. We did remove the ABS system though, to give us more freedom to design the carbon fibre fairings, and to have a lighter and more ‘stunt’ oriented bike.”
In the case of the lighting, Deus added in blinkers and headlights from a modern enduro bike. Deus says they had to overcome a few hurdles to make this work; “Even the simple connection of new lights and blinkers was not immediate, since the electronic system didn’t ‘recognize’ them.”
“The stock X-ADV does everything very well, It’s the perfect scooter in and outside the metropolitan area, good on the highway, and a funny, agile, and powerful off-roader—on (easy and medium) non-asphalted roads. But the ‘CUB Cubed’ is lighter, more agile, and more off-road oriented.” says Bassoli.
If you look closely the CUB Cubed comes with chunky dual sport tire. Apparently Pirelli joined the party to delivery special size Scorpion Rally STR dual-sport tires. You might think the bulking up process might have increased the weight; well Bassoli says around 18Kgs have been trimmed off from the 238 kg showroom weight.
Although it’s built to pay tribute to the Honda EZ 90 Cub; the Deus Cub Cubed is indeed a wonderful bike for beating traffic around town and hooning around trails.
Source: BikeExif, Deus Ex Machina