A bit small for a Hawk? It's actually an Ape! The newest custom by Trust Light Success!

November 7, 2025

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A bit small for a Hawk? It's actually an Ape! The newest custom by Trust Light Success!

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WebikePlus Editorial

Last year, Trust Light Success, known for their classic replica custom minibikes, exhibited a CBX400F-style Ape custom. This year, they made another one based on the Ape50. This year's motif was a 1977 Honda Hawk, again with a high degree of perfection!

The tank is hammered out and the wheels are machined

Sphere Light, a company that sells LED headlights for motorcycles, always exhibits custom motorcycles that feature their lights at their show booths. At the Tokyo Motorcycle Show in 2022, Trust Light Success' (TLS) CBX400F-style Ape Custom was the talk of the show. So this year, they displayed a Hawk-style Ape Custom.

The motif this time is the first-generation Hawk from 1977. The Hawk features a red color scheme and is the 250cc version of its counterpart, the air-cooled, parallel twin-cylinder, 400cc-powered Hawk 2. TLS customized this Ape-based model with a full cowl and Seven Star cast-style wheels.

According to TLS' representative Mr. Sakamoto, the highlight is the hammered-out fuel tank, which is faithfully constructed as a scaled down version of the original Hawk's tank, and it still functions as a tank needs to. The engine is a CB125T series air-cooled two-cylinder, the same engine type as the Hawk.

■Ape Custom [Trust Light Success] Hawk-style Custom created by TLS, who are known for producing custom Ape50-based models. It is equipped with the same two-cylinder engine as the Hawk, which is the motif of this model.

■Not only the coloring and emblems, but also the side covers and the shape of the frame around the sides are all designed in the Hawk's image. The finish is in line with the "Real Toy" concept.

■Here is a 165cm-tall Webike staff member riding the bike. Showing the bike with a rider on it you can really see just how small it is. The riding position is definitely closer to that of the Ape.

■The tank on the first-generation Hawk was nicknamed "the kettle", and this bike boasts a miniaturized version of this round tank, perfectly scaled down. The tank cap cover with keyhole is also perfectly reproduced.

■The Hawk's original gauges have been equipped to keep the look as close as possible. With the rising cost of parts from vintage bikes, it may be more expensive to do this than to install newer gauges.

■For the CBX400F-style Ape, the parallel 4-cylinder engine was an Ape single-cylinder with sculpted parts attached, but this one appears to be a CB125T series 2-cylinder. The carburetor and air cleaner are also nicely installed.

■Hawk CB250T (1977) [HONDA] The 250cc version of the Hawk was developed simultaneously with the 400cc version, the Hawk 2. The Hawk doesn't have the Comstar wheels and some other features of the Hawk 2.

A look back at the CBX400F-style Ape Custom from 2022

The CBX400F-style Ape Custom displayed at the Sphere Light booth in 2022 was a scaled down version of the CBX with a tank made of FRP. The highlights of this custom are the engine made of aluminum plates, inboard discs reproduced with machined parts, the mono suspension swingarm, and the Boomerang Comstar wheels. The total cost of this fully customized bike was over 3 million JPY.

■Ape Custom [Trust Light Success] Here is the CBX400F-style custom, created by TLS, who are known for their Ape50 based customs. The single-cylinder engine of the Ape is made to look like a 4-cylinder engine.

■You may find it hard to believe that it's an Ape engine, but this photo is the proof. You can see that the stock carburetor of the Ape engine is still there.

■The CBX400F-like suspension is made with machined parts such as the inboard disc and swingarm. The surfaces are machined to look like they are cast.

■The meter and switches of an original CBX400F are installed to create a unified look. The tank here is made of FRP.

■The seat and tail cowl were also custom made, completing the mini CBX400F, which can be ridden with a Class 1 moped license!

■This is the Sphere Light booth at the 2022 Osaka Motorcycle Show, with TLS representative Toshiyuki Sakamoto riding the CBX400F-style Ape Custom. The CBX400F in the back is a real one.

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A bit small for a Hawk? It's actually an Ape! The newest custom by Trust Light Success!

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WebikePlus Editorial

Webike+ (Webike Plus) provides daily updates on motorcycle news and information. We cover a wide range of topics, including new models, latest releases, classic bikes, discontinued models, and custom motorcycles. Additionally, we offer detailed information and in-depth reviews of motorcycle gear and custom parts, such as helmets and exhaust systems.