There are two kinds of motorcycles in this world: the ones you buy to pamper, and the ones you buy to ride until they hate you. For Ales Tomis of Earth Motorcycles, his ’94 Honda Dominator NX650 was firmly in the second camp. It carried him for four years, through countless roads and a monster 8,000-plus kilometre trip to Iraq in 2024. By the time he limped it home, overheating, vibrating like a cheap motel bed and wheezing its way behind a friend’s Desert X, Ales knew the truth. “After a near-fatal engine failure in Turkey, I said to my bike: now it is your time to retire.” But in Earth Motorcycles’ language, ‘retire’ doesn’t mean a quiet life. It means reincarnation.
The original plan was modest: keep it close to stock, maybe a low-end scrambler with the original wheels, tank and air intake. But as any builder will tell you, plans have a funny way of being scrapped at the first spark of an angle grinder. The Dominator’s 21-inch front wheel was the first casualty. Ales swapped it for an 18-inch Moose Racing rim, paired with an Excel 17-inch rear, stainless spokes and a tubeless Pirelli MT combo. “I thought I’d keep it simple, but it just snowballed,” he admits.
The biggest snowball? The subframe. He built it three times, tore it down, and then rebuilt it again. With advice from his mate Vlado, he finally landed on a design he loved, straight lines that tied into the tank and exhaust. But the new frame brought a fresh headache: side panels. Ales hates English wheels, so he fought with crafting flat panels that would still have a smooth-as-silk finish. To achieve this, he meticulously chamfered each edge, and once satisfied with the material needed to achieve the final result, a laser-cut set was prepared, allowing for the addition of three vented slats.
But these stunning pieces are more than just form; they function brilliantly too. Hidden in that small space between the seat rails, you’ll find a brand-new battery, reg/rec, ignition system and an Axel Joost D-Box, which serves as the command centre for the bike’s entire wiring loom. And then there’s one final party trick. “I’m tired of keys,” Ales shrugs. So, in addition to the RFID locking system, a small fingerprint reader has been mounted into the right-hand side cover, allowing Ales to fire up his hero Honda with just a simple swipe. Genius! “Now it’s one touch and ride,” he grins.
To match those side covers, the tail cowl is an incredibly simple piece, made from a single sheet of 4mm steel, but brilliantly shaped to serve as a tail section, rear guard and support for the custom number plate holder, all in one. At the front of the bike, more handmade metalwork results in a tidy guard. Then it was time to strip the whole thing down, cut off all the unnecessary tabs and brackets, and have the frame and swingarm powder-coated black. The classically styled scrambler tank was sealed before all the tins were hit with a metallic green-blue finish. Earth are known for their simple yet stunning colours, and this one doesn’t miss.
But their painter had added something extra to their usual single, solid hue. And Ales wasn’t convinced initially, as Slavo had laid down sharp white lines and bold HONDA decals. “At first it was ‘Oh my!’ But then I loved it. And I still do.” The quality fit and finish extends to the seat too, perfectly shaped and expertly upholstered, with contrasting copper stitch, adding a little something extra. To preserve the look, a classically shaped headlight bucket is mounted with custom ears, and all lights are LED, neatly wired through steel-plated holders and hidden channels, because ugly wiring is basically a crime in Earth Motorcycles’ workshop.
Then, having literally ridden the Honda on some of the world’s worst roads, Ales knew the suspension needed a full rethink. The forks were shortened by 100mm, fitted with progressive springs and trick preload adjusters. Out back sits a YSS shock with all the knobs a rider could want to tune the ride for any occasion. The spring is finished in a copper tone to match the stitch on the seat, and the rebuilt brake callipers and master cylinder get the same treatment. Just about every last nut and bolt on the bike has been replaced, and new bars, controls and foot pegs ensure she’s an absolute joy to ride.
Mechanically, the old thumper got the royal treatment. The top end was rebuilt and the cylinder was bored to take an oversized piston, before the outside was vapour-blasted and finished in silver Cerakote. The road-legal Arrow exhaust was meant to be the plug-and-play piece of the puzzle. But Ales can’t leave well enough alone. He shortened it by 90mm, re-welded the headers and killed the homologation papers with a grin. The fuelling system has been completely rebuilt and rejetted, before being finished with a K&N filter. It’s a Domi to die for, and while Ales might have retired the Honda from globe-trotting, in its new form, the old warhorse has never looked, or sounded, so alive.
