For starters; thank you for the nomination and consideration for BOTM.
The wild and reckless motherland stories my father and brother once told from their youth gave me the aspiration to really sweat and bleed motorcycles starting at a young age. As an adult, I wanted to build a modernized café racer while using a neglected 70's Honda as a starting platform since I've always been a Honda kid at heart. I stumbled upon a lot of (3) 1978 CB550's after browsing CL religiously. That evening, I came home with all 3 motorcycles. I purchased them from a father and son who had big plans to restore these as a bonding project together but unfortunately, had to let them go due to prioritizing life tasks. A proper yet tasteful build was on the agenda, a build that had just the right mix of modern pieces but also something that didn't take away from the retro raw feel of a pungent smelling old Honda.
Engine:
Refreshed CB550 Motor (new rings, gaskets, seals, etc)
Kibblewhite Dual Valve Springs
CB650 Cam
Keihin CR26's with Remote Adjuster
Stacks and/or Pod Option
Hindle Exhaust System
Electrics:
C5 Ignition
Rick's R&R
Antigravity XPS SC-1 battery
Hand made tail light with vintage glass
Vintage truck fog lamp as glass headlight (scratch built SS HL mount as well)
Scratch built complete wiring harness
Wheel Combo:
Excel Wheels (18" x 2.5" F&R)
Buchanan SS Nipples and Spokes
Kenda Challengers
Suspension:
Cognito Moto Retro Triple trees (with corrected offset) with built in led oil/neutral lights
CalFab Swingarm
GSXR Front End (scratch built axle, adapter and spacers)
Ripple Rock Racers front frame brace
Hagon Spec'd Shocks
Modified frame to adapt rear brake setup and also capped off portion where a tail "hoop" would typically go
Aesthetics:
Italian leather/suede wrapped seat with red stitching
Custom under seat vented aluminum panel
Vented and altered housing of the rear brake drum
Custom "knee-dented" fuel tank
FB clear points cover
Controls:
Internal Throttle
Woodcraft Clip-on
Custom foot control linkage with revised Cognito Moto rear set mounts
Rear-sets
Scratch built shifter linkage
Hydraulic rear drum brake using an AP NASCAR pull style master cylinder and wildwood slave cylinder
ASV Levers
Lowbrow Customs "X-Grips"
Misc:
Mini Metal "tube" Brake Reservoir
SS Brake Lines
Remote Oil Filter Relocation with AN lines
SS hardware throughout entire motorcycle
Starter Delete Block-Off Plug
Aluminum Under-Seat Tray
Several people to acknowledge for this build but here are a select few as per my BOTM post:
I'd really like to thank the above mentioned along with anyone that may not have been mentioned. Really couldn't do it without you guys. From Christian coming through making the tank, internal throttle, front end spacer/axle/etc, to Nick answering countless emails and spending countless 2am nights at the shop, to Cal answering a TON of questions and spending many minutes on the phone helping wire my bike to also HondaMan ensuring my swingarm was deemed safe to ride and last but not least Kemp from Ripple Rock Racers for answering many questions, for the rad exhaust and also the hospitality every time I visit Toronto. I would not have been able to complete this without you guys. I appreciate you guys.
Poll