I’m happy to post another cool build by a true shed builder. It’s build by Chris Brennan and based on a 1978 Honda CB550. Chris was looking at this machine for almost 25 years now, while it was rusting away in the garage. With a mechanical background, Chris figured out that this bike needed some attention. His goal was to bring this hidden gem in a restored state to get it back on the road again. On the fly he modified the bike to give it a more unique look with improved handling. It took him roughly 2 years to complete the project in his spare time. Chris: “I wanted to have a nicely restored bike that was rideable, and had a unique look to it. The bike runs and rides awesome now, I can’t wait to ride it every day after work!”

The works on this CB550:

Of course, like most projects start, the bike was completely disassembled. The Frame was modified for the desired look and was sandblasted and coated with a PPG Urethane basecoat/ clearcoat. All frame bolts were either polished up or replaced with new ones. The engine was tested on compression and he found to have around 130 psi in each cylinder and are all within 5% of each other. So internals were left alone and the case was thoroughly cleaned, blasted and ceramic coated satin black. Other engine mods:

• The stock Phillips head engine screws were replaced with a stainless steel Allen head bolt kit.
• All 8 valve tappet cover seals were replaced
• New clutch housing gasket was installed
• New points cover gasket was installed
• New head side cover seals were installed
• Valve clearance was checked and adjusted
• Cam chain tension was adjusted
• Points were cleaned and gapped
• Engine Ignition static timing was set
• Various covers were polished
• New intake manifold gaskets were installed
• New NGK D7EA Spark plugs were installed
• 4 new engine cover seals were replaced
• A new OEM Honda oil filter and seal was installed along with a new oil filter housing bolt.
• A New Delkevic 4 into 1 Stainless Steel Header was installed
• A new Radiant Cycles 2.5″ Shorty muffler was installed

Carburation:

• Carbs were completely tore down and cleaned
• Bowls and top covers were polished
• Carb bodies were ceramic coated satin black
• All new seals gaskets and prongs were installed
• Carbs were jetted because of the pod filters and free flowing exhaust
• They were fitted with 105 main jets and the slide needles were moved up 1 notch.
• New carb boot clamps were installed
• New pod filters were Installed

Wheels:

• Wheels were were broken down and had the spokes re zinced
• The Hubs and rims were blasted and painted with a black urethane basecoat/clearcoat
• The wheel sets were re assembled, spoked, and trued
• New inner rubber strips were installed on the rims
• New inner tubes were installed in both wheels
• New Kenda Challenger tires were installed Front 110/90/19 Rear 120/90/18

Brakes:

• Rear brake shoes were installed with new hardware then linkages were adjusted and greased
• Front brake caliper was completely stripped , blasted, and rebuilt. A new piston, new seal, new bleeder screw and new pads were installed. Then the bodies were Painted black and clear coated.
• A new Braided Stainless Steel brake line kit was installed.
• A new master Cylinder was installed along with new brake fluid.

Electrical system:

• The wire harness was removed and all terminals were cleaned
• A new headlight with integrated LED turn signals was installed.
• A new 32 LED brakelight, tail light, and turn signal unit was installed on a custom fabricated bracket which mounts flush under rear seat for a clean look.
• A new electronic LED flasher was installed
• 2 new LED turn signal resistors were installed
• A new horn was installed
• A new mini speedometer was installed
• A new KMG Battery was installed
• Any unnecessary gauges or lights were eliminated for a clean, simple look

Suspension:

• Front forks were disassembled, cleaned, and new fork seals and oil were installed. They were raised through the trees for a lower profile and 3/4″ pre load spacers were installed in the forks to stiffen up the front and minimize travel.
• Rear Shocks were replaced with new Adjustable Shocks

Bodywork, control:

• New clip ons were installed
• New bar end left mirror was installed
• Original clutch cable was lubricated and reinstalled then adjusted for a proper release
• Original throttle and choke cables were cleaned, lubricated, installed and adjusted.
• A new drive chain was installed along with new chrome chain tensioners.
• A new curved license plate bracket was installed
• The original seat pan was blasted, fabricated and repainted for the look of the bike and uses all the factory mounting points and the original seat lock. It was then sent to be professionally upholstered.
• The tank was sandblasted and repainted using a urethane base coat/ clear coat system. Destroyer grey with a black side panel. The side covers were also redone with new 550Four lettering integrated in the paint scheme. The paint was then wet sanded and thoroughly polished to a show quality finish.
• The stock rear fender was shortened, sand blasted and painted to match the tank paint scheme.
• The front fender was shortened, sandblasted and painted Destroyer Grey to match the tank.
• A Stock 74 Honda tank emblem set was stripped and restored , mounted on the tank.
• The inside of the tank was de rusted and had a new tank liner installed
• A new petcock and fuel line was installed

CB550 Movie (with sound!)

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As promised at the end of 2016, I’m trying to post more projects from “shed builders”, “one-timers” and hobbyists (and guys with 2 left hands like myself). I hope that I can inspire others to create their own machine some day, just like Nicolas Pommier from Dijon, France. Which is in fact a “basement builder”.

Nicolas (31) has been enthusiastic about motorcycles his whole life and got infected by the custom motorcycle virus the last couple of years. After surfing around looking at creations of others, he decided to build a bike himself. By day Nicolas is a professor of technology, but he had no technical background and only a little experience with working on bikes. In order to get the project on track he asked his dad to help him. Project “NP#1” was born.

He sourced a ’77 Honda CB550 that was in a bad condition and non-rolling shape. Since the legendary Norton Manx is one of his favorite classic machines, he wanted to give the Honda a little bit of Manx-juice. A list of modifications can be found below the pictures. I can’t wait for NP#2 (which is almost finished!).

If you want your bike to be featured here: submit your bike!

List of modifications 

• USD fork of a 125 Aprilia RS
• 17-inch spoke wheels
• Radial front brake and rear drum brake
• 17-inch rear wheel with original hub (hence drum brake) and 160 tires
• Red chain
• Norton Manx color polyester tank and shell
• Engine rebuild completely polished and painted black
• Open air filters
• Digital counter by Acewell
• Controls a an MV Agusta F4 and Ducati 1098
• Handles brown old school and retro handlebar end
• Modification of the frame, creation of the rear loop, removal of all fixing lugs and smoothing of the welds
• Moving the battery, central flashing, regulator under the back shell
• Leather saddle (smooth and carbon) with red thread and integrated tail light
• Gas shock absorber
• 4 in 1 exhaust
• Handlebar bracelet
• Round light
• Carbon front fender

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I’m sorry that I don’t have much to tell about this Honda CB550 Cafe Racer yet, only that it’s build by our friends of NCT Motorcycles and that it got a lot of views, likes and comments on our social media channels.

It’s one of those machines that has something special, but it’s not really one thing that you can point. Maybe it’s the simple and classic “cafe racer look”, or maybe it’s just because of the red details. I simply like it!

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Unless the fact that I’ve listed the Honda CB as one of the best cafe racer base bikes, it was months ago since I’ve featured one here. So I was glad that I found a great CB build. This CB550 Bratstyle is built bij Jerikan Motorcycles from Nice in France.

Honda CB550 Bratstyle Gallery

Follow JeriKan Motorcycles:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Grzegorz Korczak from Poland is the owner of Unikat and he builds custom motorcycles on behalf of his customers. The owner of this Honda CB550, Pascal, a Frenchmen who now lives in Poland, had a clear description: build me a café racer and use some of the leather of an old Mercedes SL300. So he did…!

Grzegorz is a well known visual artist and has a great eye for detail. His designs always start in the digital world and then starts working on them by hand. The results are amazing, considering a respectable list of builds on his website. This Honda CB550 SL is his latest project:

Honda CB550 SL was inspired by the iconic Mercedes 300 SL (Sport Leicht). The Unikat team aimed at redesigning and adding a racing touch of the classical cafe racer look of the 1970s.

First of all, weight was reduced by generous 30 kg. At the first glimpse one can notice the modified subframe, smaller seat and change of motorcyclist’s position. Unikat has left the best of the classic intact and added a luxurious finish and modern technology, an example of which is the world’s lightest and smallest Shorai battery.

The motorcycle from 1978 has undergone a complete retrofit – it has been dismantled into pieces. Every aluminium element has been sandblasted and/or hand polished. All steel elements are chrome-plated. Not to even mention the replacement of suspension and valve timing, honing, grinding and other technical works.

The exhaust pipe and air filter where designed personally by Grzegorz and hand-manufactured from stainless steel. Paintwork was performed by an acclaimed specialist, whereupon the motorcycle was glass-coated with a Pika Pika Rain.

Whenever it was possible, top-quality accessories were installed: a BAAK lamp with an in-built electronic Motogadget speedometer, Raacks sport sets, aluminium rear views with LED blinkers, hand-crafted clip-ons, Avon tyres…

In order to improve the security, a second brake disc was added to the front, as well as conduits in steel cord.

Lever and seat leather has a coloured patented by Mercedes and used in its SL model. Unikat has obtained it as a gift from the owner of a Paris workshop renovating these iconic vehicles.

To sum up, the works on this CB550 SL lasted for over 4 months and engaged 18 people, as well as many specialized companies. The visual effect can be admired on photos, but the experience from the ride and sound generated by four independent silencers cannot be described in words!

PS. Grzegorz wanted to leave the branding on the images to get some more brand awareness! So take a look:

Website | Facebook

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One of the reasons to start with BikeBrewers is to get and give inspiration on building custom motorcycles. One of our Dutch readers, Oz, got his hands on a ’79 Honda CB550 and turned it into a one-off machine:

Oz takes his hobby very serious and overhauled the complete motorcycle. Every part has been taken care of, rebuilt and/or repainted.

To create something unique, Oz handcrafted a custom rear swing arm for the monoshock suspension. Well not really “single”, since he used a double set of shocks.

He rebuilt the engine and painted it with 2k finish. Rebuilt and rejetted the carb’s to match the open filters and the custom made 4 in 1 exhaust system. Other custom parts are the rear seat and subframe.

For a real vintage touch he made is own headlight and fitted in a small speedo.

This CB550 Café Racer is his second custom motorcycle and we can’t wait to see more of him!

Like this CB550? It’s for sale! Got a project you want to show us? Submit it here

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No list of specs, no long story, just some shots of another great build by Kott Motorcycles:

Also check out this CB750 from Kott Motorcycles.

The post Honda CB550 Café Racer by Kott Motorcycles appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Beautiful Honda CB550 Scrambler by Herencia Custom Garage. Sometimes only pictures say enough…

The post Honda CB550 Scrambler by Herencia Custom Garage appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

• Custom paint job
• Frame hoop
• Bratstyle seat
• Custom 4 to 1 exhaust
• 18″ wheels with Firestone tires
• Special headlight
• Black engine paint
• A lot of nice details…

Photo’s by Raul Origlia.

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