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76 cb550 cafe

3K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  Judeyramone 
#1 ·
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#3 ·
Muffler, fenders,shocks?
Nice paint and I bet the tires help the handling.

Ken

AHRMA 412
Vintage racing - old guys on old bikes
 
#5 ·
saw the discussion of this bike on the SOHC4 forum and from what I recall, batt and electricals are in the tail. cb hondas need a battery to run so even if you went kick only you still need a battery.

Here is the thing I don't get, guy spends $700+ on a benji tank and can't spring for rearsets? maybe he is really short but I betcha that bike is a torture rack to ride.

It is a very pretty bike, and obviously well built, but I am not sure it is well thought out. More for show than go.
 
#6 ·
quote:
saw the discussion of this bike on the SOHC4 forum and from what I recall, batt and electricals are in the tail. cb hondas need a battery to run so even if you went kick only you still need a battery.

Here is the thing I don't get, guy spends $700+ on a benji tank and can't spring for rearsets? maybe he is really short but I betcha that bike is a torture rack to ride.

It is a very pretty bike, and obviously well built, but I am not sure it is well thought out. More for show than go.

whats gayer than clumans? clubmans without rearsets!

i could agree more!

"Society is like a stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you get a lot of scum on top." -Edward Abbey
 
#11 ·
The reason I didn't put rear sets on is because I don't ride the bike. I built with the intent to put clip ons and rear sets on it but before those 2 things happened I got a s2r Ducati monster and decided to sell this one. Buying a rear sets and welding them on isn't going to fetch me much more money from the sale. The tank seat combo with battery box was $2180.00 painted in case anyone is curious.

I plan on using the money to make a modern cafe out of the monster. I really think I have more fun putting these together than I do riding them.
 
#12 ·
I guess if I was going to spend over $2000 on tank, seat and paint, I would have popped a few bucks for tires, rearsets, an exhaust and shocks. It just isn't finished.
Of course that s just my opinion and I might be wrong.
Ken

AHRMA 412
Vintage racing - old guys on old bikes
 
#13 ·
quote:
I guess if I was going to spend over $2000 on tank, seat and paint, I would have popped a few bucks for tires, rearsets, an exhaust and shocks. It just isn't finished.
Of course that s just my opinion and I might be wrong.
Ken

AHRMA 412
Vintage racing - old guys on old bikes
exactly.

"Society is like a stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you get a lot of scum on top." -Edward Abbey
 
#15 ·
looks good i couldn't agree more with the rear set idea and exhaust i mean it's not a chopper, high speed=loud noise... and i would have gone with a total loss electric system nd gotten rid of the battery.... just my two cents

Ride Fast and Take Chances
 
#16 ·
quote:
looks good i couldn't agree more with the rear set idea and exhaust i mean it's not a chopper, high speed=loud noise... and i would have gone with a total loss electric system nd gotten rid of the battery.... just my two cents

Ride Fast and Take Chances
can't run battery-less on an old honda.... The closest I have seen is a cb550 called "the mantlepiece" that had a battery pack like an RC car that was used just to excite the magnets.
 
#19 ·
bike is damn near the closest thing ive seen to being right apart from the rear sets. like the bloke said, shipping it out for a new project so all the support for the lad. just trying to sell the thing and hes getting a verbal group beatin, ha. oh well.

having said that, would have been miles better with clip-ons and rear sets like, haha
 
#20 ·
Very good looking bike and like most of the guys here I suffer from walking into someones' house and leveling their slightly off picture on the wall:) But I've sold bikes that weren't finish and it bothers me for a while after I sell the bike and I tell myself that the next one will be complete:)

Help, I'm in desperate need of learning something useful and new:)
 
#21 ·
I have had lots and lots of CB750's (maybe 20+ ?), and I have built lots of cafe bikes out of them and other bikes. I LOVE cafe bikes.

But MAN! That looks really good. I mean it is beautiful. Before I scruetenized the details, before I tried to figure out what all was going on there, my first impression was, "WOW! That is one of the coolest cafe bikes I have ever seen." Extreeeeemely sexxxxxy.

Now I ride my bikes a lot -- often in the rain, sometimes in the snow -- so I always have fenders and good rubber on them.

Now that I have invested a few seconds looking at it, I remember that the front ends on these things are a bit floppy without any support (fender or fender brace). At first I thought it was a 750, but now I see it is a 550... (duh, that explains the missing oil tank!), I am impressed with how the rear of the frame is modified to wrap around and how Benjie's seat matches those lines perfectly; it's very Ducati, and is an excellent detail. I think the handlebars are a little cluttered, but that is OK. The chrome swing are is a nice touch -- in fact everything on this bike is extremely clean, but del105 already said that he builds these bikes, more than he rides them, so I guess that makes sense.

As far as lines go, this custom tank and seat combo is absolutely stunning on this 550. They are what makes it all happen. They represent a beautiful design concept, but I think it could have been a little better. I like to see a straight line that can be traced from the back of the bike all the way along the bottom of the seat, along the tank, and all the way through the head light. In my opinion there is a kind of symmetry that just need to be thoughtfully put together. In spite of this bike's incredibly cool tank and seat combo, its lines could be better. I wish the line along the bottom of the tank was straight. I would have made the head light lower so that it flowed with a line that can be traced through the middle of the tank, and I would have uncluttered the handle bars. I think some sort of front fender or brace would have helped draw the line all the way to the front.

Having said all that (way too much!) This is a handsome bike. He did a fine job. I would have done it slightly different.

peace and grease
-fang

'70 Suzuki T350
Download The Fang.mp3 HERE
 
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