1969 Honda CB450 cafe racer 1969 Honda CB450 cafe racer – Bike EXIF. Honda’s CB450 never quite met its sales expectations, despite being one of the few 1960s motorcycles to hit the magic 100bhp/liter mark.
Honda claimed it was a 450 with the power of a 650—and yes, it was a technological step forward from the British twins of the time. Buyers got greater reliability, an electric starter and more advanced engineering inside the DOHC parallel twin, which included unusual torsion valve springs. This elegant CB450 is a 1969 model that was rebuilt as a cafe racer by Shaun Stewart of Slingshot Cycles, a Virginia-based outfit that specializes in manufacturing brake hoses for classic motorcycles. The rear seat is actually part of a Yamaha XS650 fuel tank, while the front end is a hybrid mix of CB550/CB750F components strengthened by a homemade fork brace.
The stainless steel exhaust system is also homemade, and the headlight bucket has a built in tachometer. Honda CB550. Charlie Trelogan’s insightful piece on café racer design emphasized the importance of good lines.
No one understands this concept more than Poland’s Eastern Spirit Garage: They helped build the Honda CX500 that Charlie used to illustrate his point. Now they’ve turned their keen eye to another Honda—the ever-popular CB550. This 1980-model is the second CB550 K3 that Eastern Spirit has customised. Ducati 350. Christian Klein is a skilled lathe operator and a craftsman engineer.
Honda CB350. Zach O’Brien got his 1971 CB350 for just $400, running and titled.
He’s built several bikes, but this one is a favorite: his wife, daughter and son all helped with the build. After picking up the CB, Zach took it home and “went to town, tearing it down. Cut off as many tabs and extrusions as I could.” He then sold off most of the surplus parts and got his $400 back. Just about every remaining component was repainted, powdercoated or de-chromed.
Honda CB550 cafe racer. I’ve always thought the CB550 is a better deal than its bigger and more famous brother, the CB750.
A stock 550 is considerably lighter, only slightly less powerful, and has better handling. With a wet sump system, there’s no oil tank to clutter things up, and it’s easy to move the electrics to the back of the seat unit and get rid of the side covers. CAFE RACER CULTURE. Honda cafe racer. Eric Meglasson lives in Bend, Oregon, and his motorcycling journey has had its fair share of twists and turns.
“Over the years, my bikes kept getting faster and faster,” says Eric. “But I started longing for a slower, more fun, naked bike to ride on the street at more reasonable speeds.” Although Eric owned a Monster, he’d been collecting images of café racers for years. “I loved the pure, shiny café racers, but also loved the fat tired, matte-finish bikes. I didn’t even know the term Brat existed at that point.” The CB450 was built by Jared Johnson of Holiday Customs, a one-man builder in Portland, Oregon, who shares a shop space with two other builders. The suspension has been lowered 1½” all around with shorter rear shocks and lowered triple clamps; the wheels are 18“ front and rear, shod with 18 x 4.5” Coker tires.
Triumph TR6 Trophy. I love it when a killer bike comes through from a builder I’ve never heard of.
This stunning 1969 Triumph TR6 Trophy is the work of Raccia Motorcycles, a low-key outfit based in a century-old bottling factory just north of Los Angeles. The lines and stance are simply perfect, and if you’ve ever tried to build a custom bike, you’ll know how difficult that can be. The builder of this machine is Mike LaFountain, and his philosophy is simple: “I’m always trying to change proportions and form new lines to create a unique look, which stems from my love of vintage GP race bikes.”
Custom Norton Commando. We first happened across this amazing Norton Commando eight months ago.
It’s now gracing the pages of Tank Moto, a super-stylish new quarterly from the publishers of Fuel Magazine. When I first saw this 1969 Norton, I’d have bet big money that it was from one of the established Japanese workshops. But it’s from my old backyard—Sydney, Australia. Damian Bombardiere bought his Commando on the cheap from eBay three years ago. Triton motorcycle by Loaded Gun Customs. This lovely Triton is the latest from Loaded Gun Customs, the Delaware-based shop run by Kevin Dunworth.
The story begins with a phone call from Dunworth’s tattoo artist brother, saying that the owner of the Baltimore Tattoo Museum wanted a Triton built. The starting point was to be an engine built by Arno St Denis, a legendary name in vintage Triumph circles. Dunworth’s ears pricked up: St Denis was a machinist who worked on the engines of racer Hubert “Sonny” Routt. So he headed over to Baltimore to meet museum owner Chris Keaton, and examine the engine. It was pristine—“a true art piece,” says Dunworth. Pipeburn - Purveyors of Classic Motorcycles, Cafe Racers & Custom motorbikes.