1978 Honda CB550 Cafe Racer

In Cafe Racer, Cruiser, Japan by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

In all honesty, I’m not a big fan of this sort of ‘custom’. The checkbook sort. Where all you have to do to be cool is have a deep enough cushion in your bank account to be one of the in crowd. Part of the problem for me is that the ‘trend’ will last just until reality TV tires of it and the ‘next big thing’ comes along. Did you ever wonder how many people have owned an ‘Orange County Chopper’ AND a ‘Cafe Racer’?

Honda CB550 Cafe Racer - Right Side

This example based on a 1978 CB550 Honda strikes me as a little different. The CB550 makes a great donor platform with lots that can be done to a basic UJM. The CB550 started out with a 544 cc transverse inline 4 cylinder four stroke single overhead cam motor that made a very respectable 50 HP. Frame, suspension, brakes were all good to much better in the time frame.

Honda CB550 Cafe Racer - Steering Damper

This particular CB550 has had a complete engine, transmission and suspension rebuild with only 400 miles on the work. Bearings and gaskets all replaced, front brakes upgraded and much more. The bike is in San Diego with a starting bid of $5,999 or a BIN of $9,000 and you can get extensive information right

What attracted me to this bike is the unpublished detail work that has been done. Steering damper, exhaust bolts wired, red line wheels, frame tags, and more. It’s a ‘checkbook’ bike, but a pretty darn good one.