BT-01
Each BT-01 started out as a hand-picked, 80s-model Honda CX500 - treated to a thorough overhaul before any other work commences. As with the prototype, it was then stripped of all superfluous bits, and redesigned to be more compact. It was made significantly lighter, and an arsenal of top-shelf and custom-made components brought the BT-01's performance and handling up to date. Clip on handlebars, rear set foot controls and a solo seat configuration all hint at its uncompromising nature.
The Honda Hornet
What you see in the distance in the photos is not a Japanese Hong Kong port but a Naples one, in fact Andrea Silverio is a Neapolitan DJ. He built a scrambler on the basis of a Honda 450 and wanted to give a cafe racer. His choice has always fallen on a base of the winged house, a Honda Cb600F Hornet, which despite being on the market at economical prices, represents a good starting point to build a special, the lively engine manages to deliver a hundred horse of power, which on the road is more than enough to have fun. He created the right mix of vintage and modern, but it was necessary to completely change the chassis, a careful choice and always indicated if you want to give more efficiency to the bike and make it better than it was originally. The front end now adopts a Yamaha R6 fork with upside-down stems with a plate made with Cnc machines, a braking system with Brembo radial-mount calipers. To adapt the whole, it was necessary to build spacer bushings for Braking 320mm wave discs with 6-hole adapter flanges, plus braided hoses in ergal fittings The wheels are composed of a Grimeca double-disc hub and 17-channel Excel Takasago channel channel rims with Alpine spokes and nipples, above all there is an artisan fender. Same adaptation work for the rear that now uses a new Yamaha YZF R1 derivation swingarm. This was the modern part of the design for the vintage one, the body of the bike was operated, in fact the aesthetics recalls the old Cb Four, both in colors and shapes, the tank comes from a model of the past that fits well with a small single seat which rests on a new rear frame structure, maintaining a continuous line from elegance and cleanliness to the final result.
Cognite Moto's CB750
For all the attention the craziest new builds receive, the ones displayed at bike shows on spinning podiums, there is something very special about an understated bike that comes along that just does everything right. So it should come as no surprise that such a machine comes from Richmond, Virginia’s kings of cool, clean and celerity, Cognito Moto. “We wanted to do something that spoke to the weekend bike builders out there that want a badass bike without all the headaches,” explains Cognito’s Devin Henriques. So it is that this 1974 Honda CB750 proves nothing serves a weekend biker as well as a machine that will carve the canyons, hammer in a straight line, look the goods parked up and importantly starts with the first hit of the button. With just a hand-me-down frame and motor it was all the boys needed to get the build underway and they started in the area they are perhaps most well known; their incredible fork conversions. It’s one thing to slap a set of modern USD forks onto an old frame but having the fit and finish up to factory quality is another thing all together. It’s something Cognito specialises in and this Honda now sports a set of fully adjustable Showa forks from a Suzuki GSX-R 750. Making the swap a breeze is the use of one of Cognito’s own conversion stem working in conjunction with a set of All Balls bearings. “All you need is a set of bearings with the correct inner diameter for the stem and outer diameter for the head tube”. Finishing out the conversion is one of Cognito’s most popular parts, their billet aluminium top triple clamp that would prove even more valuable later in the build. More about this bike can be found HERE
Videos
Steve's CB550 |
Staff Bikes: Vikki's Honda Dominator |
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