1978 Honda CB

CB550K2111500

Clear

*Relisting after auction winner flaked... 1978 Honda CB 550 Four - The "Black and Copper" - a custom build by Kott Motorcycles In 2014 I bought the bike as a project. It was the exact same year, make, and model as the first motorcycle I ever bought when i was 17. This one was already cafe'd out a bit but not to the level of what I wanted. I came to the ultimate realization that undertaking the job of restoring this bike myself would only cause headaches and heartbreaks and decided to do my research. I knew I couldn't settle for anything but the best builder to take it on. After some careful consideration, the answer became obvious - Dustin Kott was the man for the job. I just had to convince him to do it. Dustin is an artist, a perfectionist, and a one man operation, so he doesn't take every project that comes to him. Lucky for me he loved the bike and the challenge -- and other than a few specifics I had in mind for the look I let him have free reign. The copper elements on this bike are beautiful. The whole build took a few months and the result was an incredibly exquisite machine - part cafe racer, part drag racer, all beast. The pictures really say it all. The only addition I've made is a set of cafe mirrors, which you can see in the recent photos. I've had her for a little over three years now and she's been babied, garaged, and not ridden nearly as much as she should be. I'm starting a family and as much as I want to keep her, it's becoming clear the best thing is to let her go to someone who will get to enjoy her more. As you can set's had a lot of write-ups in various Moto blogs around the world and earlier this year Bike Brewers ranked it #5 of the 10 best ever Honda CB cafe builds. Some words about the build from Dustin himself: The 1977 and 1978 single overhead cam CB's incorporated several changes to the earlier models. Not all of these changes were well received but some of those changes can be enhanced to make the best machine possible. The later model frames and swing-arms were slightly longer than the earlier models and elongated the wheel base of these machines. Garrett at Relic Motorcycles fabricated an extended swing-arm that enhanced the already additional length and gave this bike a menacing drag bike look. A look that lent itself well to the dark overtones of the black paint scheme and the timelessness of subtly placed copper and distressed brown leather. I feel that the headlight placement of this bike was also ideal. On a number of my past builds I have often been haunted by the inevitable void that is created with the elimination of the original bulky speedo and tach arrangement. The intentionality of shortening the headlight brackets and using a smaller headlight bucket gave this bike a tidy well packaged look. An additional experiment with the truncated seat length proved in my opinion to give the bike a sense of animated proportions that offered the machine the look of an almost floating take and seat combination, once again harkening to the vintage drag stance. Since his work on my bike he's done a handful of other lucky builds including, most notably, a Triumph Thruxton for actor and motorcycle enthusiast Ryan Reynolds. Kott's builds are only getting more popular...and more expensive. A bike like this only comes around once in a blue moon. It's currently registered and housed in Los Angeles, CA. Buyer to pick-up or arrange shipping. I have the right to end the auction early if it sells locally. All the best and happy bidding!