Speed Read, February 26, 2023
Deus ex Machina returns to their roots with a no-nonsense Kawasaki W650. We also profile a Honda CB550 café racer, a Kawasaki KZ400 restomod and RGNT’s all-electric ice land speed record-breaker.
Read more »Honda CB550
In many ways, the CB550 was the best Honda of the seventies. The CB750 is legendary, but its smaller brother handled better and offered enough performance for most riders.
Introduced in 1974, the CB550 was produced for five years with a 544cc
SOHC engine putting out 50 hp and a crisp five-speed gearbox. Although the CB550 couldn’t quite ‘make the ton’ in stock form, it has become popular with custom builders over the years—partly because secondhand examples are much more affordable than early CB750s.
Four Banger Blast: Why the New Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR Matters
It’s been a while since any manufacturer offered a mass-produced tiny four-cylinder sport bike. This week Kawasaki finally launched the new highly-anticipated Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR, a 400cc four-cylinder sport bike. Many of us started riding on little four-cylinder bikes. Many of us will remember, fondly, CB400Fs or 350Fs, or if you were lucky enough, maybe…
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The ‘Go Fast’: A bored-out Honda CB550 by Federal Moto
Building your own custom motorcycle is an incredibly rewarding experience… until it isn’t anymore. The owner of this 1976 Honda CB550F can relate. After taking a crack at rebuilding it himself, he threw in the towel and decided to hand it over to a pro shop, rather than let it become another abandoned shed build.…
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Protégé: Two Honda CB550 customs from a young Dutchman
Even if you don’t know Chiel Nipius’ name, you’ve probably seen his work. He was part of the team at Ironwood Custom Motorcycles for a while, but he’s now branched out on his own as Nius Moto. And judging by these two Honda CB550 customs, he has the skills to pay the bills. Using the…
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Speed Read, September 5, 2021
This week we’ve got a pair of very different classic Hondas: a CB550 rebuilt in lockdown, and a feisty lil’ NSR50 pocket…
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Better than the original: A CB550 from Thirteen & Company
Once in a while, a custom motorcycle builder will create a machine that attracts attention like nothing else in their portfolio. For…
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Slow Burner: A 1976 Honda CB550 from MONNOM Customs
Some custom builds strut like peacocks; others reveal their charms slowly. This is one of the slow burners, a seemingly innocuous CB550…
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‘Friday’: A sharp Honda CB550 from Cardsharper Customs
It’s been a while since we’ve featured a classic Honda CB café racer. The custom scene has splintered and grown a lot…
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Better than new: A TÜV approved CB550 cafe racer
If there’s a style of bike resistant to trends, it’s the classic Honda CB café racer. If you keep it simple, avoid…
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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 11 February, 2018
Classic cafe elegance from England’s Sinroja, a cute Moto Guzzi mini bike from Spain, a slinky sprintbike from Belgium, and an electric…
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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 1 October, 2017
When Triumph’s own chassis engineers decide to customize a Tiger 800 XC, you know it’ll be something special. We’ve also got a…
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Justin Webster’s Honda CB550 street scrambler
Two heavily modified CB550s in one week: are we seeing a renaissance of interest in Honda’s classic middleweight? If the new builds…
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