There’s an art to builds that some get right, and some just don’t. Cafe Racer Dreams understands this, and looking over their designs, you can see they refine that art with each successive build. This CB750 is their second bike, and there’s only one element, in my opinion, that doesn’t gel well with the rest of the project, and that’s the headlight. It’s just too damn small, and looks cartoony instead of serious. Other than that, she’s a solid looking cycle!
We featured CRD #1 a few days ago, and Cafe Racer Dreams was not completely pleased with the bike, enough that they went and re-customized the bike into what you see here. New exhaust, new seat, new fairing, new front end, and a great paint job to boot! It’s a complete transformation, and proves how far they’ve come in their craft. Even the weirdly shaped tank is disguised with a clever paint scheme! She went from interesting first attempt to a great build!
While some have quantified the elements of a successful cafe racer design, there is so much wiggle room that the endeavor is doomed to failure. If you’ve read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, you’ll understand how quality is hard to define, yet everyone knows it when they see it. This Honda CB900 is Cafe Racer Dreams’ first build, and while it has some flaws, the quality they put into every build is as plain as day. Everyone starts somewhere, and you have to crawl before you can walk or run.
The main problem is the tail, or really a lack of one. It just looks like the bike was never finished. Besides that, it’s a sight to behold, and uses the strange shapes that Honda put into the tank and side panels to great effect. I love the look of the seat, as it reminds me more of a factory item than some cobbled together foam and vinyl. For their first time, you really can’t ask for more.
