Caiman CB750 Racer

Honda continuously developed and improved its CB750 model throughout its production years. The final F version which reached showroom floors in 1979 was a far more refined motorcycle than the original showstopping 1969 K0 model. The CB750F had the double overhead cam motor which provided over 70hp and a top speed of around 200km/h at sea level. More importantly, the CB750 F put the final nail in the coffin of the myth that motorcycles with transverse four cylinder engines could not handle well in the twisties.

I have to tell you that I built a custom CB750F in the early 1990s. I paid R1500 for a shabby donor bike when a clean example was selling for R2500. A year later I sold it for R7000, a sum nobody believed was possible and I still lost money! She was a beauty but paled in comparison with our featured CB750F café racer from Caiman Urban and Dirt. These guys have an eye for detail for which most of us can only wish.

I have never really enjoyed the look of Honda’s Comstar wheels in standard form. Customisers are generally painting the wheels black to make them more appealing. Caiman have gone a step further by stripping the wheels and drilling multiple holes through the flange on the circumference. Brilliant. Those holes give a completely fresh, non Comstar look to the wheels. Drilled brake discs are café compulsary.

The bumstop seat is innovative yet still classic. Indicators are a necessary evil on a custom motorcycle, both for safety and legislation’s sake. The two small LED illuminated lights in the tailpiece serve as lights, brake lights and indicators.

Here at Retro Write Up there is a difference of opinion over whether side covers should be retained or removed on a custom motorcycle. Marnitz believes less is more and prefers the gaping hole in the frame look. I like side covers to be retained. Caiman have fabricated these unobtrusive metal side covers and drilled some holes in them. With drilled wheels, brake discs, sidecovers and even the brake pedal this could be described as a truly holy motorcycle. Weak jokes aside, back in the day, an electric drill was a weapon of choice to try and lighten a motorcycle to gain a bit more performance.

The success of a custom motorcycle, no matter what the style of build, depends on how all its individual custom bits interact with one another to create a harmonious whole. Caiman have created a very individual motorcycle without losing the essence of the original CB750F. To be able to enhance a motorcycle without chopping and changing everything requires real talent. We appreciate real talent.

first read in http://www.retrowriteup.com