Who doesn’t love a Honda CB750 cafe racer? Introduced in 1969, the CB750 is widely regarded as the world’s first ‘superbike’ and a revolutionary milestone in motorcycle history. Featuring a 736 cc inline-four engine with a five-speed transmission, electric start, and front disc brake—an industry first—it offered unprecedented performance, reliability and accessibility at an affordable price.
Redefining expectations for power, comfort and technological innovation, the CB750 forced competitors to rethink their designs and ushered in the modern era of high-performance motorcycles. The CB750 also cemented Honda’s reputation as a global leader in engineering excellence and played a pivotal role in expanding the popularity of motorcycling worldwide.
With over half a million examples built, Honda CB750s are plentiful and cheap, making them the perfect base for cafe racer builds. The massive air-cooled serves as a centerpiece to build around, the simple, tubular frame allows for relatively easy customization and a massive aftermarket following ensures parts will always be around. Whether you’re a noob or a seasoned pro, a CB750 cafe racer project is sure to be a rewarding one.
The first generation Honda CB750 has a peerless reputation. It’s one of the all-time greats, and was a game-changer for the Japanese motorcycle industry. You wouldn’t want to mess with a good condition SOHC machine from the 70s, but the later generations were a bit of a mixed bag. In particular, DOHC bikes from the…
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For custom motorcycle builders that skew towards older bikes, nothing satisfies quite like finding a clean, low-mileage donor. But finding a motor with literally zero miles on it? That’s the Holy Grail. This purposeful cafe racer was built from two components: a beat-up 1992 Honda CB750, and a separate CB750 engine that had never been…
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Fredrik Pål Persson has faced a few challenges in his time. First, he switched careers from chef to bike builder. Then he had to mortgage his house to keep his company PAAL Motorcycles afloat. More recently, he picked up a client with a most unusual brief: build a Honda cafe racer to reflect an interest…
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We love to hear success stories from builders, and Tiago Gonçalves and Luis Gonçalves of Unik Edition are on a roll. The Portuguese duo first hit our radar four years ago, and now have a crew of seven in their shop. In the last two years Unik have ‘gone pro’ and delivered 28 customs. Despite…
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When Brent Becker planned a 45-day sabbatical from his high-stress CEO position, he had no clue it would end up stretching out…
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Some custom motorcycle builders grow up riding and wrenching, and that early start is obvious in their work. On the flip side,…
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A beastly CB750 from Belgium, a vintage Ducati worth over half a million dollars, a Honda Dominator with geometric bodywork, and an…
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When Bike EXIF lit a fire under the custom scene ten years ago, Honda CB750 cafe racers showed up everywhere. And there…
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For some people, building custom bikes is a sideline—an after-hours escape from the daily grind. For others it’s purely a business, with…
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Mike LaFountain has been working on vintage motorcycles since he was 17, and he’s a perfectionist. His creations are nut-and-bolt perfect; they…
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The CB750 is one of the most customized bikes of the past half-century. But just when we thought we’d seen every possible…
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There are around 2.5 million motorcycles on the road in Pakistan. Which sounds impressive until you learn that the population is over…
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