Kaspeed Moto HONDA CB500 | Family Affair

 Today I want to introduce you to our latest bike – . It is definitely our most extensive build to date, and the cleanest as well.
Today I want to present you a classic cafe racer based on a 1976 HONDA CB500 Four, a reinterpretation of a Japanese classic. It represents a real family affair. In fact, Kaspeed Custom Motorcycles is the project of a father and his two sons. 'Kaspeed' combines the name of our founder with speed intoxication. The handyman, the mechanic and the head of the troupe are supported by two qualified experts. A graduate engineer with experience in racing, the other technical model maker in the field of vehicle design.
It's Jimmi Dressel who tells us about this project and their work

I would like to introduce myself and our workshop to you briefly. My name is Jimmy and together with my twin brother Mick and our dad Karsten we build bikes in our workshop named Kaspeed Custom Motorcycles, or the short form Kaspeed Moto. We are from the state of Saxony in Germany. My dad's passion for motorcycles started in the 1970s and when me and my brother finally got our bike licenses, the passion reignited. This is the forth bike we built under our Kaspeed Moto brand in our new workshop.

About the Bike:
We knew that this project would be a challenge for us, when we received the bike almost completely disassembled. Our customer, who works in the Swiss banking sector, but was born in Germany, acquired the bike some time ago, besides never riding it himself before the customization. Not even a fuel tap or a chain came with it. But on the other hand, the bike was mechanically fine after we put it back together in order to start working on it. 

We envisioned the CB500 to be a classic racer with all traditional cafe racer style elements such as a low and slightly forward stance, distinct straight lines, clip-ons and a classic seat cowl. Upgraded brakes for a better bite and functional tires for better road use were planned as well. The concept phase and the whole planning was a real pleasure with our laid-back client. My brother did a rendering for the Honda, like we always do for each bike. It's a great and very useful tool in the workshop, too. We like our builds to look like they could have come from a factory rather than a shed workshop.

 

We decided to keep the 4-into-1 exhaust and the backwards relocation of the footrest system was also a good idea, bearing in mind the low and forward riding position we were aiming for. Moreover, we changed a lot on the bike. I could make an endless list of modifications. First of all, the ancient front brake had to go for a newer double disc brake setup from a CB400N with more modern discs installed. This also includes different forks, triple trees and the installation of fork boots giving more optical weight to the front end. Together with Fehling clip-ons, refurbished handlebar switches, new Probrake levers, LSL brake fluid reservoir and the Acewell chrome speedometer the front end received the modern technology touch we were aiming for. Furthermore, the classic six-and-a-half-inch headlight emphasizes the front from all viewing angles.

On the rear end of the bike we have been very restricted with frame modifications. Only minor changes could be done in order to register the Honda in Switzerland afterwards. Anyway, we managed to clean out the frame triangle completely. After the whole frame was de-tabbed, we customized an aftermarket seat cowl to our liking, fit and length. We also lifted the back of the gas tank by an inch and aligned the seat to it to create a perfectly straight and forward leaning lower tank line, which is a must have for a classic cafe motorcycle. The custom upholstery of the seat is a perfect match, including a beautiful diamond stitch pattern. Light brown genuine leather and a stitched logo were used by a local upholsterer. Matching the leather color are the brown rubber grips. The rear end is finished off with a classic LED tail light integrated into the seat cowl for a super clean and unique style.

In terms of color, we wanted to go with a very typical monochrome scheme to keep the paint simple, letting the shapes speak, while incorporating our customer's wish to have some fine golden details. Just one of them is the new chain. The engine was painted black, while adding golden details on the side covers and valve caps. All other black parts and the frame were powder coated with a matt finish. The gas tank and seat cowl received a stylish 'Silver Tempest' paint job taken from Bentleys color range. We do all the paint work professionally in-house, since I am a trained automotive refinisher. Aside from that, the gas tank features a gold-black Honda emblem. We added a 3D printed KASPEED logo badge in the cockpit, which perfectly links the classic cafe racer appearance of the bike with the modern technology which is available to bike builders these days.

As we completely stripped the bike, we refurbished all worn parts and integrated the new electronic components. While we hid everything under the seat, the lightweight lithium-ion battery was located under the cowl. Motogadget m.blaze disc handlebar blinkers were installed for the front and Kellerman Atto Dark for the rear, which are arguably the smallest certified indicators on the market right now. The wheels were laced with new stainless spokes and got black rims for a stronger entrance. This look is also supported be the new Continental ClassicAttack tires, which are handmade in Germany for classic bikes and perfect handling capabilities. The four Keihin carbs have also been ultrasonic cleaned, restored, and re-jetted with the installed pod filter. These changes suit the new intake and exhaust setup to make the startup and running nice and smooth. Even the sound is quite impressive. Of course, the Honda is fully road-legal in Germany.

With the delivery of the bike this week, everything is ready for the European spring, which is just around the corner these days. In fact, we already got a new Honda CB750 from the same customer, who wants us to customize it as well. Besides that, we have our very own project. It will be a more modern approach to a cafe racer, based on a '96 Honda CB Sevenfifty. We plan to produce this project in a very limited series, where we want to involve our future customers in some details. So, there will be more Honda builds coming from us later this year.

List of modifications:

Honda CB400N double disc brake front end
Cleaned out frame triangle, de-tapped frame
Custom seat cowl - integrated tail light
Custom light brown genuine leather upholstery, matching grips
Powder coated frame, painted engine
Bentley 'Silver Tempest' paint job - in-house
3D printed KASPEED logo badge
Motogadget m.blaze disc handlebar blinkers
Kellerman Atto Dark rear indicators
Continental ClassicAttack tires, 19" front, 18" rear
Stainless spokes, black rims
Tuned carbs, pod filters
Fehling clip-ons
Probrake levers
LSL brake fluid reservoir
Acewell chrome speedometer
4-into1 exhaust, anthracite exhaust wrap
1976 model - 48 HP
Fully road-legal

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