Cafe Racer (Honda CB550 by Sebastian Happ/089Moto)

[Music] hmm today we are going to start with an interesting question is there a way to explain why some things are cool probably not being cool is one of those things that is hard to describe almost like something that can't be explained but it can be known but one thing is certain you always know it when you see it and that is precisely the case with this machine it doesn't have anything spectacular it looks to be an easy and simple project the colors are way far from being flashy in other words it has nothing to make it stand out from other projects except one thing every time i look at it it simply looks very cool welcome to racer tv just like i said this is what i call a very cool project even though it is nothing that distinguishes it from other projects this bike captures our attention it may seem like a contradiction but that is precisely why i said it is hard to describe the reasons that allow something to be considered cool nevertheless let's try to find out by studying the builders choices on this beautiful cafe racer contrary to what you may be expecting this is not the work of a professional builder it was built in germany by sebastian happ who is also known as bastie there is an interesting story behind this project sebastian was always interested in design and technology professionally he works for bmw on research and development no not with motorcycles everything began when sebastian started to get annoyed with the easiness his friends could get a parking space with their motorcycles at downtown munich this was the moment he realized he needed to eliminate the car from the equation the question was what kind of motorcycle should he have and just like many of us after some thinking sebastian chose precisely the opposite of what he was working with professionally a 1976 honda cb550 the exact same year of sebastian's birthday the perfect machine for a cafe racer custom build he didn't have a workshop and only a small amount of tools but he had an enormous amount of passion to create a great cafe racer so so [Music] so um what a lovely engine sound it is very hard to capture it on camera without the wind noise but fortunately sebastian did a great job with all the recordings so returning to this project story after sebastian got all the required tools and with the help of some friends he found the right place to build this honda his own house seller it may even be an unorthodox place but what is certain is it worked beautifully sebastian's initial plan was to build a cafe racer just as clean and simple as possible and bring the original cafe racer flavor to a more modern and sleek style and i think that is precisely what he achieved so simple and so beautiful i know some of you are going to say something like hey how are you going to ride it in the rain without the mud guards and i will start answering with another question do you really believe this motorcycle was built to be ridden when it is raining i think it is quite obvious that most cafe racers have some limitations but just like this beautiful honda it also has many qualities no modern motorcycle has i will ever have this is the kind of machine that can be appreciated by most people including even a person who doesn't know nothing about motorcycles i am not saying this just as an opinion i am saying it from my own experience [Music] anyone who rides a honda like this one simply can't go unnoticed and this leads us to the initial question is there a way of making things look cool well on this particular motorcycle i would say it is all about the right choices if you look carefully there is absolutely nothing on this project that is trying to grab people's attention and at the same time there is nothing considered as fashionable among most of today's custom cafe racers sebastian respected all the chrome and polished surfaces and allow them to play their part as in a real vintage motorcycle he only changed the essential like a custom seat a shortened rear frame structure led rear light and blinkers a rear set of foot pegs the exhaust and the clip-ons these are the minimum and essential changes to reach a cafe racer from a honda cb550 but the way sebastian made them also makes a difference all the electrical wiring switches and sensors were very well hidden the rear sets were made in a cnc milling machine the 554 logo on the top triple tree was laser cut and even the symbols on these buttons were made by sand blasting another detail you probably didn't notice yet is the fuel tank paint or maybe i should say the lack of it most of this clear gray surface is brushed metal protected only by a clear coat which gives this shiny buttraw look of the pure metal subtle but very beautiful when seen from certain angles everything was extremely well built and finished but all these choices are not enough to create a cool cafe racer and this is where it comes the heart and soul factor this is when someone makes things effortlessly but with sincerity and being truly honest to himself in other words it's forgetting the world exists and creating something you always loved without even knowing it and how can we know that sebastian thought about all this during this project simple because he invested all his effort on this build without even having a motorcycle's driving license besides that this honda really looks very cool right and this can only be achieved with heart and soul thank you for watching racer tv and as always i hope to see you on the next video you

Channel: RACER TV

Views: 269,805

Rating: 4.9358134 out of 5

Keywords: Cafe Racer, Cafe Racers, Cafe Racer Honda, Cafe Racer Honda CB 750, Cafe Racer Honda CB 550, Cafe Racer Honda CB 500, Cafe Racer Honda CB 400, Cafe Racer Honda CB 250, Cafe Racer Honda CB 350, Cafe Racer Suzuki, Cafe Racer Yamaha, Cafe Racer Kawasaki, Cafe Racer BMW, Cafe Racer Ducati, Cafe Racer Triumph, Cafe Racer bikes, Motorcycle, Best Cafe Racer, Custom Build, Vintage motorcycle, Cafe Racer Top 10, Royal Enfield 650, Cafe Racer Honda CB 125, 360 camera

Id: v4p6WavfJko

Length: 12min 2sec (722 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 27 2020