MABLE

I’ve always loved custom bikes. Bobbers were my thing to start with then I started liking the more brat style cafe racers; old classics that have been cut, cleaned up & modernised. In 2018 I decided to build my own. We’d just moved outside the city to a place with a garage which I turned into a workshop so there was no excuses, I decided to "give it a bash" and build one myself.

I'm pretty open to all makes of bikes but have always liked the shape of the classic Honda's. Lots of people have already “Cafe Racer’d” them so there's plenty of examples, resources, parts etc. I decided on a Honda CB550 as I don't want a big bike and power isn't really important to me.

Cafe racer inspiration

In the world of social media, Instagram, Pinterest etc you're not short of visual inspiration. By looking at what others had done I knew roughly what end result I was looking for; a mostly black, brat style bike with brown seat, grips etc that's as clean as possible - with minimal chrome! Initial thoughts were to go for a GSX-R front end, Mototgadget electronics and a good few Cognito Moto parts. However, things may change as the build progresses...

Build budget

I haven’t really set a budget but have around £6,000 in mind. I'm just aiming to pick up parts in sales where possible and take as long as I need to get the result I want. Assuming I make around £1,000 back from selling unused parts then that’s around £5K for a kick-ass cafe racer custom to my taste and style. That's not including the many hours of labour and the inevitable tools & consumables spend. On the one hand, that's a bit eye-watering but on the other, if you bear in mind that sort of money will get you a new Honda CB500F then it's a bargain and, without a doubt, I know what I'd rather be riding.

Build plan

As the build progresses I'll blog the various stages and link them below:

The donor bike (May 2018)

I trawled eBay and there were numerous examples in various states with different versions (K0, F1 etc) that made little sense to me at the time. I liked the 550K because of the tank shape and external filler cap but these all seemed to be US imports. The 550F (later model in the UK market) seemed rare and more expensive so I ended up with a 1974 CB550K0 U.S. barn find for £1,550 plus got it shipped from Brighton to Edinburgh for £240 (ouch!).

I bought it blind, non-running and with no paperwork. Bit of a gamble so we'll see how it pans out!  The bike sat in the drive under a cover for a few months as I was busy on other projects. In that time I got it registered with DVLA.

The strip down (November 2018)

I eventually got space in the garage, got it on the stand and started the strip down. I'm fortunate to have a fairly stocked, insulated and heated garage which makes things a lot easier. I’m relatively handy with the spanners and I have experience fabricating & welding so I’m pretty confident that I can pull it off. As I go along the build I'll try to list the tools and equipment I use. I'll also list any online resources I find useful.

Autumn 2019 update

In short - it’s all taken longer and cost more than expected! The blogs aren’t ready as all jobs are only partially finished. I’m either investigating my options, deciding what to do or saving money for the inevitable spend. Restoring a bike to O.E.M spec is relatively easy as there’s no choices to be made and everything fits together nicely. Going custom, adding your own style, cutting things, making different parts fit together has been a lot tougher than I expected. Also, the learning curve of how everything fits together and all the various options available has taken up way more time and headspace than I ever thought possible.

I’ve already made around £1,000 selling unused parts but this has been spent (and then some!) on new parts. All budget figures have been adjusted by the cash made from selling parts.

Total spend, including bike is now sitting at around £5,000. That also includes some tools & consumables. Projected total spend is now £7,000, probably a little more.

I’ve changed my mind on the GSX-R front end and decided to keep the stock front end but upgrade to RaceTech springs and cartridge emulators plus an additional CB disc and caliper. I’ll add more details soon but this has meant selling a good few Suzuki parts that I’d already bought.

The bike now has a name: MABLE, it means “Lovable” in Latin and is born from the design philosophy:

• Minimalist: remove anything not necessary to lighten / clean-up but retain functionality.

• Alloys: use aluminium / stainless steel etc where possible for lightness & longevity.

• Black & brown: satin & mat black paint, brown leather & highlights.

• Legacy: use Honda parts if possible & stay true to CB design philosophy.

• Electronic: where possible - no cable drive, no ignition switch, no points etc.

We don’t ride in winter so I decided to sell the 2 bikes in the garage to create space to work (it’s a mess!!) and free up some cash to spend on MABLE.

Winter 2019 update

I planned on having a good 2-3 week focus on the bike over the Christmas holiday but that plan was scuppered by mangling my hand in the pillar drill while drilling the front brake discs. Unfortunately, I’m out of action for a month of so. I had hoped to complete lots of half finished jobs and make good progress. Hopefully the hand mends quickly and I can get all the jobs done soon. Total spend is now around £6,000. I’ve now added some engine overhaul budget so projected cost is now £8,000 - creeping up!

Spring 2020 update

We’re in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. While that’s not a nice thing, it does give me time to work on MABLE. The down side is that I can’t get access to things like shot blasters and deliveries are slower than usual. Before the outbreak I got some great progress with the rear wheel and April / May has been productive. The front forks are now complete and they look great! The front brakes & twin disc conversion is done apart from the brake lines. The front end is pretty much finished too. I’ve started on a luggage rack but need to do more work on the frame before finishing it off. The next jobs are de-tabbing & welding the frame & getting a start on the engine rebuild.

Winter 2020/21 update

Coming soon…

Ongoing tasks

These tasks are ongoing so the blogs aren’t complete and I may make a u-turn along the way!

• Frame de-tab, battery box and rear mudguard.

• Engine top-end rebuild.