Developing your very own custom motorcycle is an incredibly gratifying experience… till it is not any longer. The owner of this 1976 Honda CB550F can relate. Immediately after having a crack at rebuilding it himself, he threw in the towel and decided to hand it in excess of to a pro store, rather than enable it grow to be yet another abandoned drop establish.
Considering the fact that the owner’s primarily based in Chicago, Federal Moto bought the connect with. “When we picked up the bike it was a mess,” says shop manager, Mike Muller. “Rusty, drained and effectively ridden for decades. He wanted the total Federal treatment method, wheel to wheel, providing us entire artistic liberty with colors and layout.”
“His only request was ‘make it rapid as f-k.’ So here’s what we arrived up with: the ‘Go Fast’.”
Federal has put in the previous while staffing up and moving to a larger house. So they now supply a bunch of new motor-associated services on top of their normal custom get the job done. The CB was in very good hands.
For starters, Federal’s head technician, Chris Goerg, went to city on the fatigued motor. It is been completely rebuilt and blueprinted, with a 592cc piston package from Dynoman Overall performance. APE Race Cranks lightened and well balanced the crankshaft, while Webcam Racing equipped a new camshaft.
Chris also put in KPMI valves, springs and guides, then angled the valves. Other updates involve a Dyna ignition, a Barnett clutch kit and Keihin CR carbs. The exhaust program is a thing of natural beauty stainless steel headers mated to a throaty Cone Engineering muffler.
Pace is ineffective without having management, so Federal upgraded the chassis far too. The front finish wears the forks and twin Tokico brakes from a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, with a pair of Öhlins Blackline shocks mounted out back again.
The Honda rolls on 18” Excel rims, laced to Cognito Moto hubs with stainless metal spokes. They are wrapped in Metzeler’s Roadtec 01 activity touring tires. Federal also put in a Brembo brake at the back, tailor made sprockets from Sprocket Specialists, and a chain tensioner from Monster Craftsman that works by using a skateboard wheel for a roller.
Mike has a knack for working unconventional structure touches into his builds. Right here, he stored the CB550F’s OEM tank to retain some of its unique DNA, but fabricated a tail segment that rides the line between organic and geometric. It may possibly eschew regular café racer aesthetics—but it appears terrific in this article.
The flowy outcome extends to the tailor made subframe, which features the subtlest of kinks to tie every little thing alongside one another. Peek between the down tubes, and you’ll place a splash guard that keeps muck out of the velocity stacks.
The again conclude of the tail’s stuffed in by a 3D printed taillight and convert signals combo, deigned and designed by in-house engineer Desmond Diogiovanni. Common collaborator Dane Utech at Plz be Seated addressed the seat to an equally exciting cover.
Other tailor made bits include the front fender and brackets, and the stainless steel exhaust hanger. Even the kick begin lever is modified, tucking it in reduced and tight.
Up major is a CNC-machined yoke from Cognito Moto, with a Motogadget speedo and LED warning lights sunk into it. Federal set up clip-on bars, then kitted them out with Motogadget switches, grips, and bar-end mirrors and change signals. An LED headlight lights the way.
Federal also re-wired the bicycle with a Motogadget manage box and keyless ignition. The crucial digital bits are stashed below the tail part, alongside with a Lithium-ion battery from AntiGravity. Cognito Moto rear sets finish off the components record.
Parked, the CB550F seems poised to strike, with a compact and sharp silhouette. But it is also sporting a single of the freshest liveries we’ve noticed in a when major marks to Jason van der Woude at NSD Paintwerks.
A black Cerakote finish on the engine, and time period-proper Honda logos on the tank, insert the great ending touches.
The serious dilemma is: did Federal nail the quick? Does this CB550F go as quickly as it seems to be? Mike suggests “yes.”
“Let me explain to you, its rather great to sense a vintage Honda crack loose in next equipment!”
Federal Moto | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Grant Schwingle
