HONDA CAFE RACERS PAGE 2

Better late than never. Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy

HowStuffWorks.com gives this succinct history of the GB500; "The 1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy motorcycle was named for the famed Tourist Trophy race held on England's Isle of Man. Honda evoked the look of great 1960s British racebikes with its 1989 GB500 Tourist Trophy, but the strategy was less than a success. With the 1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy motorcycle, Honda sought to bring back the flavor of the great British twins that were by the late 1980s resigned to history. As a result, styling of the 1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy motorcycle closely followed that of racing bikes from the racing glory years of England's Norton and Triumph. Shunning the fairings and 16-inch front wheels of contemporary Japanese sportbikes, the 1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy motorcycle looked very much the part of a 1960 British racer.
Standard-size spoke wheels, fork gaitors, clip-on handlebars, blocky fuel tank, and single seat with tail fairing were all part of the game. Even the 500-cc thumper with two-into-one header would strike a chord with fans of British machines. The front disc brake, however, was a nod to modern technology. Despite Honda's best efforts and intentions, sales of the 1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy motorcycle never took off in the United States, and the GB500's life span was short." Too bad. Because the bike was underpowered (@ 45HP)it didn't suit North American tastes. Vast open spaces, millions of miles of roads, and a cafe style just didn't mix. But it's got a small cult following now with good examples going for a handsome buck. Or should I say Euro?
Cafe Honda CB550 with the best brick background ever!

The stark background really sets off this Honda CB550 cafe racers' clean, purposeful look. Aftermarket clocks, seat/tailpiece, pipe, fork brace and other touches make for a classic Honda cafe conversion.
Honda CB72 Cafe racer

What a ball-buster this Honda CB72 cafe racer must be anywhere but on the track! That tank/tailpiece combo evokes an era of motorcycling long gone but with happy memories for those who experienced it first-hand.

Phillip Sanford created this vivid Honda Goldwing GL1200 cafe racer.
And It's quite an eyefull! Sanford has done so much it's hard to know where to start. Well, first I guess, it has to be the paint and colour scheme. Red-rust-brown on yellow might shock the eyeball at first but the more I get used to it, the more I like it! Then there's the plush two-tone seat that looks like a stock Honda Goldwing seat re-covered, and the big chrome rack on back.
Clearly this is a bike that's ridden and not posed.Nice touches like the SuperTrapp pipe, big cafe fairing that would be a full fairing on a smaller machine, bar-end mirrors, painted-out fork lowers, final drive and engine guards, and many more personal touches make this Goldwing cafe racer a unique creation indeed.
Bimota is a legendary specialty builder that dabbled in full but limited production hybrids over the years. Co-operating with various manufacturers to create some remarkable high performance bikes, Bimota has contributed to the vast pantheon of bikes backed by the big factories, and sometimes going out on their own to satisfy a hunger for extreme versions of stock production units.This 750 Honda doesn't have much "stock" left. Typical of Bimota's quest for perfection!
Honda CBX V12 chrome dream



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