Yamaha vs. Honda: Battle of the café racers | Which might you select?
Honda and Yamaha have been bitter bike rivals for as lengthy anybody can keep in mind. And the identical goes for these two customised machines. Each are based mostly on 400 cc ‘bikes, and each obtain a lot from what are, on the face of it, minor modifications. However that is the place the similarity ends. Seconds out, then, for this battle of the {custom} café racers.
Honda CB400F by Mokka Cycles
It is onerous to think about now, however this CB400F was in a sorry state when it arrived on the Budapest workshops of Mokka Cycles, a spot the place OCD has an excellent identify certainly. These 4 cylinder classics fetch good cash lately in commonplace kind. The partly modified, largely botched CB400F that Mokka took on for a Viennese proprietor would hardly entice a second look, after which a pitying one.
Have a look at it now: a refined, fantastically balanced resto-modded basic the place the delight is within the element. Mokka have completely rebuilt the entrance and rear suspension. There is a custom-built café racer seat by itself bespoke sub-frame, with built-in stoplight. Honda’s revered inline 4 has been stripped down, vapour blasted and meticulously rebuilt. The tasty four-into-one chrome steel exhaust is by British specialists Delkevic. Sounds good, too.
Underneath the pores and skin, all-new electrics run via a Motogadget management field. Look carefully and there are distinctive, workshop original aluminium finishes — reminiscent of black anodized entrance suspension caps — that make this Mokka Honda an actual {custom} contender. A day by day driver to relish.
Yamaha SR400 by Greg Hageman
Recent from the workshop in Iowa comes this fantastically reimagined SR400, a single cylinder thumper from 1978 given a radical however refined new life by {custom} specialist Greg Hageman. He calls it “Fats SR” and you’ll see why. These chunky Dunlop 491 Elite II tyres, with stylish white lettering, journey on black powder coated 16 x 3.5 Takasago alloy rims with hand-laced chrome steel spokes. The nearer you look on this SR400, the higher it will get.
The rear seat was custom-made by Tuffside Seats in Iowa Metropolis to suit on a home made rear subframe. Again on the workshop, “Yamaha” was stencilled on the again, simply so everybody is aware of what’s in entrance of them. The Seventies blue of the tank is a model new paint job, with a interval fashion stripe to complete. Authentic devices have been changed with a nifty Koso unit. Flip indicators are LED.
The consequence – together with {custom} made quick mudguards entrance and rear — is a refined masterpiece. Look first and its a inventory SR400, look once more and it is a completely distinctive machine.
Like this? Try Upcycle’s impressive BMW R100 café racers.
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