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Custom Honda CB550 “Friday” Is All About Great Looks and Bespoke Elegance

Although some people are against the idea of fitting LED lighting items on a classic machine, we think they look right at home on this astonishing CB550.
Honda CB550 “Friday” 10 photos
Photo: Pawel Waga
Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”Honda CB550 “Friday”
Whether you’re talking about the revered CB750 or its smaller siblings, Honda’s classic four-bangers are great candidates for customization. What you’re seeing here is a '77 MY CB550 that’s been modified by Jacek Mulak’s Cardsharper Customs – a one-man enterprise located in the gorgeous city of Lublin, Poland.

Before we go into any details about the project itself, let’s take a second to inspect the donor’s main powertrain specifications. Honda’s 1977 CB550 comes equipped with an air-cooled SOHC inline-four engine, which is mated to a five-speed transmission. The mill features a single overhead camshaft, four Keihin carburetors, and a respectable displacement of 544cc.

At 8,500 revs per minute, the four-stroke powerplant will deliver 50 ponies to the bike’s rear wheel via a chain final drive. On the other hand, a torque output of up to 32 pound-feet (43 Nm) will be generated lower down the rpm range. Without going into any other technical details, we’ll cut to the chase and examine what Cardsharper’s one-off phenom (dubbed “Friday”) is all about.

Up front, Jacek replaced the original forks with a Suzuki GSX-R's higher-spec parts, which are held in place by custom-made triple clamps. The rear end is adorned with a fresh pair of premium shock absorbers, as well as a supermoto’s repurposed 17-inch hoop. Mulak fitted both wheels with dual-sport Tourance tires from Metzeler's catalog for plentiful grip on and off the tarmac.

The aforementioned Gixxer is also responsible for donating its brakes, while the cockpit received an assortment of aftermarket goodies, including clip-on handlebars, new switches, and bed-end mirrors. Additionally, instrumentation comes in the form of a single MMB-Messtechnik speedometer that’s been integrated into the top clamp.

To add a bit of modern flair to this whole ordeal, each and every one of CB550’s stock lighting components has been discarded to make room for LED alternatives. The standard subframe was revised in preparation for a glamorous solo saddle and one tidy cafe racer-style tail section. In terms of powertrain adjustments, you will find a free-flowing four-into-one exhaust system, which is accompanied by foam air filters on the intake end of the combustion cycle.
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About the author: Silvian Secara
Silvian Secara profile photo

A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing.
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