Honda CB450TR White Shark Doesn’t Bite, But it Might Have You Drooling

Bruno and his teammate have delivered a steady flow of spectacular projects since the firm’s inception, putting a clear emphasis on elegance and minimalism. Pictured above this paragraph is the seventh recorded build put together by the Brazilian duo, and it attained its current form back in 2022. Caffeine nicknamed it the White Shark, nodding to its plain, immaculate colorway and agile demeanor.

It was absolutely crucial for the motorcycle to be nimble, because the owner would put it to good use on the twisties around the Gaucho Highlands. Thus, Tiago and Bruno picked a 1987 Honda CB450TR as the project’s basis, but it’s unlikely that you ever came across this model before. It was produced at Honda’s Manaus plant for the local Brazilian market, so don’t expect to ever see one on the road if you live outside Latin America.

Although the CB450TR is said to be a great mid-sized offering for urban commutes, we can probably all agree that its styling leaves a lot to be desired. The White Shark is a completely different story, though, proving that even the most mundane, plastic-wearing contraption can become a head-turner in the right hands. Without further ado, let’s see what Caffeine Custom did in order to achieve this.

For starters, they got rid of the donor’s stock bodywork in its entirety, along with the wheels, exhaust, and all the original lighting components. Where the unsightly standard hoops had once been, we now find a much sexier pair of five-spoke replacements taken from a newer, unidentified Honda. The said model gave away its telescopic forks, as well, and the wheels received Pirelli Sport Demon rubber for ample grip.

Caffeine fashioned a custom front fender out of steel, while swapping the factory headlamp with the LED module of a Harley-Davidson V-Rod. The latter is encased in a bespoke housing, and tailor-made mounting hardware was used to secure all these parts in place. A new top clamp takes center-stage in the White Shark’s cockpit area, complete with built-in warning lights and a digital Motoscope Mini speedo from Motogadget.

The top triple clamp is flanked by clip-on handlebars, which carry aftermarket grips, bar-end turn signals, and discreet switchgear. Furthermore, low-profile mirrors are mounted in close proximity to the blinkers. The mods we’ve talked about thus far are undeniably rad, but the main highlight on this machine is the monocoque-style structure that merges its fuel tank, seat pan, and tail section into a single unit.

As you can imagine, the shop didn’t exactly have an easy time making it come together. Bruno started with a fresh gas tank of aftermarket origin, then he came up with a steel seat pan and tail combo to complement its lines. These garments were ultimately welded to one another in impeccable fashion, and any evidence of said welds was smoothed out of existence.

The bike’s subframe got tweaked to accommodate its stunning custom outfit, achieving a perfectly level cafe racer-style bone line. Caffeine’s specialists installed an elegant saddle, too, giving it just enough padding to keep the rider comfy and upholstery the whole thing in Alcantara. To top off the fuel tank, they added an aluminum filler cap with the Caffeine Custom logo engraved into it.

Laser-cut tank badges depicting the build’s number are also present, while the rearmost portion of the White Shark’s attire flaunts a stylish LED taillight assembly. Its electronics were completely rewired, and they now live inside a handmade tray located right beneath the seat. In addition, the one-off Honda gained a modern lithium-ion battery, but it had to be fitted below the swingarm due to space constraints.

Speaking of the swingarm, it now supports a skeletal license plate bracket with integrated LED blinkers. Bruno finished off the cafe racer ergonomics with a pair of aluminum rearsets, and the powertrain sector hasn’t been neglected, either. You’ll notice top-grade aftermarket air filters on the intake side of things, accompanied by a stainless-steel exhaust system built in a two-into-two configuration. Reverse megaphone mufflers cap off the new pipework.

Last but not least, the White Shark’s color scheme is just as alluring as it is simple. A satin-white finish was chosen for its bodywork, and pretty much everything else was painted in a mixture of black and dark grey. With this gorgeous cafe racer in his stable, Caffeine Custom’s client is sure to have a blast on the Gaucho Highlands’ twisty roads and look the part doing it!