Honda CB750F Old Gold Is a Custom 1978 Super Sport With Cafe Racer Anatomy

There is, of course, the trusty Nighthawk produced by Honda until the early 2000s (among others), but what we’re here to talk about is the CB750F Super Sport. More specifically, this article’s photo gallery displays a 1978 model built by Kott Motorcycles of Santa Clarita, California. Frontman Dustin Kott is a bit of a one-man army, handling most aspects of his bespoke endeavors in-house.

The guy’s love for two-wheeled entities goes as far back as he can remember, and it was his father who’d first sown the seed before Dustin could even speak. Back then, Dustin probably wouldn’t have imagined that he would later run one of SoCal’s most prominent customization shops, but here we are today. Anyhow, let’s go ahead and take a closer look at the unique Japanese marvel showcased in these photos, shall we?

Completed back in 2017, the machine he refers to as Old Gold was no exception, and it’s an absolute stunner from every angle! Dustin and his client decided to keep the CB750F’s spirit somewhat alive as opposed to changing everything about it. The goals involved trimming its proportions, getting rid of the less visually desirable elements, and bringing about a sporty cafe racer demeanor.

Although the Honda CB750F isn’t as sexy as its SOHC predecessor in stock form, Kott really couldn’t complain about the performance benefits. He kicked things off with a full teardown, deleting every piece of factory bodywork aside from the gas tank. The original color scheme is still present, as well, making its way onto the handmade garments found at the back.

Having shortened the Super Sport’s subframe, Dustin busied himself with fabricating a new cafe racer-style tail from scratch. In between this module and the OEM fuel tank lies a swanky solo seat featuring dark burgundy leather and gold stitching, but the custom sorcery continues below. We’re talking about the part that fills up the subframe triangle: a handmade oil tank secured in place via subtle brackets.

As Dustin and his customer agreed from the very beginning, the motorcycle’s standard Comstar hoops were no match for the aesthetic they had in mind. Consequently, these got ditched to make room for laced aftermarket alternatives, which are a lot more suitable for such a stylish one-off. Getting the rear unit to fit was no walk in the park, though, requiring the use of a 1975 CB750’s wheel hub and custom-made spacers.

Grippy Michelin tires and a coat of gold paint on the rims complete the creature’s footgear, while stopping power originates from a fresh set of drilled brake discs. The front-end braking system is linked to a Brembo master cylinder, and there are braided stainless-steel hoses all-round. In terms of lighting, one may spot a retro-looking headlamp up north and an LED taillight at the opposite end.

Have a gander at Old Gold’s cockpit, and you’ll notice clip-on handlebars equipped with aftermarket grips, new control levers, and a twin-cable throttle mechanism. The forks supporting its front end are still the stock units, but Kott did away with the original shock absorbers to make room for modern substitutes sporting progressive springs.

He wasn’t going to leave the bike’s inline-four engine untouched, either. Following a complete internal makeover, Dustin swapped the standard carburetors with higher-spec Keihin CRs featuring premium pod filters. On the exhaust side of things, he fitted custom pipework made in a four-into-one configuration and topped with a reverse megaphone silencer that exits on the right-hand side.

Moreover, the engine cases got treated to a mixture of black paint and chrome plating. Black was once again the color of choice when it came to the framework, so as to make the gold wheels and deep red bodywork stand out even more prominently. All things considered, the CB750F Old Gold does a fantastic job at showing what a talented builder can accomplish with the right tools and knowledge.

Dustin may not have provided any other exact details about this project, but the ones he did give are more than enough to make us fall in love with this reworked Super Sport. The amount his client was charged is a mystery, though, so you’ll need to get in touch to find out what something similar might cost.

Kott Motorcycles took commissions from some high-profile customers in the past, including that time when Dustin built a ravishing Triumph Thruxton for Ryan Reynolds. Combine this experience with the undeniably superb fit and finish of his builds, and you can be pretty sure that a motorcycle put together by Kott won’t be cheap.