Words by Ian Lee.
Ah those Northern European winters; bringer of sub zero temperatures, cabin fever, and now it seems, custom motorcycles. Coming out of Minsk in Belarus, this Brat tracker is the result of the Recast Moto collective finding a way to pass the time, rebuilding a crashed Honda UJM during the colder months to ensure the warmer months are not wasted. Taking a busted ass 1976 Honda CB550F Super sport, Matiz Lemark and the Recast Moto crew finished the build just in time for the snow to thaw, and to allow the gold paint job to compliment the gold of the first bit of Spring sun after the cold.
Matiz picked up the bike through DK Motoren, a local dealer who specialises in importing classic motorcycles. In a sad state after an accident, haemorrhaging oil and enveloped in rust, the midsized CB was stripped back to it’s bare frame and the build process begun. Matiz is quite smitten with Blitz motorcycles, taking a liking to their styling of fat wheels, old school fuel tanks and mini switches. Using these in his build plan, the Recast Moto crew got to work giving the bike a style of its own, with a tip of the hat to the French bike builders that Matiz is quite a fan of.
Aiming for a raw visual for the frame, the paint has been rubbed back and surface rust allowed to form, the whole lot varnished over to protect the finish. After relieving the bike of it’s factory seat, a flat tracker styled one was fashioned up, with the frame undergoing some slight modifications, such as moving the pillion pegs forward to suit the new shorter seat. An interesting mod on this bike is the use of 5cm thick oak plank, utilised as an airbox for the carbs, with rubber sleeves mounting the setup straight onto the intakes. Hugging the frame, the 4-1 exhaust ends just shy of the rear tire.
Keeping the standard front forks, the headlight mounting ears have been tossed along with the factory headlight, a Miller headlight from Kombi now adorns the wrapped fork tubes. Both front and rear guards have been trimmed, hugging the Firestone rubber on stock rims. The big dorky meter cluster has been removed to improve the lines of the bike, a mini speedo is mounted off the side under the fuel tank, running a cable to the front hub. Keeping with the streamlined look, the mucho modified motorcycle now features a CB125F fuel tank.
Inspired by Blitz, built by Recast Moto, and created in the most miserable time of the year, this Super Sport has culminated in a summery lightweight bike that would be a blast riding along with the sun on your face. Matiz Lamark knew what he wanted, and by using the build skills of the Recast Moto community, has created a machine that shows that cold Northern European winters can still create something bright and colourful.
