Written by Ian Lee.
It takes a true artist to see the true beauty in something that is otherwise unappealing. It may take time, it may take effort, but the final product is something that makes all the trouble worthwhile. Today’s feature bike is one such example, a bike that in standard trim would hardly warrant a second glance, let alone be the bike to consider as a platform for a bitchin custom. Coming from Kerkus Cycles, (by their own description) a backyard builder based in Kuala Lumpur, this CBX750 café racer is a stripped down mean ass version of it’s former self. Definitely a far cry from the police spec bike it started life as.
When the bike first rolled into the Kerkus workshop, there were doubts as to it’s credibility as a custom platform. An upright riding position, boxy tank and a whole lot of superfluous fairings made for an awkward looking ride. According to the crew at Kerkus: “stripping down the bike was quite fun, we kinda hated the unnecessary stuff fixed to that bike which also helps to reduced the weight of the bike.”
Once the bike was a bare frame and the nightmare wiring removed, the build could begin. A 1980 CB750C fuel tank was fitted in order to give a different set of proportions to the machine. This also worked out to help cover the box backbone of the 80s cop bike. An alloy Monza flip up fuel cap was mounted in order to give that old school look to the machine. The police spec fairing was ditched, in it’s place a half fairing, enveloping the CNC clip-on handlebars mounted with bar end mirrors. Mounted in the fairing is a 6.5 inch chrome headlight, finished with a yellow tinted lens and black crossed tape to give it a racing aesthetic.
To keep with the café racer spirit, the front end has been lowered 2.5 inches to give it a more sporting stance. At the front end sits a 450-18 Firestone M/C blackwall, while at the rear is a 16 inch Shinko. Also in this mindset, a pair of shorty reverse megaphone mufflers in chrome finish have been fitted, with the exhaust headers and piping painted black so all the attention is drawn by those skyward pointing beauties. In the words of the builders: “the sound of the muffler itself roaring is orgasm, hard for people NOT to notice it.”
Once the bike was reassembled, it was shipped out to the Bigcat Motorart workshop where it received a new coat of silver, black and brass paint. The new air intake arrangement was mounted and the big 750 was ready to rumble. The owner, impressed with the hard work Kerkus put into the bike, is glad he persevered with build. And so are we.
