Lightly caffeinated: A CB400F from Mokka Cycles
For a bike that was only on sale in the US for a couple of years, the Honda CB400F had a massive impact. In many ways, it was the first Japanese sportbike: it had six gears, fashionably low bars, a beautiful engine (with a stratospheric 10,000 rpm redline) and fabulous styling.
It?s an attractive machine in stock form, and the best examples in original condition sell for $10,000 or more in the US. This very sharp custom, however, was in a rather sorry state when before it was rebuilt by Mokka Cycles of Hungary.
?The donor bike was sent to me from Wien in Austria,? says shop founder Ãrpi Bozi. ?The project had been started by the previous owner, who lacked time and know-how.
?The current owner decided to give me the job after seeing Mokka bikes on the net. Most of my jobs come in this way, so I’m very dependent on my online presence.?
The CB400F was in ?quite miserable? condition, with a mangled, badly cut subframe, deep grind marks all over the main frame, a spray-painted engine and a multitude of what Ãrpi calls ?garage built features.?
?The build plan was to make a neat-looking cafe racer, which like a good pair of jeans, fits most occasions.?
Ãrpi freely admits that he?s an obsessive detail freak, and it shows on this Honda. ?I went full OCD this time,? he jokes. ?The proportions are meticulously measured and adjusted, from the custom made seat to the headlight assembly, and using height- adjustable shocks from YSS.?
The stance is spot-on, but the mod...
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