Ten years ago, Honda CB cafe racers were a huge part of the custom renaissance. Low slung CBs were everywhere, ?brat cafe? became a phrase, and for vendors of pipewrap and Firestone tires, it was like all their Christmases had come at once.
There?s still a lot of love for the classic CB conversion, especially amongst shed builders and the Instagram crowd. But not many people venture beyond the minor dress-up, and that?s why we like this 1973 CB550 from Dresden-based Hookie Co.?a stealthy ?urban racer? called Black Mamba.

Hookie are pitching this CB550 as a reaction against the ?style over substance? ethos that afflicts some corners of today?s custom world??pretty? bikes with anemic performance.
?We wanted to build a small cafe racer with power,? says Nico. ?We think power and dynamic values should be talked about more, not illusions of beauty. The lifestyle of some Instagrammers and YouTubers gets more serious than real facts.?
To maximize performance, Hookie have rebuilt the air-cooled transverse-four engine, and installed pod filters and a free-flowing Spark exhaust. The four Keihin carbs have also been restored, and re-jetted to suit the new intake and exhaust setups.
Stock power was always good on a standard Honda CB550, with around 50 free-spinning horses unfettered by emissions regulations. So this machine will be even perkier than usual.

Hookie have dropped the front suspension half an inch, and the back end is now suspended via new YSS shocks. Extra grip co...