Christensen Motorcycles CB750
By Ross Sharp - 02 Jan 18
Another year has raced by and the social-media-web is awash with evermore jaw dropping customs, yet a good ol' fashioned CB750 café racer takes some beating. Frederik Christensen from Denmark turned up to our Paris show a couple of years ago with a lovely pair of bikes he'd built in his shed. Still only 25, Frederick is back with his third custom, this F2 from 1977, built for a friend who'd joked at a party about commissioning a project.
The donor found was already stripped and mostly just a bunch of spares in cardboard boxes. But the price was good and it saved time taking the thing apart, handy for his friend's meagre budget. Frederick endeavours to carry out all the work himself, apart from paint and upholstery, can't blame him for that.
Seeing as the engine was 40 years old it was due a rebuild, so it got one, from top to bottom. A fresh coat of satin black high temp paint contrasted with new stainless fasteners makes for a much more contemporary look. Mean too. The stainless exhausts are Frederick's handiwork, neatly welded and linished to perfection, capped by a pair of subtle stubby mufflers.
The bodywork and stance is the area Frederick particularly enjoys working. He shortened the fork by a fairly substantial 70mm, balanced by a pair of 365mm shocks in the rear. The seat pan and tail were modelled in clay before laying fibreglass, with neat detailing to match the stock fuel tank. CB750 aficionados will have spotted the lack of oil tank. Frederick wanted to challenge his aluminium welding skills so fabricated a tank that lives snuggly under the tail. Frederick was pretty pleased with his efforts, saying "This was the hardest part of the build but also the most rewarding as I had never tried this before." Buoyed by the success he made a battery box to nestle below the swingarm pivot.
Clipons and a clean, simple dash will allow his pal to hunker down, push his ass into the leather seat pad and dance on the black anodised rearsets. Speeds won't be intergalactic but he'll arrive in style.
Bike building isn't Frederick's main occupation but he could be talked into doing another.... get in touch via
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