For those who’ve had their bikes stolen, there’s a whole range of emotions you might go through. Obviously, a lot depends on how much you loved the bike in question—as well as how much work you may have put into it. A few years ago, Bike Shed Motorcycle Club staffer Harry’s custom Honda CB550 got pinched. That sucked, of course—but it also cleared the way for him to build something new. Now he has this beautiful CX500 custom café racer, built by British custom shop Jackson Motorcycles.
Harry came up with some design ideas on his own, which clearly indicated a narrow, minimalist, and decidedly uncluttered look for his dream bike. Somewhere along the way, he decided that a CX500 was the way to go. In the U.K., they’re known as a common choice for couriers—reliable workhorse, commuter-type bikes that they were. As the story goes, he and Jackson then sourced a pair of CX500s that had sat for some time, and were about the price of one. If you have the space to store them, pulling parts from two bikes to get one good bike is great, because then you may also end up with a bunch of spares if needed. Nice!
