And, no, to answer the question running around in your head, it is not an automatic conversion of some kind, but a production model (CB750A) made by Honda for reasons that are still unclear to me back in 1977-78. They even gave it the sexy name of Hondamatic, sexy in an appliance-like way. My guess as to how this came about is that the builder got the original donor so cheap he couldn’t pass it up and what did he give a sh*t whether it was an automatic or not? Probably just damn peachy for cruising around anyway.

What the builder did do was clean the engine up to a jewel-like finish along with chucking the original rack of four tiny automatic-only carbs (Hondamatically de-tuned for your riding pleasure) for a pair of Mikunis and a trick one-off 4-into-1 exhaust that wraps to the right, but exits to the left. I gotta add there was some really clean work done here and that set the tone for the rest of the bike.

With the engine done, it was stuffed into a stretched-out, but very low hardtail frame that really leaves your eyes with not much more than a motor, two wheels and a frame to gaze upon. Rolling stock consists of 16” laced wheels with vintage-style Firestone tires that look the shizzle in person according to Jack although he’ll never admit he said that. Somebody really got the stance just right on this ride and really knew what they were doing. You may not like Hondas, you may not like Hondamatics, but you gotta admit this bike looks right just sitting there on its something-looks-different-but-I-can’t-put-my-fnger-on-it-opposite-side kickstand.

Topped off with a Mustang-style tank covered in gloss black paint with metalflake silver scallops separated by red pin striping, it’s simple and clean. Drag bars and a sprung metal seat with a mysterious message of “LESTER – Less is More” machined on it doesn’t give away much about who the mystery owner is, but it all looks interestingly perfect. Is the owner named Lester? Is the bike named Lester? Or is that a play on words about the Less is More part?

Oh well, that doesn’t change my opinion about this bike one way or the other. I like it and I hope you do too. And, please don’t be mad as we’ve got a shipload of Harleys in the pipeline. In my opinion, it’s nice to just see something different and I gotta give kudos to the builder who had the insight, imagination, and gonads to turn any bike whose name ends in “. . . matic” into something cool.