This isn’t one of those cafes that just sports a set of clip-ons, rearsets, and a different seat and tail section to make it “special”, but a truly ground-up custom. Everything has been touched, tweaked, and replaced until the only thing left of the donor bike is the very basic engine architecture. Brian Schimke of TPJ Customs fabbed up the frame and swingarm with sport bike dimensions for handling prowess and agility with a dose of good looks. Jim slightly updated the old Showa fork with a modified unit off a Yamaha R1 while twin RaceTech shocks keep the swingarm in check. Fresh wheels made from lightweight motocross hubs, alloy rims, make it dance on the road while a single Beringer six-piston caliper up front and a Honda disc out back stop the proceedings with ease. Light makes right.

The new frame allowed Jim to take great liberty with the Honda engine after a complete rebuild with a cam and a 836cc big bore kit was completed. Jim wanted to change up the typical exhaust and intake systems you see on inline fours and as you can see, mission accomplished. The four stock 28mm carbs were replaced by a single 45mm Mikuni feeding the engine through a wild looping intake that fills up the space formerly occupied by the oil tank. Meanwhile the AFT-built exhaust doesn’t take this lying down and goes on a wild party of its own splaying out in pairs around the cylinders and back into the frame under the intake before popping back out by the tail section where specially-made LeoVince exhaust canisters add their own twist. Yes indeed, a totally different take on four-cylinder inhaling and exhaling.

Show-winning details stand out throughout the bike from the one-off tank and seat/tail section with hidden oil tank to the fat downturn bars with custom risers and rear sets with BMX-style foot pegs. But that’s only glossing over the extreme detailing everywhere you look from the custom engine covers, fuel cap, rear lights, and well, any and everywhere. Just look and you’ll keep seeing more cool bits. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

You can’t have a show-winning custom without a show-winning finish and for that, Jim turned to Danville, California’s Riff Raff Customs for a paint job that’s just really, really nice. Now that description may sound a bit vanilla to you, but man, that’s really, really nice paint. From color choices to design and graphics, it’s clean and cool. Duane Ballard did another one of his luscious leather layups for the seat and it might surprise you to know that the man who’s famous for his leather work on Harleys and V-twin customs is also a CB750 freakazoid at heart.

For more info on AFT Customs, Jim Giuffra, and the wrench-toting spokes models, please visit http://www.aftcustoms.com/.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DV7mXTxu0