CB-RR: Honda CB750 Café Fighter

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterRetro-Modern CB750 from Jeff Gallo x M&M Motorsports… 

In 1976, Honda introduced the CB750A “Hondamatic,” which featured a two-speed semiautomatic transmission with a torque converter in place of a standard clutch. Compression ratio was lowered, along with smaller carbs and cam changes to revise the power curve to work with the clutchless gearbox. Honda was truly trying to bring the motorcycle to the masses. For the enthusiast, however, the Hondamatic was far from alluring, and the model was dropped after just two years.

Recently we heard from Jeff Gallo of Downers Grove, Illinois, who completely transformed his 1978 CB750 Hondamatic with the help of his buddy Mark Smit of M&M Motorsports — a renowned Chicagoland shop for vintage Japanese repairs and restorations.

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterGrowing up in Chicago, Jeff adorned his boyhood walls with Yamaha YZ80 brochures, but the urban jungle didn’t leave much room for the two-stroke motocross racers of his dreams:

“Growing up in the city meant dirt biking wasn’t a viable option, so my journey into riding didn’t begin until about 15 years ago. As the saying goes, better late than never!”

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterToday Jeff works in advertising and manages the M&M Motorsports website and social media channels. In collaboration with Mark, he set out to turn an old Hondamatic into a bold new machine:

“This project was a personal endeavor to transform a vintage motorcycle into a retro-modern café streetfighter.”

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterThe donor was in poor condition, having sat outside untouched for years, but it was titled, free, and fit for transformation. Albrecht’s Fast Track offered up the forks, wheels, swingarm, brakes, and rear shock from a ’96 Honda CBR900RR, all of which were grafted to the CB chassis. Of course the frame had to be modified substantially to accept the monoshock swingarm, and a custom seat hoop and battery tray were also added. 

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterOf course, the old semiauto engine had to go. The motor was swapped for a ’78 CB750K mill — also provided by Albrecht’s — which provides more thrust and the analog pleasure of running up and down the gearbox.

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterThe CB750 is a dry sump engine, so builders always have to decide whether to keep the standard oil reservoir under the seat or relocate it somewhere else. Jeff and Mark took quite the creative approach, developing a one-off oil tank welded into a section of the swingarm. High Speed Welding fabricated the oil tank from Jeff and Mark’s prototype, and the piece looks like it could have been born there — definitely a signature element of the build!

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterOnce everything was in place, the bike was torn down again so that LO KO Performance Coatings could powder-coated the frame a nice gloss black. Meanwhile, Jeff sent out the tank and fenders to the painter, Nate, who laid down a lovely “Candy Alazarin Red” — the red paint code as the 2014 CB1100.

 The lines of the completed bike are quite unlike anything we’ve seen, and Jeff says the bike’s performance has been equally upgraded.

“The lower center of gravity, slightly longer wheelbase, lighter weight, and more modern suspension overall makes this a very fun and nimble bike to ride. Dual disc front brakes give it added stopping power as well.”

Bravo to Jeff and Mark for transforming a tired old Hondamatic into a bold and unique “café fighter” that’s sure to turn heads and spark smiles for years to come. Below is our full interview with Jeff about the build, and you can dig deeper into the details at the website he created for the bike: mybikebuild.weebly.com.

CB750 Café Fighter: Builder Interview

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I’m Jeff Gallo, who worked in collaboration with Mark Smit on this build, the owner of M&M Motorsports in Westmont, IL. Mark’s shop is renowned in the Chicagoland area for its expertise in vintage Japanese motorcycles, with a focus on restorations and repairs.

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

While my professional background is in advertising, I contribute to the shop by managing its website and social media presence whenever possible. My passion for motorcycles dates back to childhood, when I adorned my bedroom walls with YZ80 brochures in the early ’80s. Growing up in the city meant dirt biking wasn’t a viable option, so my journey into riding didn’t begin until about 15 years ago. As the saying goes, better late than never!

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

Honda 1978 CB750A (Hondamatic).

The donor, which was titled but had been languishing outside for years…
• Why was this bike built?

This project was a personal endeavor to transform a vintage motorcycle into a retro-modern café streetfighter.

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

The design aimed to merge the classic aesthetics of the 1970s Honda CB series with modern performance enhancements. Influences included the café style and the desire to create a unique, streetfighter-style motorcycle.

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Frame Modifications: Integrated a monoshock swingarm from a 1996 CBR900RR, added support fabrication for the swingarm, custom seat hoop, and custom battery tray beneath the seat.

Front End: Installed the front end from the CBR900RR, adapting the CB750A’s steering stem to fit.

Oil Tank: Completely custom one-off fabrication piece and welded into a section of the swingarm.

Exhaust System: Fitted a Delkevic 4-into-1 exhaust system to the CB750K motor.

Aesthetics: Powder-coated the frame, wet-sanded and polished engine covers, and planned a custom paint scheme for the gas tank and front/rear fender.

 

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

The lower center of gravity, slightly longer wheelbase, lighter weight, and more modern suspension overall makes this a very fun and nimble bike to ride. Dual disc front brakes give it added stopping power as well.

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

The oil tank build mods to me are a standout feature because they embody the spirit of the build — blending vintage charm with some modern ingenuity. The re-fabrication required precise craftsmanship and problem-solving to align with the bike’s geometry while preserving the essence of the original design of the swingarm.

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

Successfully achieving both form and function in this element showcases the meticulous attention to detail and innovation that went into this project.

Honda CB750 Cafe FighterAlso, the successful integration of the CBR900RR’s monoshock swingarm and front end into the vintage CB750 frame stands out, as it required precise fabrication and engineering to achieve the desired retro-modern fusion.

Honda CB750 Cafe Fighter

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17 Comments

  1. A friend of mine , Englishman, built a sweet choppers out of one of these for his wife. I wish I had an image of it to share.

  2. I love most of the bikes these guys put their time and money into! I feel the same way about motorcycles as those guys do! I eat, sleep and dream motorcycles since I was 9years old, I’m 61 now, thanks for accepting me! 😎✌️

  3. Very nice build.

  4. So, it’s no longer an automatic. Nice looking build, but defeats the purpose doesn’t it(was assuming you were keeping it an automatic). That’s okay. It’s your build. Congrats!!

  5. I can appreciate the time and effort put into this build. I have grafted parts from bikes onto different bikes where they weren’t intended to be. Some with success and others ended up back at the drawing board. Great job on this moto!

  6. Bradley Hardacre

    Looks like the only part of the ‘donor bike’ was the frame. So what’s the point of crowing on about Honda’s automatic CB750? Cool bike, poor story.

    • One paragraph about the Hondamatic. Some of y’all sure love to find something to whine about! 🤣

      • Bradley Hardacre

        Well, boo-hoo.

      • I see the title of the article was changed. None of us were whining, just expected to see a build utilizing the Hondamatic – which would have been interesting to see and is why most of us clicked on the article. Nothing wrong with the build itself, kudos to the builder as it’s a beautiful build.

        • Thank you. Honestly, it was a tough decision. If we didn’t know of a ‘77 K motor sitting under a bench for over a decade, we would have kept the A motor as part of the build.

  7. I’m with the guys that were looking for a build using the Hondamatic engine/transmission. Don’t get me wrong about how I feel about the effort put into the bike; a great job and a beautiful result. Having said that, the title of the article amounts to no more than click-bait in my opinion; had the title been more forthcoming I probably would have given it only cursory attention.

  8. Ernie Williams

    Wow what a fine job of pushing the Honda down too bring out the demon that belongs to the Honda CB750 style I was emused into a Honda loving bunch of braineacts who did all the crazy things to the 750slike turbo nitrious big bore,Dgrind cams if it was gona hang out at gray street manor.Muscoy calif. At Jack Stuckeys moto village ,,with Fred Yegers. Turbo Honda and jacks super sport Red.and clyde all stock CB ,red4 pipe to this very day I can feel the pulse of every day that we were alive and Honda was the bike to ride .

  9. steveofthenw

    The swingarm is waaaaay too long.

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