A Honda CB550 Cafe Racer rebuilt by a visual artist nominated for an Oscar in the special effects category. Here's the bike and the person behind it.
His name is Grzegorz Korczak, he is Polish, from the city of Wrocław, and his artworks hang in galleries across Poland. His workshop, Unikat Motorworks, had opened just 18 months before this build, with the idea of making a few personal bikes and showing them. But the public response was so good that Grzegorz took the project more seriously and expanded the workshop; clients soon started arriving, and the result was a large, very talented team of customization specialists.
This Honda CB550 Cafe Racer was commissioned by a client named Pascal, who left the bike in Grzegorz's hands to turn it into a cafe racer and, of course, make it faster.
One of the first jobs was to upholster the seat in red leather: that leather came from a 1950s Mercedes Gullwing.
The work on this bike took 4 months, around 680 hours, and the direct labor of 18 people.
A thoroughly rebuilt engine
From the start, the 38-year-old engine was completely stripped down to be rebuilt: every part and component was cleaned and polished. The cylinder head, barrels and cases in poor condition were replaced, because everything had to be flawless.
The airbox was removed and replaced with a handmade one, with free-flowing filters and a set of custom mufflers. The rear end has been integrated with the seat, and a cover underneath houses the electrical system.
Paint like a piano
The most elegant thing about this bike is the deep, glossy paint finish, very much like that of a piano. It took three coats of paint to achieve it.
Other details worth mentioning are the Raask footpegs, which greatly improve the rider's position, and the extra front brake disc, which increases the braking power of this Honda CB550 Cafe Racer. On the top triple clamp there is a clear acrylic plate with the Unikat logo.
In total, 100 parts were rebuilt or replaced. Pascal was thrilled with his bike, a surprise he will surely never forget. And no wonder: we all knew in advance what an artist as talented as Grzegorz Korczak is capable of.
