666 Cycles Honda 4 Bobber

LAZ GREW UP on Pitt Island, a farming and fishing community 500 miles south of New Zealand. Motorbikes and four-wheel-drives were the only mode of transport on the farms there, but for Laz, bikes were his choice of transport. This young bloke is no stranger to bikes; he has always had at least four bikes going since the age of 13. At the moment, he has a GPZ 750, a 1956 model BSA, a WR450, and of course, his Honda bobber. Being an apprentice mechanic, he is always trying to get the best out of his bikes.

Laz bought his Honda 4 back in 2009. It was a stock 1971 CB500; he paid $500 for it. He had in mind to chop it as soon as he saw it. After he got the wiring sorted out, which resembled a bird’s nest, he fired the CB500 to life. When everything sounded like it was supposed to and did what it was supposed to, then it was time to pull out the angle grinder.

The bike was stripped down and the swingarm removed and a hardtail made out of hydraulic tubing, using the swingarm bits for the axle plate and adjusters. Once the hardtail was fabricated, it was time to weld it onto the frame.

The rear wheel is a 16-incher off of a CB750 and looks perfect for this bike. It is still running the CB750 gear ratios as well. The rear guard is an aftermarket Harley-Davidson Fat Boy guard cut down, which has a down-sized reproduction Model A tailight adorning it. 

At the other end of the bike, the front wheel is an, umm, a 19-inch front wheel? That’s right, no one knows what it was originally from, but it fitted the axle, bonus! The CB500 front-end has been shortened and the bracket mounts removed; it really looks the part!

The headlight is an aftermarket piece. The front caliper is from a 125 Thumpster and the disc is from a well known international supplier… eBay.

Every bracket on the bike was made by hand by Laz along with the seat which looks sensational and in perfect proportion to the bike. The seat is sprung by CB500 valve springs that Laz had spares of at home.

The frame was powdered-coated black and the rear guard was painted gloss black. The pegs are off a CR125 while the bars are stock CB500. 

The tank is (this will hurt the H-D purists) cut from a 2003 Anniversary Dyna sprayed deep candy-apple-red with a heavy metal fleck through it. 

It’s great to see a bike built on a budget and the results are nothing short of amazing. Plus it is built to ride!

Laz would like to thank Roscoe (Roscoe’s Performance Motorcycles for his help, guidance and donations of materials, parts, Subway rolls, bacon and eggs, etc, through the whole project, and of course, for the use of his workshop; and Matt for the paint. Also everyone else who helped out along the way; you know who you are! 

Photos & story by Rod Cole