Honda CL750 Scrambler

From David Edwards—Honda’s most important motorcycles? Tough question but the Super Hawk 305 and Scrambler 305 have to be in the conversation. These were the two that put Honda on the big-bike map in the mid-1960s, each more than a match for British 500s of the day. And now the aftermarket firm Cobra USA has just paid homage to the CL77 Scrambler, with a new showbike that started life as a 2010-model Shadow RS750. Cobra’s Denny Berg is the man responsible for building the bike, which amazingly isn’t all that changed from stock. The mid-level twice-pipes are an obvious addition, as is the bench seat, but the rest is an exercise in paint and some nice detail touches. Notice the old Honda taillight, faux steering damper knob and the stock gas tank all retro’d out with a seam down the middle, plus rubber knee grips—from a GB250—and round “Wing” badges. Berg’s affinity for Scramblers goes way back; one of his first customs was a 305 that had been run into the rear of a pickup truck. “Before this build began, I got out my old snapshots, some bike magazines from back in the day and I went on the Internet, immersing myself in Honda Scramblers,” says Berg. “But when I began construction, I never looked at shots of the old bikes again. I was after the feel, the flavor, of a Scrambler, not an exact replica.” Goal met, we’d say. U.S. readers can find out more about the CL750 Scrambler in the February issue of Rider magazine, out soon. (And if you want to see Cobra’s Honda street tracker version, inspired by Bubba Shobert’s RS750, head over to our Facebook page.)

PS: David Edwards has written the foreword to Tom Cotter’s The Vincent in the Barn: Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology. Currently one of Amazon’s bestselling motorcycle books, it’s highly recommended.

Specifications
Project name: Cobra CL750 Scrambler
Design: Ken Boyko & Denny Berg, Cobra Special Projects Division
Fabrication: Denny Berg
Paint: Scott “Chivo” Harrington, Lead Sled Customs
Chrome/polishing: Precision Plating & Metal Finishing
Assembly time: 4 months
Engine mods: Cobra Fi2000 fuel module, custom air cleaner, silver paint
Pipes: Twin upswept by Berg
Chassis: Stock, smoothed and painted, relocated shock mounts, footpegs
Forks: Stock, shortened 0.75-in., rubber boots
Shocks: Progressive Suspension #14 series
Front wheel: Stock, 19-in., painted silver, Bridgestone TW39
Rear wheel: Stock, 16-in., painted silver, Duro HF904
Brakes: Stock with braided stainless-steel lines
Handlebars: Stock with added crossbrace
Controls & instruments: Stock
Fenders: Stock front, shortened rear
Seat: Kevin Lehan, LeMans Seats
Headlight: English repro, sealed beam
Taillight: 1965 Honda with LED bulb
Featured in: Every baby-boomer’s dreams