Category: Hookie Co

Hookie Co. are one of the most exciting new custom shops to have emerged in recent times. On the surface they’re a laid back and fun-loving crew—but deep down, they take their craft extremely seriously.

Their latest work pays testament to their progression as designers and builders. It’s based on the popular Honda CB750 K7, of the 1978 variety. And while it cuts a similar silhouette to previous Hookie CB cafe racers, there’s actually a lot of interesting stuff going on.

“This is a project that has been waiting on the ‘need to build’ list for almost too long,” says Hookie founder, Nico.

“The K7 was chosen mainly because of two reasons. First our customer wanted a bike that has the same year of manufacture as him. And secondly, the K7 belongs to the last series of the SOHC engines, and is therefore said to be the best of its kind.”

“Unfortunately, this also makes it one of the rarest bikes around Europe. The wishes of our client were clear and fit one hundred percent into the Hookie style; monochrome, black paint, contrast of flat and glossy, minimized and focus on performance.”

Hookie traditionally name their bikes after animals; this one’s called ‘Wolf,’ and has the bite to back it up. For starters, the engine’s been rebuilt with an 830 cc big bore kit. It now breathes through a set of rejetted Keihin PD46 carbs, with pod filters and a new accelerator pump.

Rather than black out the engine, the crew opted for a glossy silver finish. The finned covers are a neat touch, as are the black nitrided fasteners, which add a hint of contrast. The exhaust system is sublime; four-into-one headers coated in black, and exiting via a Spark muffler.

To make sure all that power gets to the tarmac, Hookie have upgraded the chassis too. Up front are the upside-down forks from a Suzuki GSX-R. The back’s propped up on a set of custom-length YSS shocks.

A new set of Sun Remo aluminum rims have been laced up to a Cognito Moto conversion hub in the front, and the stock hub in the rear.

Hookie wanted classic tread—but not too classic—so they picked out a pair of TÜV-approved, and decent performing, Shinko SHR270s. The rear drum brake’s had a full refresh, and the front’s been upgraded to a Nissin setup with an Accossato master cylinder.

When it came to design, Hookie knew they’d need step things up a bit more aggressively than before. So the Honda’s new tail section is based on one of their existing designs, but with a twist.

A rear cowl with a built-in LED taillight ‘hovers’ over an under-seat oil tank. Both are hand-made from aluminum, and there’s a pop-up filler cap on top of the cowl.

The subframe’s been reshaped to match, and the entire frame’s been cleaned up and had its tabs trimmed off. The fuel tank’s custom too, with sharp knee indents to help keep the rider tight to the bike, a pop-up cap to match the oil can.

The ‘Wolf’ is more than just a reskin though. Under the hood, it’s running a completely new wiring harness, with a lithium-ion battery stashed under the swing arm. The system runs off a Bluetooth-enable Motogadget m.unit Blue, and features an upgraded electronic ignition.

The cockpit’s sporting a grocery list of Motogadget bits, including switches, a speedo, bar-end turn signals and a keyless RFID system. The latter is embedded in the top of the triple clamp, where a regular ignition would normally go.

You’ll also spot new clip-ons, and a ‘Whiskey’ throttle and grips from Biltwell. The foot controls are a modded set of Tarozzis, while a powerful LED headlight from TruckLite lights the way.

Adrian Flor handled the paint, shooting the bike in glossy and matte black, with metal flake silver accents. It contrasts superbly with the raw aluminum and silver touches.

And that’s Hookie in a nutshell: a perfectly judged livery, flawless stance and all the right bits upgraded.

Luckily for us, we’ll get to see (and hear) Wolf in the wild. Because it’ll be at the Wildays show in Parma, Italy, from the 1st to the 3rd of June, as part of the Bike EXIF display. See you there?

Hookie Co. website | Facebook | Instagram

Ten years ago, Honda CB cafe racers were a huge part of the custom renaissance. Low slung CBs were everywhere, ‘brat cafe’ became a phrase, and for vendors of pipewrap and Firestone tires, it was like all their Christmases had come at once.

There’s still a lot of love for the classic CB conversion, especially amongst shed builders and the Instagram crowd. But not many people venture beyond the minor dress-up, and that’s why we like this 1973 CB550 from Dresden-based Hookie Co.—a stealthy ‘urban racer’ called Black Mamba.

Hookie are pitching this CB550 as a reaction against the ‘style over substance’ ethos that afflicts some corners of today’s custom world—‘pretty’ bikes with anemic performance.

“We wanted to build a small cafe racer with power,” says Nico. “We think power and dynamic values should be talked about more, not illusions of beauty. The lifestyle of some Instagrammers and YouTubers gets more serious than real facts.”

To maximize performance, Hookie have rebuilt the air-cooled transverse-four engine, and installed pod filters and a free-flowing Spark exhaust. The four Keihin carbs have also been restored, and re-jetted to suit the new intake and exhaust setups.

Stock power was always good on a standard Honda CB550, with around 50 free-spinning horses unfettered by emissions regulations. So this machine will be even perkier than usual.

Hookie have dropped the front suspension half an inch, and the back end is now suspended via new YSS shocks. Extra grip comes from Bridgestone Battlax BT45 rubber—a high-performance bias-ply tire with an excellent reputation. The brakes have been also been restored, to make the most of the better handling without jarring with the classic looks.

The frame has been cleaned up, and Hookie have also made a very neat custom rear loop with a little upsweep. “We integrated a small round LED light in the center of the loop—it would have been too easy to use an LED strip again,” says Nico.

So far, so good. But then things started to get tricky. Hookie tried to fit three aftermarket fairings before abandoning the idea: “Every one was too big and ugly. So we made a wireframe out of steel to find the perfect lines.”

The new fairing is crafted from 0.75 millimeter mild steel, and if demand proves strong, will serve as the prototype for a limited production run—along with the seat cowl and the rear loop.

From there on, the path was smoother. “A standard on our builds is a complete rewire based on Motogadget components,” Nico reveals. “The M.Unit is the heart, surrounded by an RFID keyless ignition system, M.Blaze Signals, and a Motoscope Tiny Speedo.” The speedo is frenched into the tank, with a new pop-up gas cap sitting just behind.

On the clip-ons, Motone switches and Biltwell grips extend the clean and simple vibe. Power comes from an 8-cell small case Antigravity Battery, hidden under the swingarm.

The finishes are minimal, and work beautifully. We’ll always have a soft spot for 1970s Honda CB paint, but Hookie’s murdered-out approach works just as well.

“Everything is a combination of flat and gloss black,” says Nico, “plus the texture of unpainted stainless or aluminum. Adrian Flor, our painter, did an amazing job with the oversized ‘H’ in flat black.”

It’s a beautifully considered build with enough modern twists to make us see the classic Honda CB cafe racer in a new light. Looks like there’s life in the old dog yet, doesn’t it?

Hookie Co. website | Facebook | Instagram

It’s more fun to ride a small bike on the limit than a brute at half throttle. That’s the theory, anyway—and it’s hard to argue when the small bike is this good.

You’re looking at Hookie Co.’s latest release: a steezy Honda CB250 cafe racer with tight proportions. The young, Dresden-based crew of Nico, Cristoph and David can’t seem to put a foot wrong—and this nifty two-fifty’s got all the right Hookie elements.

It’s their signature style that landed them this job in the first place. Their client is Markus Flossmann, founder of mountain bike manufacturer YT Industries, who reached out to Hookie Co. after spotting their work in a magazine.

“He was crazy about our first Honda CB750,” says Nico. “After some calls we defined the concept, and a donor bike which would be the best for a sleek and small cafe racer.”

You couldn’t find a better match than YT (which stands for Young Talent) and Hookie. Even their mottos are damn near identical: ‘It’s all about the good times’ and ‘Enjoy the good.’

“Both are much more than words,” says Nico, “they express our mutual philosophies in life. The combination was one of a kind, and the whole workflow was a pleasure.”

Since Markus wanted something compact, agile and not oversized, the guys recommended the CB250. With a suitable donor in hand, they set about slimming it down even more.

Starting with a full teardown, Hookie cleaned up the frame, trimming it at the rear. The stock CB250 tank is still in play, but the guys modded it to give it a more angular effect on top. They then hand-shaped a new seat pan and angular tail bump, topping it off with a stylish perforated leather seat.

To keep things sano, Hookie fabbed up a small electronics tray to go under the seat. Inside is a Motogadget m.unit and an Antigravity Lithium-ion battery. The rest of the wiring harness is all new—standard practice on every Hookie Co. build.

The engine and carbs were also treated to a solid rebuild—and a healthy dose of bead blasting. The carbs are hooked up to a pair of pod filters, with a custom stainless steel exhaust system handling the soundtrack.

Hookie refurbished the front forks, dropped them using custom spacers, and added a set of progressive springs. There’s a pair of new YSS Eco-Line shocks out back, in a non-standard length.

They opted to rebuild and keep the original drum brakes to retain some of the CB’s vintage charm. Tires are a 18” Firestone Champion Deluxe out back, and a 19” Avon Speedmaster MkII up front.

The final spec was completed with a JW Speaker LED headlight, a tiny (but legal) LED taillight, a simple speedo, clip-ons, Biltwell Inc. grips, and switches and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget.

The guys included a front fender setup too, that Markus can attach if he ever has to put the bike through roadworthy.

As for the CB’s final finishes, Hookie Co. kept things slick and monochrome. The wheels, frame and a selection of parts went off for flat black powder coating, and the tank and seat cowl went to the crew’s preferred paint guy, Adrian Flor.

YT Industries drew up the design themselves; the abbreviation on the side stands for ‘Republic of Young Talents.’ And YT were so impressed with Adrian’s work, shortly afterwards he got the chance to paint the race frame of World Cup downhill racer and YT rider Aaron Gwin.

With its perfect proportions and all the right upgrades, this is one little bike we wouldn’t mind taking to the limit. Repeatedly.

Hookie Co. website | Facebook | Instagram

If there’s one bike that’s more prolific than the classic BMW boxer, it’s the Honda CB750. We’ve seen so many custom CBs we’re almost immune to their charms.

But these two new builds from Hookie Co. have just jolted us from our slumber. Sure, they’re not the first CBs to sport Firestones and ditch their fenders. But they’re super sharp, well balanced and loaded with tasty details.

Hookie Co. is based in Dresden, Germany, and built the two Hondas for different clients. The black one (top) belongs to Ilya, who owns a fashion distribution company in Berlin. The silver one (above) belongs to Jeanne Pierre, founder of Dortmund auto tuning house, JP Performance.

Though the bikes were built to different briefs, they share many similarities. Both are based on 1981 Honda CB750 K(Z)s, and both have had their engines refreshed during the respective builds.

On both bikes, the forks have been lowered by three inches with custom spacers, and the rear shocks have been upgraded to more modern units (YSS Eco Lines on the silver bike). Stainless steel brake lines up front add a touch more bite, along with new master cylinders from Nissin on the black bike and Kustom Tech on the silver machine.

Hookie Co. also cleaned up and abbreviated both frames, creating a unique tail unit for each. The black seat is wrapped in leather, while the silver CB750 has Alcantara. Both tails end with neatly integrated, ultra discreet LED lights.

To tidy up the area under each seat, Hookie Co. ditched the airbox and relocated the battery. Each bike’s had its wiring simplified too, and has been treated to a smattering of Motogadget parts—including new switches and bar end turn signals.

The silver CB750 also gets a neat rear view mirror—cleverly mounted to the headlight bracket. Both cockpits are equipped with clip-ons, Biltwell Inc. grips and tiny speedos.

The black CB750 has had its ignition system moved out of sight, and the silver bike switches on via a keyless RFID system.

As for the color schemes, Hookie Co. finished the silver tank in raw steel, with hand-done pinstripes. But Ilya has a black Land Rover Defender at home—so his bike’s been painted to match.

Four-into-one exhaust systems add an appropriate soundtrack. The muffler on the black bike is custom-made, but a Sebring system is fitted to the silver bike.

We’ll admit that many of the elements at play follow tried and tested formulas. But Hookie Co. has put them all together in a way that has us loving the CB750 again.

The only question is: which one would you take home?

Hookie Co. website | Facebook | Instagram | Images by David Ohl