What’s the difference between a Street Fighter and a Cafe Racer? Well you wouldn’t be wrong if you were to assume that the two custom motorcycle styles have a lot in common. Take a stock motorcycle, strip off everything that would be classed as unnecessary, upgrade its handling and make it faster than the manufacturer thought was safe possible and there you have it. Both styles traditionally adopt a “function over form” ethos, but Street Fighters tend to be based on high performance Japanese sport bikes designed to look brutal and aggressive as opposed to the classic 60’s, 70’s and 80’s bikes sought after by Cafe Racer builders who go for a look that is a hat tip to vintage style.
In recent years though form has begun to play a bigger part in these builds and as a result we’re seeing motorcycles that not only possess all the power and handling benefits but they also look the business. This garage built 2003 Honda CBR600F is the epitome of modern Street Fighter style and it goes by the name of Fat Head.
The build all happened a few years back when the bikes owner Brian started dismantling it in his workshop. Starting with the frame Brian constructed an an entirely new rear end and out of this world exhaust set up. This involved the fabrication of a new subframe and hand moulding the seat and tail using cardboard templates and steel sheet metal. The look is very similar to the Cafe Racer wasp tail style with a single saddle that won’t allow for any two up commuting.
The one-of-a-kind exhaust uses exhaust tips from a ’79 Pontiac Trans Am. All 4 tips are integrated in to the tail section creating a look similar to the exhausts seen on top fuel dragsters. The pipes are fed by a Two Brothers silencer that runs beneath the seat in a hollow made during the subframe build, I doubt though that it does a very good job of keeping the growl from this beast down.
To upgrade Fat Heads performance a range of parts were transplanted from a late model Honda 600RR. The swing arm, forks, wheels and brakes were all replaced with 600RR items using some custom modification to help them fit the f3’s dimensions. A set of Pro Link shocks were also custom fit to the rear of the bike to complete the Fat Heads suspension upgrades.
All of the rear lighting has been built in to the sub frame. LED clusters for the brakes and indicators run down the frame rails and are wired to the relocated electrics that sit snugly inside the sub frame. The headlight is also a custom addition coming from an SV650. It has been integrated perfectly in to the forks using a custom made fairing painted to match the tank and seat.
Brain hammered Cafe Racer style knee dents in to the tank and extended its rear section to blend with the new tail section. All of the paint work, from prep through to the final coat was done by Brian using good old rattle cans but by looking at the finish you’d never know it. The Fat Head is a unique build to say the least. The bike has won several awards since its completion and to prove it’s still a Street Fighter not a show pony, Brian rides it hard as hell.
