I’ve been been bugging (some would say stalking) Dustin Kott of Kott Motorcycles about getting me recent photos of his latest build. Boy was it worth the wait. Here’s an interview with Dustin that I did awhile back.
From Dustin:
I think that the one feature of this bike that was different from the approach of other builds that I have done was the elimination of the frame rail that originally anchored the passenger foot pegs and pipes on either side. A new tab was then welded to the frame and the rearset plate was attached statically to the frame. In order to clear the swing-arm bolt the shift linkage was run with 1/4 cold rolled steel and bent in a way to avoid bolt contact. The look of the linkage added a cool angularity to the shift side rearset assembly.
The fuel tank fitment added some unique challenges to the build as well. In order to match the parallel line of the frame a bracket bent at 45 degrees on two ends was welded to the frame as the rear hold for the tank. The bracket stood the tank off the frame the necessary 2 1/4 inches to maintain the frame line. The front pegs that hold the original tank rubbers were cut and re-welded one inch forward and one inch upward to match the same line as the top triple clamp and add the much needed race inspired lines that made this bike really stand out. In closing, the silver against the black is and continues to be a traditional “go to” as a finish.
I believe that this complimented the brilliant polished aluminum. The blue zinc plating gave the bike a N.O.S Honda look while protecting the metal against the elements of Venice Beach where this bike ultimately ended up. The bike was also featured at the Carnival of Go and Flow held at the new Deus Ex Machina facility in Venice Ca.
The following is a list of improvements/modifications that were made to create this beauty:
- Rebuilt top end.
- Heavy frame mods including battery relocation table, splash guard, full detab, center stand elimination and tank mounting bracket and index peg repositioning.
- Custom hand cut rearsets using 6065 1/4 aluminum and shaped to compliment the fuel tank.
- Retrofitted cb500 twin fuel tank onto the cb550 four frame.
- Replaced wheels with fresh wheel bearings.
- Handmade steel constructed seat with leather upholstery.
- Custom “street legal” wiring harness with the signature headlight switch and key in headlight.
- Modified 4into1 exhaust header with custom extension into a reverse megaphone silencer.
- Cut and lowered the top triple in order to run 35mm clip-ons.
+ Source: Dustin Kott :: Mystery Motorcycle
