Honda CB750 - Ghost
Honda CB750 - Ghost
Ghost — 1975 Honda CB750 K5
You don’t see a Ghost so much as register it. A shape in the corner of your eye. A presence that lingers when the engine cuts and the pipes tick cool. It doesn’t ask for attention, but it does earn it.
This one came from an oddball in Worcestershire who spoke more about the past than the bike. Said it had sat for twenty years and “might run with a bit of effort.” It didn’t. But we could see it had bones — good ones.
He also, without shame or hesitation, mentioned that Den’s wife reminded him of someone he once fancied. She smiled politely. Den did not.
Form Follows Attitude
The front end’s been brought down with internally lowered forks and custom aluminium shrouds, Cerakoted in matte black. We matched the finish across the wrinkle-coated yokes, the headlight cowl, and the Akron aluminium rims, laced onto refreshed hubs and wrapped in Shinko E270s — classic pattern, tall walls, proper stance.
Out back: YSS shocks to level the frame, a looped and de-tabbed subframe, and just the right rise in the tank to give it presence. The 5.5” grilled headlight sits low and forward under custom brackets, tucked in like a shoulder shrug.
Braking comes courtesy of twin front calipers, HEL lines, and a Brembo master cylinder. The drilled discs are original — lightened, ventilated, and given a second life.
Engine Work: Quiet Perfectionism
This wasn’t a respray job. We took the motor right down to the cases, replaced everything that matters — bearings, pistons, valves, camchain, clutch — and rebuilt it with care. The finish is a study in contrast: satin black casings, brushed fins, matte black headers feeding into in-house stubby megaphones. It breathes through rebuilt Keihin carbs, rejetted to match the DNA filters and open pipes. It sounds like it means it.
The wiring is all new, routed through a BGM custom loom, running off a hidden Shorai lithium battery and M-Unit tucked under a custom aluminium tray. It’s as clean inside as it looks outside — you just can’t see most of it.
Built SUBTLE, NOT SHOUTY
The seat was rebuilt in-house and trimmed in distressed brown leather by Custom Coach Trimming. No pleats, no logos — just texture. Aluminium side covers were shaped to echo the tank line, finished in brushed raw, then mounted with subtle black mesh panels. Indicators are Motogadget pins, hidden under bar ends and rear mounts. The reg plate is tucked on a custom bracket that doubles as a chain guard.
Every line, bracket and bolt was considered. Not because we were trying to win anything. But because Ghost doesn’t do unfinished.
Paint as Restraint
We gave the tank to Flakey, told him not to get clever. He didn’t. Just matte black, grey pinstripe, and a ghosted Honda wing under satin clear. The kind of finish that vanishes in the shade and flares in sunlight. Perfect.
A Bike That Doesn’t Show Off. But You’ll Remember It.
We built Ghost to speak in low tones. It doesn’t do retro. Doesn’t need history lessons or context. It just is — grounded, solid, uncompromising. The kind of machine you don’t notice until it’s already under your skin.
It’s not built for show, though it showed well at Bike Shed London 2023. It’s built for presence.
The kind you only feel when it’s gone.