Ton Up CX500 Blubber
By Ross Sharp - 19 Feb 15
There must be something in the water in Portugal, the quality of builds coming from outfits like Ton-Up Garage is a consistent pleasure to see in the Bike Shed inbox and the scene is growing rapidly over there. This latest CX500 Blubber is more from the same mould.
The name? Well, I'll let Daniel and Pedro run that by you "Blubber is our new motorcycle based on a Honda CX500 and like some marine mammals need that extra energy, to swim, we all need an extra inspiration to achieve freedom in our lives. Blubber was, in fact, named after the special skin storing fat, that provides the energy to this sea animals. The analogy emerged by the different, efficient and essential character both Blubbers stand for (the fat layer and the bike)".
As with all Ton-Up builds, and now the necessity in producing bikes of a decent caliber, the guys stripped the CX donor down to the frame and boxed-up a bunch of components for the local powder coater. The subframe had the usual trimming treatment and now displays an open rear triangle, greatly reducing the lardy visual character of this model.
The neat and simple headlight surround is rolled aluminium rather than fibreglass, creating a bit more of swooping café racer line. LSL clipons clamp the lowered and rebuilt forks, giving a sportier position and clean cockpit. The industry standard Motogadget speedo sits in a custom mount.
The silencers line up nicely with the rear subframe, standing out with heat proof white paint, against the satin black of the rest of the hardware.
The seat is a great shape, with a hint of a cafe tail whilst remaining streamlined; looks pretty comfy too. Precise stitching on the grey leather should give the new owner an indication of the level of care taken elsewhere on the build. Whoops, cat is climbing out of the bag.
The black powdered wheels have been drilled and small machine screws and nuts inserted, split rim style. Avon Safety Mileage tyres always look good, especially with a fat and squat 16" rear.
Unsightly electrics and a miniature lithium battery are hidden out of site to keep the look as clean as possible. A brace of K&Ns suggest a modicum of performance, and will certainly aid the V-twin's sound track.
Overall, with a sophisticated colour palette, decent paint job and well executed, flowing lines this CX is handsome steed for any modern day café racer fan. And as previously eluded to, the bike is for sale. Contact Daniel and Pedro through their website or Facebook page to talk about delivery options.