HONDA CB750 BRAT BIKE

Well, here we are with a 1974 Honda CB750 SOHC model that was turned into an old Land Speed dry lakes Racing bike many many moons ago, but have no real history documentation of what it achieved back in the day etc, but- you can be sure that someone thought long and hard as to what they may do with it.

Last year this was a total mess, it was too dangerous to even attempt to ride, so, it sat for some time in the corner of the shop of mine, until such time as I thought that it needed to have a new lease of life and restyle this inline four 500 pounder into something a little cooler.

As you can see by the photos below, it was not much of a looker but- it did intrigue me to see to what lengths people would go to with these iconic Honda Fours, and I just let this bike sit until I decided it was indeed time to resurrect this sleeping giant. I removed the Old wheel and Built 2 Brand New Rims, with Polished Hubs and Stainless Steel Spokes, Both 18 inch rims.

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So, time has gone by and over the past few weeks I have changed a number of things and I am sure that you will notice a difference right away, this is NO show point for sure, I just went ahead and changed a few bits and bobs as I pulled the old rusty and non usable parts off and either refurbished, remade or purchased New parts to slowly transform this inline 4 into a cool looking Bar hopper Brat style machine.

Below is the bike with another Gas tank, fitted with a New OEM genuine Honda Petcock, then I have totally rebult the old carbs, vapor blasted and rejetted them to the pipe, the parts taken off were zinc plated, polished and re-assembled.

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Some of you may not even like what I am creating here, that’s fine as we all have our own tastes, but, if you are reading this, then of course, you must be into seeing what is becoming of this Single Over head cam Motorcycle. I wanted a Brat style machine and every few days at a New part, some of the work I have created has taken many hours and sometimes days to get it right.

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Just have a look at the front forks compared to the old ones, as I took them apart. cleaned everything internally, then Polished the lowers, fitted New genuine Honda Fork seals and then Brand New Chrome Fork upper tubes, with New springs and caps etc, I also set the pre-load with stainless washers, just like back in the old days of racing.

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I also cut the back of the old frame rails as they were not good anyway, and then I made my Own steel Hoop and shortened the chassis to give the bike a lower looking stance, Whilst I was at it, I also fitted a Custom Oil Tank that I sell on my website, this Oil tank holds 3 Quarts and has a battery Compartment where I have fitted an Anti-Gravity 8 cell battery pack and managed to fit some of the electrical in there too.

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Also you can see that I made a seat pan and upholstered it with cool Old School style Diamond Stitching, this looks pretty cool and am surprised how comfortable the seat is, and just have a look at how much this bike has changed since I first acquired it, I have fitted new Diamond Treaded Firestone Tires to match the seat and both Rims are 18 inch and make the bike sit so much better than the stock configuration.

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Now, As you can also quite clearly see, this bike has a TON of New or refurbished parts, the carbs alone are like New, has a super cool New polished Air-box that makes this Motor breathe right.The Motor has Black wrinkle High temp paint on it and is embellished with stainless Allen head bolts through out and Brand New Honda valve caps on the cover.

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This Brat Bike now has some cool parts, like my Newest Prototype exhaust system, the “Sling Shot” This is a great set up that produces power through all the range of motion and sounds incredible, later I will add a sound byte for you to sample the Motorcycle Running. I have many parts now added to this machine and here is the list below of things that I have either rebuilt, changed or refurbished.

  1. Throttle Cables
  2. Clutch cable
  3. New Rims
  4. Polished hubs
  5. Stainless steel spokes
  6. New Firestone tires
  7. Polished hub
  8. Custom Stabilizer Bar
  9. Drilled and chromed rear brake pedal
  10. Drilled and chromed Kick starter
  11. Custom seat
  12. Hooped frame
  13. My own hand made bars -Chromed
  14. Biltwell grips
  15. New levers
  16. Custom headlight Chrome
  17. Polished Front Rotor
  18. New handlebar control switches
  19. Custom oil tank with internal Battery box
  20. Solid state regulator and rectifier
  21. New wire harness
  22. Finned engine covers
  23. Stainless Allen head bolts through out
  24. Wrinkle painted motor
  25. New master Cylinder
  26. New upper fork tubes
  27. New Fork cap
  28. Polished and rebuilt fork lowers
  29. Custom lower Fork caps
  30. New ignition switch and Bracket
  31. New Honda coils
  32. New spark plugs
  33. New oil and oil filter
  34. Anti gravity Lithium gel battery
  35. New chain
  36. Custom Airbox
  37. Completely rebuilt and vapor blasted carbs
  38. 1974 Gas tank
  39. New OEM Valve caps in valve cover
  40. Custom 4 into 1 exhaust with DEI  Wrap and Chrome

 

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I am still working on this and not sure on a price, No title for it but will come with a Bill of sale when completed, I also will be adding a few videos for you to look around later and also then I will have another Video of the bike running, that way you can hear this amazing exhaust system.

A few months ago I got this running and I loved the sound when I had the raw steel exhaust on, this now has a high performance exhaust system and is look really cool.

 

 

 

Vic Edelbrock Jr Passes away.

 

Vic Edelbrock Jr. passed away Friday, June 9, at the age of 80 after complications from a cold.

“It’s with deep sadness that we announce the untimely death of our visionary and leader Vic Edelbrock Jr.,” the company website read. “Vic passed away this evening from complications following a recent cold. His passing was peaceful and in the company of his closest friends and family. The Edelbrock Fun Team sends their deepest condolences to his family and will always hold him in our hearts.”

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Vic Edelbrock Jr. took over the aftermarket performance parts company that bears his name after the untimely passing of his father, Vic Edelbrock Sr. Vic Jr. was just 26 when his father died in 1962. With a small but dedicated band of 10 employees, Vic Jr. not only kept the company growing but made it into one of the largest performance parts entities in the world.

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It’s a long story that starts in 1933 when Vic Sr. opened an automotive repair shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Soon after, Edelbrock cars were racing on the circle tracks and dry lakes of Southern California during the golden age of hot rodding. In 1938, Vic Sr. bought a ’32 Ford and used it to test new speed parts, more or less inventing the marketing tool that would later be known as “the project car.” The first big seller from an Edelbrock project car was the Slingshot manifold, used by Vic Sr. on the dry lakes to clock a prewar time of 121.42 mph in the ’32.

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Business wasn’t the only thing growing for the Edelbrock name. Vic Jr. was born in 1936 and started working summers in his dad’s shop at age 12.

“I was making $2 a day and I thought I was really living,” he told us when we spoke to him for a 2002 story.

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The towering Vic Jr. went to the University of Southern California on a football scholarship, graduated with a degree in business in 1959 and went to work full time for his dad’s business. Just three years later, Vic Sr. was diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

“He had no chance,” said Vic Jr. “Four months later he left us.”

Not only did Vic Jr. have to deal with the death of his father and mentor, but he suddenly found himself at the helm of a fully funded company with 10 employees and $200,000 in the bank.

Many an heir would have blown it all in a couple of years, and some expected Vic Jr. to  do just that. But one thing the father had taught the son was the value of good people. Among the 10 Edelbrock employees were Don Towle, Bobby Meeks and Bob Bradford.

“They stuck with me,” said Vic Jr.

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In 1965 Bob Joehnck, who had been a close friend of Vic Sr., called Vic Jr. with a suggestion.

“He said, ‘Make a manifold for the small-block Chevy,’” remembers Jr. “I said, ‘They already make one.’ He said, ‘Trust me, make one.’ So we made one.”

Did they ever. The Edelbrock manifold for the small-block Chevy became the foundation from which the company springboarded into legend. That manifold led to a relationship with Holley to mate Holley carbs to it, which eventually led to more parts for more cars.

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We drove an excellent example of the Total Performance Package back then in 2002 in the streets around Edelbrock’s Torrance, California headquarters — Vic Edelbrock’s own 1967 SS 396 Chevelle. With an Edelbrock intake, cams, heads, carbs and water and fuel pumps, the 468- cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet made 540 hp and 539 lb-ft of torque (those are gross figures, not today’s legal SAE net measurements). In keeping with the Total Performance Package philosophy, the car also came with Edelbrock springs, shocks, trailing arms and wheels. All we needed was a cigarette behind one ear.

The big-block started with a screech, reminding us how much internal friction these big, meaty engines have. The gauges jumped to life as the car body torqued in the direction opposite crank rotation. Steering through the big, skinny wheel was heavy, the way things were in 1967, and we cruised the streets waiting for the engine temps to warm up. In a few minutes we had enough heat to open it up a little and suddenly it all made sense. Why would a working guy spend a month’s salary on parts? Because of the way this magnificent old beast opened up when you floored the throttle. Suddenly the big-block roared in one long, uninterrupted wail, the exhaust note went to a higher-pitched whaaaaaaaa as the engine neared its 6000-rpm power peak and the ’67 SS leapt forward, scaring the hell out of a number of sensible midsized sedans nearby. Telephone poles, indeed, looked like a picket fence.

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Goodbye, Vic Jr. Say hello to Senior for us.

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The Name will Live on in the Automotive World and always there will be a part of the Edelbrock family on an engine if you are a performance fan.

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Life behind Bars

Well, 17 years seems to have flown by and here I am, still playing with two wheeled contraptions.

As a kid , I was fascinated with Motorbikes and at any opportunity I would drop everything to watch , hear or just read about these mechanical machines.

I have lived all over the world and seen some fantastic motorcycles and knew that one day I would be lucky enough to reside in the United States of America .

So, in 2000 I entered California and the first Motorcycle I created was a 1976 CB750 of which I gave the Cafe Racer styling.

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The livery was in the style of the 1970’s Formula 1 John Player Special Team of Gold and Black.

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This motorcycle caused a huge stir in the American Motorcycle community and put me on the map as as Motorcycle designer and builder.

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17 years later and my 50th creation is almost completed , I wanted to build another CB750 and this time use some crazy Candy flake colors of which covered most of the Hondas of SOHC guise.

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This time I chose a 1975 CB750F model Super Sport and went with a Black Wrinkle Finish Engine, Dressed out with Stainless Steel Allen Head Bolts throughout.

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I also designed a Brand New 4 into 1 Exhaust System that made the Header pipes swing out to the right hand side and then tightly under the chassis and a unique short turn out tail pipe.

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I took the stock gas tank and cut out the filler neck and welded it flat, then welded a Harley Gas Cap bung in its place to give this tank a cool smooth appearance .

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Next up I took some 18 Gauge steel and hand bent the seat base to the style I was looking for, then I cut another piece of steel into a half circle and hand pounded it on a sand bad and then used my Air Plenisher and shaped it into a cowl, then tig welded to seat base, once that was done I then cut a teardrop shape out of the rear of that cowl, to allow for a unique Tailight for the bike.

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I upholstered this seat base with Brown Naugahyde and did tuck n roll design.

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I rebuilt the front forks and machined the  lowers to have finned grooves in them, rebuilt the front and rear wheels with polished Hubs and stainless Steel spokes and shoved New Rubber on them.

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With 14.5 inch New Shocks makes sure the rear end keeps smooth and some Italian Rear sets clamp tightly to the frame. But still More to do and wanted to show you some progress photos, Hope you like what I am doing here, a little out there but, that makes it more fun. Stay tuned to my Blogs on more as I will ALWAYS be messing around with 2 wheeled Machines.

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D-DAY

During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control.

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Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region.

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The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target.

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By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

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Today I take time to reflect on this and to say Thank you for putting your lives at risk, so we can live how we do today.

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I sure hope that you can take a few minutes out of your day to just reflect on what our troops did to give us the lifestyle we are so fortunate to be able to have right now.

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Thank you for taking time to reflect and remember D-Day, I will never forget and thank you all for reading this today.

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Anaheim Rod and Custom Open day

Well, has it been a year already? Wow! Time sure does fly when you are having fun and that’s exactly what they do have at Anaheim Rod and Custom, a totally cool shop that caters for a plethora of styles and genre’s of Vehicles, Motorcycles art and sculptures.

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Now- the weekend of Fathers day is perfect for you lot to attend this Open day show, I mean Pomona will be the Fathers day show at the fair grounds and to be able to head to Anaheim Rod and Custom afterwards will be a great treat.

Where is this?

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Anaheim Rod and Custom Open House

Saturday, June 17, 2017
3:00pm 8:00pm
Anaheim Rod and Custom
539 South Central Park Avenue East Anaheim, CA, 92802 United States

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Last years Open House was superb and so this years is bound to exceed the great times we had in Anaheim, Matt and Becky Sue were great Hosts and sure made everyone welcome.

Bring your ride along and joining in the festivities of a great family orientated company that oozes personality and exuberance in the Hot Rod and Custom fraternity, you will meet cool like minded people, have food, drink your favorite tipple and listen to some awesome music from bands and assorted tunes coming over the speakers.

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If you want to have a great, enjoyable time, then head out early to get a parking space as this place will be full up by late afternoon.

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Any more info you can contact them on: 714-203-6589

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Dont miss out on a Golden opportunity to meet a great company and to meet up with old and New acquaintances,and you will enjoy everything that’s going on here.

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So, bring your Hot Rod, your Classic, your Custom, your Motorcycle, jeez, your Vintage Pick up, even your cool beach cruiser, you will love the atmosphere at this place.

Jennifer and I will be there, either on our Triumph Motorcycles or in our 28 Roadster , and really are looking forward to see you all too.

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