Monthly Archives: February 2022

FOR SALE : 1977 CB550F SOLD – SOLD -SOLD -SOLD- SOLD

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
19 Feb

Geoffrey Chaucer once said ” Time and Tide wait for no man.”  And to be honest, he is right, I have many pokers in many fires and as we moved to a bigger place with my very own workshop, I thought some of my stuff in storage can go to others, as I have a lot of things to build, finish and design.

So here it is:

A 1977 CB550F Super Sport HONDA FOUR Project of which I have had for quite some time in my storage container.

This bike is rolling and I also have the Pink Slip and the numbers all match up too.

Still needs finishing but all the hard work is done to be honest and would make a fun Bar hopper or parts runner when completed.

 

 

The Motor was rebuilt, needs a sprocket cover as we cant seem to find the old one, but there are many things on here.

Here is a list or two,

This will make a great project for someone and is priced really well to sell, I also look forward to seeing it completed and on the road sometime very soon too.

It sits so very well and that’s how I envisioned this build when I started to acquire parts for the inline four Honda.

I have always liked the Old School Diamond treaded tires, they are not cheap as well and this makes such a good deal for a client out there as there are many cool parts on this ride as you can see by the photos I just took today.

This Motor has a Stainless Steel 304 grade Four Into 1 set up and that this style is a frame hugging design that I think will turn heads when it fires up.

Just look at them Chunky tires, this really is a great looking ride and it will travel along the gravel very smoothly indeed.

It has a set of Piggy Back shocks on the rear to set the Arse just right for them tall tires.

Still needs things like a drive chain and a front sprocket but this is all easy stuff to be honest.

These little 550 bikes are a great powerhouse and will surprise many people when you get this on the tarmac.

Has a 5-3/4 steel headlight with an LED set up that is brighter than Einstein.

I put on expensive handlebars and these really do feel super comfortable and no wrist ache what so ever, also fitted early 1970’s Race throttle and grips for an added bit of Nostalgia.

So here she is, like I said, I have the PINK SLIP-TITLE for this and the Numbers match, so a cool deal for someone out there.

Thanks for looking and Maybe you can pass this along to some of your friends, you will notice the Original speed equipped finned Points cover too?

 

 

 

Classic CB750 Yoshi Bol d’Or Built in 1975

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
18 Feb

If a bike like this can’t get your heart beating faster I don’t know what will.  You don’t even have to be into race or vintage bikes to appreciate the attention to detail and engineering excellence here.  We use the term “engineering art” with Bimota alot but this Yosh/Honda just stepped up to the top of the podium as far as that is concerned.  Hats off to the seller for providing some beautiful shots of the bike and the story behind it.

The collector who owned this bike for the last 37 years related to us that it was professionally built in 1975 from the frame-up by Yoshimura North, with no expense spared. It is believed that it was built on commission for a privateer race team that wanted to compete in the Bol d’Or 24 endurance race in France, as well as the LeMans 24 hour race.

But the team’s efforts never materialized and the bike never went to Europe. Instead, the bike was immediately purchased by the aforementioned collector and drained of all its fluids. It went directly into his extensive art collection and was stored in his living room as a prized piece for the next 3 decades.

From what we were told, Yoshimura built the motor to their full race specs. They fitted their aluminum racing tank and racing saddle. They equipped it with authentic Honda CR750 CR31 carburetors, the CR750 megaphone exhaust and CR750 tachometer.

They fabricated a custom aluminum oil tank, used aircraft style oil lines and a heavy duty oil cooler, and fitted an ARD racing magneto. They chose Ceriani forks and triple trees up front, and a Dresda swingarm with Koni air shocks in the rear. The bike rides on amazing Kimtab magnesium wheels and Goodyear racing slicks.

Stopping power is provided by Hunt plasma-cut triple discs. Many of the parts on the bike, especially the carburetors, tach, and magnesium wheels are now extremely hard to find and worth quite a large sum in their own right. The bike is fitted with high powered Marchal headlamps, as well as a low-mounted Cibie spotlight on the right front fork. The fit and finish is exquisite, down to the perfectly braided safety wire on various nuts and fasteners.

 

Racing machines are rarely preserved as new, having never seen the track they were destined for. They are built as a means to an end, a utility, and used as such. They are beaten up, repaired, rebuilt, reskinned. Only a few become truly sought after, the ones that made history through their victories. Ford GT40s, Ferrari Testarossas, Porsche 908s. The Honda CR750 was also one of those machines. And this example has been preserved almost exactly as it was built in 1975, believed to have only ever been ridden a few test miles.

In the early 1970s, Honda had its sights set on the US Market. Although the CB750 had been released in 1969 and received acclaim as a technical tour de force, it had not yet achieved the sales Honda desired. Bob Hansen, the American service manager for Honda, told HQ that they’d have to go racing to make a real impression. Honda had already won the 24 hour Bol d’Or endurance race in France in 1969, but it did not register on the American motorcycle radar. Given the huge popularity of roadbike racing in the 70s, manufacturers were truly experiencing the “race on sunday, sell on monday” phenomenon.

Honda took Hansen’s advice and immediately built 4 individually unique CR750 race bikes in an effort to win the Daytona 200 mile race. They chose 3 British riders and 1969 AMA Grand National titleholder Dick Mann as their pilots. The bikes were equipped with magnesium crankcases, and a broad spectrum of bespoke and lightweight Honda race parts created specifically for them.

During practice, the team suffered numerous mechanical issues. The magnesium crankcases were expanding under high temperatures and the teams worried about total engine failure as a result. To remedy the problem, 4 completely stock CB750 motors were sourced from local dealers. They were modified with the existing CR750 internals. Dick Mann’s team then spotted a weakness in his cam chain tensioner. The team promptly replaced it with a tensioner from a CB450.

The CR750s lined up with over 60 other bikes, including the newest triples from Triumph and BSA, as well as the first XR750 Harley Davidsons. From the drop of the flag to the first corner, Dick Mann shot from his fourth place grid position to a fifty meter lead, using all 93HP he had on tap. He never looked back, and although Champion Gene Romeo was gaining quickly by the finish, Mann crossed the finish line in the lead. It was his first win of the Daytona 200 after 15 attempts.

The win gave Honda the boost they needed. The fact that they did it on stock CB750 cases only helped their case for the road bike. In fact, it created so much demand that Honda released a short run of CR750 kits and parts which they supplied to a select group of dealers. The kits were used to convert a stock CB750K into a race-ready machine using specially designed parts from the CR750 that could simply be bolted on. Today very few of the original kit bikes still exist in complete form with all the original parts.

OK, so enough of the blarb, I am going to leave you with a Plethora of Pics to drool over, I very much doubt we shall see too many of these rare built machines any more, so enjoy and have yourself a grand weekend.

 

The KC Special CB750 Honda inline Four

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
17 Feb

I have always loved creating My style of machine for Customers and this one is no exception, the KC Special turned out to be a great looking ride and the Owner Keith Conrad ( Hence K.C.) lives in Milwaukee and asked if I could revamp his old 1975 CB750 into a Silver and Black Cafe bike, I said sure thing and the deal was done, a build sheet was agreed upon and Keith sent the bike out to me.

I took the bike apart, right down to the frame, as I do all my builds, then I set about cleaning the frame up some what and smoothing some of the old factory welds, as Honda welds are quite rough back then as i guess they were hand welded and not automated as they are today.

As you can see, I took my time as I wanted the frame to really look nice in a Gloss Black on this build, I wanted it better than factory, so I took a long time to make sure that this Chassis came out nice, as i mostly powder coat my frames, unless I am using Candy Paint or Metalflake etc. Above you can see how Glossy the main frame rails are.

I took the stock gas tank and using my Egg Hammer, I pounded the sides to create Knee inserts, so you can tuck your legs in tighter to the bike and get a little more stream lined, just as they did back in the day for racing etc, this is no easy task and you will see how much it takes to do when you have a go your self, but worth the look in the end thats for certain.

The Paint scheme is High Gloss Black with Metalflake Silver panels and racing stripes and I really needed to make sure that this flowed well, and am happy with the result.

Plenty of Detail too, I hand machined out of 6061, a Custom Finned Oil Tank Dip Stick cap, this really did look trick, compared to the stock version.

Its like the saying says, the devil is in the detail and there is plenty to look at on this CB750 Cafe Bike and am stoked how the bike turned out in the end, worth all the hard graft.

The seat is one of my own that I manufacture, called “The Rocket 4” its a sleek sturdy and well rounded seat base that I produce and has the same curve as the gas tank, that way the body work then flows and give the machine the Status Quo.

Keeping in the theme of Old School styling, the seat upholstery was hand machined and small 1 inch Diamonds in white stitching with Silver piping and vintage snaps was completed to really make this stand out from the crowd.

I used an LED Custom Tail light that I offer on my website and this is bright as Einstein, and I think is a nice addition to the back of the Rocket Four seat unit, also the silver flake racing stripes really stand out nicely.

I machined some covers for the rear piggy back shocks as well as making some risers for the lower, to increase the ride height by 2 inches, out of 7071 Military spec Aluminum.

I also Chromed the rear swing-arm and hand made then Chromed a Custom Chain Guard to show the Gold 530 X-Ring chain off, I also polished the Hubs of the rims and painted the centers black to give a nice offset.

The Motor was rebuilt, as well as the carbs and synchronized etc, my Custom Oil lines were added in Black for a nice offset too, I fitted an oil Pressure gauge to keep the rider informed as to what is going on below.

As you can see, there is plenty going on here, I took a lot of time on the front sprocket cover and I even polished the rear set brackets for a more Custom look too.

Rebuilt and polished Carbs with hand machines velocity stacks from Steel Dragon really help the look of this bike and give it that Nostalgia look and it runs really hard too, there is something about hitting 6 grand on a 750, then you know you are starting to pull like a steam train.

People ask me about my gauges that I create on these inline four machines, and this one is no exception, unless I am restoring a bike, I don’t really care for the Honda’s Gauge faces as they are Green or Blue, not my favorite color of choice to be honest, wished they would of gone Black with White numerals like the Classic British machines, but oh well, so what I do is take the gauges apart and then I fit my Custom faces thats an overlay I print out, then repaint the needle and add chrome cups to embellish the bodys and give it a little more Custom look.

I have always liked to do this and it really does personalize your gauges, this time I went with the Cafe Racer Font and crossed Flags of which I think suit this Motorcycle to a Tee.

You may also notice that I have fitted a 2 inch handle Bar riser, to give a more comfortable riding position and easier strain on the wrists too, then fitted my Relocation bracket on top of the handle bar clamps to clean the top end of the bike up, with a BIG oil pressure Display light to match the Needle ends.

This is one tasty ride, the 4 into one system of mine is Ceramic Coated Silver, its a great look, almost a brushed polished Aluminum look to it, and she barks like a scolded dog when you get on the loud button, you will also noticed I machines a Finned Stabilizer Bar at the rear of the bike and did my usual drilling on the brake hub to let brake dust and heat escape under hard braking.

A lot of time and energy went into creating this machine and the owner really digs it, it is just how he wanted it and am glad that i was able to oblige with his demands.

The Customer wanted Gloss Black Rims with stainless spokes and he really did like the way these turned out on the bike and the attention to detail that I am known for on these inline fours.

I always fit an Oil pressure Gauge, as I do not trust the Honda Pressure switch thats behind the Barrels, so these run great and give true pressure as soon as you fir the bike up, as it is connected to the oil galley plug.

As you can see, New Levers, new Control switches, new Handle Bars, polished triple tree, New cables, New master cylinder and stainless nuts and bolts through out this motorcycle.

A great but solid Motorcycle, with aggression when you want it, reliability for everyday riding, and an awesome stance to give it that moving look standing still, sure does sit well in my stable.

I really did enjoy putting this bike together and felt good to know that I had done all and more than the Customer had asked me about, its one fine steed and I enjoyed slinging my leg over it.

I wanted to share it with you guys and Gals and hope you like what I have created too?

Maybe if you are in Milwaukee area, you might come across the KC Special? if you do, take a snap and send it to me, love to see it again.

 

KTM-Brabus 1300 Motorcycles

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
14 Feb

We got the scoop on the KTM Brabus 1300 R last month when the Austrian firm’s new supercar tie-in model was caught testing on the road. Now it’s official and the bike looks every inch the high-end machine that Brabus customers are used to.

You’ll have to be quick if you want one. KTM is only making 154 examples of the Brabus 1300 R, with 77 in each of the colour options of Magma Red or Signature Black. Why 77? Because Brabus was founded in 1977, specialising in creating high-end, highly-tuned Mercedes-based cars.

You don’t have to look too hard to see that the Brabus 1300 R is based on the existing KTM 1290 Super Duke, more specifically it takes elements from the range-topping Super Duke Evo and from last year’s limited-edition Super Duke RR.

A distinctive new look is achieved by adding a Brabus-branded version of the circular headlight from Husqvarna’s Vitpilen and Svartpilen, as well as new carbon-fibre scoops either side of the steel, 16-litre fuel tank. You can see why some were fooled into thinking the spy pictures earlier this year showed a future Husky model rather than the Brabus.

Those intakes feed the same V-twin engine that’s used in the existing 1290 Super Duke, which retains identical performance figures –178bhp and 103lb.ft of torque arriving at 9500rpm and 8000rpm respectively – despite the new intakes and a bespoke, Brabus-only exhaust system with stacked silencers and a black ceramic-coated finish.

The frame is also straight from the Super Duke, but with a carbon-fibre seat unit similar to that used on the Super Duke RR, helping reduce the bike’s weight to 205kg including fuel, exactly halfway between the 210kg Evo and the 200kg RR.

Other elements that are purpose-made for the Brabus 1300 R include the ‘Monoblock Z’ nine-spoke wheels, reflecting a design used on many of the firm’s cars, which are fitted with the same Bridgestone S22 tires used on the Super Duke Evo, 120/70-17 at the front and 200/55-17 at the rear. Unique Brabus-branded Gilles footpegs and Magura HC1 levers, both CNC-machined, also distinguish the new model, as does a special start-up screen on the TFT dash display.

With the Super Duke Evo as its basis, the Brabus 1300 R gets the same extensive suite of tech with traction control, engine brake control, ‘supermoto’ ABS, cruise control, tyre pressure monitors, auto-cancelling indicators and keyless ignition.

The switchable riding modes are similar to the Super Duke RR’s, including Track and Performance modes as well as Rain, Street and Sport settings. The bike also benefits from the Super Duke Evo’s semi-active WP Apex SAT forks and shock, with ‘Suspension Pro’ to automatically detect load and set the rear preload to suit, with three heights – Low, Standard or High – for the rider to choose from via the dash.

Other settings include ‘Track’, ‘Auto’ and ‘Advanced’ modes, the last offering eight stages of selectable damper settings for the front and rear.

Those stunning looks and top-notch parts don’t come cheap, though. Brace yourself for a £34,549 hole in your bank balance if you want one!

I’m still a Pencil and Paper designer but todays graphic Artists are pretty cool

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
12 Feb

I have always doodled since I was a youngster, I drew Motorcycles on anything to be honest, be it a Napkin on the table, the school folder or on an opened up chewing gum wrapper.

But todays graphic artists are on another planet, and Garinca Bali from Indonesia is no exception, I came across this Royal Enfield Custom he designed for a competition, and even though I have no idea how the heck that you do something like this, I admire the bloke, what a great skill.

Just thought that I would share today.

Always loved Solid Works etc but this is Art Station and boy you can do all sorts of creations with it.

Clever people that I have always admired, making visual and crisp creations from someone like me who give them a chewing gum wrapper sketch.

I think life would of been very different for me if we had this sort of software at school, but when i was at school all we had was a microfiche LOL!

So, if you are learning this Modern art of designing on a Computer, good on you, I love seeing stuff like this and hope someone can draw up a sketch of mine sometime so i can share it with others on the INTERWEB!

ULTRA-LIGHT CCM HERITAGE ’71 GOES TITANIUM TO CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
11 Feb

 

CCM is baking a birthday cake of epic proportions to commemorate its 50th anniversary in 2022, as the CCM Heritage ’71 is announced.

Based on the show-stopping Spitfire platform, the new bike is more than just a rebranded bike with some happy birthday graphics on it. CCM has gone all out to make the Heritage ’71 the trickest Spitfire released to date.

The biggest talking point of the bike is the inclusion of a new titanium frame, that alone should offer considerable weight savings compared to the stock machine. CCM’s design team didn’t stop there though, as the titanium frame is joined by lightweight 7-spoke Dymag wheels that are shod with Maxxis DTR1 flat track tyres. On top of that, a full titanium bolt kit has been introduced, along with forged carbon engine mounts and even a titanium full system exhaust. All told, the extensive use of lightweight materials has shed nearly 10kg from the already featherlight machine, bringing its dry weight down to just 136kg.

The chassis of the bike is equally as tasty, with Öhlins suspension front and rear and Brembo 4-pot calipers taking up the braking duties.

 

The icing on this particular birthday cake comes in the form of exclusive Heritage ’71 hand-painted bodywork and is completed with the signature of Alan Clews on the rear of the seat unit.

 

Looking forward to checking one out over here one of these days.

2018 Honda Cub gets some real atention

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
10 Feb

 

in 2018 Thailand is launched one of the most sold automobile in the world, the Super Cub. They will be made in a brand-new factory in Thailand apart from the already existing 16 plants spread across 15 countries that serve customers in more than 160 countries.

To celebrate this feat, Honda Thailand had donated a bike from the first production batch to the K-Speed custom crew to work their magic on history’s most iconic moped. After 30 days of toiling, the magic shows on the “Diablo.”

Over the year, the Japanese fine-tuned the Super Cub to evolve with the generations, and yet the underlying concept remained unchanged since the introduction of the first Super Cub in 1958. This iconic design even managed to become the first one ever to obtain a three-dimensional trademark registration in Japan.

Now for 2018, Honda has given the Super Cub its brand new update and brings back the round curvy design, featuring LED lights for the first time in the Super Cub series. Mashing advanced technologies with traditional Super Cub styling, Honda has not forgotten to look back at their past to go forward.

To take the level up a notch, Honda thought, ‘Why not we also showcase how the Super Cub will idealize with the growing custom space?’ Enter K-Speed customs.

Piloted by a simple man who goes by the name ‘Eak,’ the Bangkok based workshop has craftsmen who can turn out bikes ranging from the classy and practical to the downright whacky. All their builds come as clean as one can get and radiate an air of sophistication. They just love swinging it like that.

 

The ‘sawtooth’ tires give the Super Cub that suave right off the bat. To keep things fresh, yet retain the reminisce of the heritage, the guys left the lower fairing as it is and chops off the head to replace the stock steering cluster. The new custom wing-shaped handlebars adorn Biltwell Inc. grips and a bicycle bell. Neat.

The headlight finds its space just above the front tire nestled in a custom-made nacelle. The dash includes custom switches and toggles below the steering stem that takes care of the ignition and turn signals. The analog meter helps keep things retro.

Speaking of which, the Vee Rubber sawtooth tires are wrapped around a pair of 17×2.50 spoked wheels, and the fork covers gets a rework to showcase a beefier front appearance, and they come with LED turn indicators on the sides. The wheels get a stealthy ‘hand grenade’ valve caps. How’s that for nifty detailings?

At the rear, the fended gets tossed out, and a new custom cap fender keeps things tidy. They’ve snuggled a new bolt-on aluminum swingarm and tethered adjustable rear shocks to keep things smooth on the ride. The Diablo also features a new LED taillight setup right below one of the rear shocks while the license plate bracket comes on the opposite side.

My favorite, however, is the leather tool roll attached to the swing arm. How classy is that? Custom made seat gets new upholstery and contrast stitching in a vertical tuck-and-roll pattern that synergizes with the handlebar grips. CNC-machined foot pegs, ribbed side panels and the blacked out engine bay gives a beautiful contrast to the matte black and white paintjob that oozes with charm.

To finish things subtly, K-Speed guys did away with the small grill upfront along with the Honda logo and threw in new decals to the Super Cub.

We don’t know if we can buy one or is this Diablo a one-off custom work commissioned by Honda. Whatever it is, is a job well done.

Serving 100 million happy customers is a well-achieved milestone for any business, and no other manufacturer but Honda could have made it seem this easy. Being the first two-wheeler to cross such a mark is the Japanese Red Wing’s Super Cub that began its life way back in 1958.

Douglas Board Tracker by Sabotage Motorcycles.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
09 Feb

I am always impressed by machines that are created down under, I was lucky enough to Live in Victoria and in New South Wales for 4 years and their passion for anything with two or four wheels is breathtaking at times.

Here is a write up pipeburn came up with I wanted top share with you lot.:

Over the years we’ve noticed a common trend here at pipeburn some of the best workshops around the globe, large and small, have their origins in friendships formed over a love of motorcycles. Australia’s Sabotage Motorcycles is one such story, it began in the car park of a hardware store when two men met on their ’70s Honda’s and have gone on to produce some show stopping custom rides. Now they’re back with a truly unique creation, artistically formed by the pairs talented hands and lucid imaginations. It’s a 1926 Douglas EW with power from a little engine by the big H, to deliver one beautiful board tracker.

If you don’t know the Douglas name, don’t worry, they sadly closed their doors more than sixty years ago. But over a 50 year stretch beginning in 1907 the British company was one of the most innovative motorcycle manufacturers of their time. Indian, Harley and others copied their creations to produce their own lightweight machines, Douglas was the first to focus on a low centre of gravity for handling and were running a flat twin in the first decade of the 20th century.
The men behind Sabotage, Andy and Giles, would begin to uncover more of the rich Douglas history during the build, but it all started with a late night eBay parts search. “We stumbled across a guy in Adelaide selling a bare frame of a 1926 Douglas EW350. Just the frame, nothing else. But what we loved about it was the shape. It had the classic ‘in-frame tank’ shape [as opposed to the tank sitting on top of the frame]. The frame resonated well with Giles as Douglas is British, as is he, and also his father’s name is Douglas. It was fate!”
So they had to have it. But they also discovered the seller had another Douglas frame, this one a 1936 with a glorious girder fork and of course they bought that too. Over the next few years they collected a part here and a part there as they built other bikes like they’re incredible Yamaha RD125. That bike competed in the 2018 Machine Show and when organiser Matt put the call out for bikes for the 2019 event, the two Douglas frames drew the boys immediate attention.
If building the RD for the show was a challenge, starting with a bare century old frame was taking stress and hard work to the next level. But that’s when Andy and Giles do their best work and wanting to build a Boardy their other loves proved a vital inspiration. “We’re big fans of vintage Honda’s, so this is perhaps the board track racer that Soichiro might have been racing, if he was around in America in the early 1910s!” With a Douglas engine near impossible to source, a Honda CB125 was purchased complete with spares.
The single hoop CB frame was surprisingly similar to that of the 1926 Douglas, but try as they might there would be no way to fit the engine without cutting the frame. But cleverly they managed to only remove a small section at the bottom and then made new mounting brackets and the motor was securely attached. It might be ‘just’ a Honda single, but hours of elbow grease and clever thinking has it looking a treat. From the snarling low cut pipe, to the bespoke bellmouth and vintage plug lead it now looks like it was always meant to be.
To turn the bike into a roller that gorgeous girder front end was given a full makeover before being bolted up to the frame. A process that required slight adjustment to the steering stem, and fabrication of a new top piece from scratch but that mix of black, chrome and magnificent mechanical moving parts makes it more than worth the time and effort.
The handlebars were collected along the way and then cut and reshaped before receiving their leather wrap grips and machined bar ends. A set of 21in rims had been sourced early and look a treat wrapped in Avon historic rubber, but while the front was an easy fit, the rear posed a challenge!
“A lot of time was spent on the rear wheel. It’s a Honda C90 hub with a CT110 brake plate, but we had to work out all the spacing and get the sprocket lined up. A new brake stay was made, chain tension adjusters, and hub spacers.” To keep things clean the bars were left lever free, with an internal throttle adapted to fit. So controlling gear and brake operation is left largely to the feet, with a twin cable system and a hell of a lot of clever thinking. More machine time and the boys had the suicide shift working perfectly, topped with a VW GTI knob, Giles owned three and Andy’s German!

The bodywork is minimal, but brilliantly built; the tank is a hand-formed, in-frame unit, shaped just like they did a century ago. While the stylish front cowl and old bicycle seat wrapped in Saint denim adds a little glamour to the Brit. In their day Douglas was successful at building TT and Dirt Track winning machines and now Sabotage Motocycles allows us to imagine them on the timber boards. The flake paint is one of the only things not tackled in house, but ensures that the punters will be drawn in to truly admire the incredible detail Andy and Giles have crafted into the entire bike.

What Happens When You Stick A Honda CB350 Four Engine In A Monkey?

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
07 Feb

I love seeing quirky stuff as by all rights, it should not function, but here ut is none the less, and what a great littlke set up this is, I am certain we shall see many different styles popping up from all over the place but worth a look for today, cheers to Janaki Jitchotvisut for the words below:

Have you ever thought to yourself how cool it would be to stuff a Honda CB350 Four engine inside a 1973 Honda Z50 Mini Trail bike? Even if the answer is “no,” don’t worry—collector, builder, racer, and long-time Honda enthusiast Bob Guynes took it upon himself to craft exactly that combination. At Mecum Las Vegas, 2022, a number of bikes from Guynes’ collection crossed the auction block at no reserve and sold, including this not-so-mini minimoto.

From the factory, the Z50 produced an eye-watering 2.5 horsepower from its tiny little single-cylinder engine. Guynes loved building bikes, and decided that simply wasn’t enough. Could he fit Honda’s tiniest little inline four engine into that frame? Apparently, he made it work—adding additional downtubes, custom motor mounts, and making that engine a stressed member for this heckin chonker of a minibike. We can’t tell you how it rides, but it does at least look pretty fantastic.

It’s also not clear what kind of power this particular custom Z50 makes. A stock CB350F made a claimed 34 horsepower at 10,000 rpm at the rear wheel, but Guynes was well-known for tuning any bikes he got his hands on so the true power is unknown. This bike is listed as having sold at Mecum Las Vegas 2022, so we can hope that perhaps the new owner will dyno it and post those numbers somewhere (or, you know, write to us about it). We can always live in hope, right?

Other customizations include a dual carburetor setup to make things a little simpler, as well as a four-into-two exhaust setup. Stock Z50 elements include that adorable little peanut of a fuel tank, as well as the saddle and wheels. Tommaselli Cross handlebars give the front a more serious look, and there’s an adjustable center stand to make life easier. According to the listing, it “needs sorting,” although it’s not entirely clear exactly what that means. Details suggest that it could be made road-legal with installation of things like turn signals and lights, but it’s unclear if additional work needs to be done just to make this bike ridable in general. Here’s hoping it’s as fun to ride as it is mad to contemplate!

I love the whole concept, here at Carpy’s Garage we hope to make a few Hybrids and showcase them on here but I just love this little terrorizing machine and, if you give this Monkey bike no respect, when you pull that throttle, it can spit you off and then beat the crap out of you for not believing in it.

This little Whiz Bang of a Motorcycle is just pure fun to look at, let alone have a blast down the back roads, scaring all and sundry.

I love the whole concept and its as mad as a box of frogs, thank you for making my day and I am sure many people have little Motors like this sat in there workshop collecting dust?

So have a look what’s in your shed, garage or even storage, you may have some spare time on your hands with this crappy Pandemic, what better way than to cobble something head turning in the free time you have a home?

OLD HOT RODS AT GOODWARD REVIVAL 2021

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
02 Feb

I Love my Motorcycles but have always been into Hot Rods too, infact back in the 1980’s I had a Chopped and Channeled 1932 Ford Coupe that was styled on post WW2 Hot Rods that were built after the the American Service men got back home and had all these New Skills.

I wanted to share with you lot what also turns my dial and back home at Goodwood last year, All the Hot Rods met for a great drive around this infamous Race track. Scroll to the bottom and once it starts, hit Big Picture and turn the sound up for almost 10 minutes of Flathead sounds.

Here is the write up:

2021 marks 70 years since the Festival of Britain and the foundation of the National Hot Rod Association
To celebrate, the Goodwood Trophy has been renamed the Festival of Britain Trophy
A miniature Festival of Britain will be recreated at Gate 2
With over 60 Hot Rods due to attend, Revival will host the largest gathering of 1932 Fords in the UK
This year, Goodwood Revival (17 – 19 September) will mark 70 years since two momentous events which took place in 1951, one in the UK and the other across the Pond. Each was emblematic of the nation in which it took place; the Festival of Britain and the founding of the National Hot Rod Association.

The summer of 1951 saw millions of visitors flock to the Festival of Britain on London’s South Bank, a national showcase of British manufacturing and design, six years after the end of World War II and one hundred years since the Great Exhibition of 1851. Promoting British science, technology, industrial design, architecture and the arts, the Festival proved immensely popular as a “beacon for change” that helped reshape British arts, crafts, designs and sports for a generation.

To celebrate the occasion, Goodwood will be recreating a slice of that festival atmosphere at Gate 2 of the Motor Circuit. There will be nods to the vibrant colours of the Festival of Britain with colourful ‘lollipops’ throughout the trees and geometric patterns on the buildings, while the famous Hans Tisdall Cockerel mural will also be recreated. The area will be a hub of colour and entertainment and a helter skelter and Punch and Judy stage will provide entertainment throughout the day.

Goodwood will also be reviving the Festival of Britain Trophy which first made an appearance at the Whitsun meeting at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1951, inspired by the events taking place on London’s South Bank and across the UK. This year, the Goodwood Trophy has been renamed to celebrate 70 years since the Festival of Britain and will be contested by some of the finest Grand Prix and Voiturette cars of the 1930s and ‘40s, recapturing the derring-do atmosphere of inter-war racing as English Racing Automobiles take on the likes of Maseratis, Alfa Romeos and Talbots.

2021 also marks 70 years since Wally Parks founded the National Hot Rod Association in America and Goodwood is hoping to host one of the largest ever gatherings of the mean machines in Europe with the aim of there being one car for every year of the NHRA’s age. This iconic slice of Americana will be celebrated at a relocated Gasoline Alley which will feature bleachers, a mock drag strip, performance stage and dancing.

In addition, 16 of the infamous Rolling Bones cars are confirmed to attend. The Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop in Greenfield Centre, New York is a renowned hub of automotive craftsmanship run by Ken Schmidt and Keith Cornell for over 20 years. The Rolling Bones will be joined at Revival’s colourful display by a number of their UK cousins, with representatives from key Hot Rod groups such as the Low Fliers, the Detonators (of which American F1 legend Dan Gurney was a member), the Originals and the Vultures.

There will also be the UK’s biggest gathering of 1932 Fords; the ‘Deuce Coupe’ of hot rod legend made famous by the Beach Boys.