Monthly Archives: June 2024

Honda CB750 Super Sport Classic Cafe

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
29 Jun

I recently came across some old CD’s that I had tucked away in a drawer, glad I took some pics of some of the motorcycles that I have created, they say if you put them on the internet, it’s there forever, but that’s incorrect as I had quite a few bikes on there and cannot find them anywhere, so I was stoked to at least find a couple I had created and thought that I would share with you.

The bike started out as a stock 1978 machine that had seen better days and been neglected for a few decades, this was a good platform to use as I knew the Motor would at least kick over but not fire, so, with that in mind I set about pulling the bike apart and going a little out there with the color, the reasoning for this? Well I loved the old Yellow on the 400 -4 Super Sports ad thought I would go with that color ad it would stand out in the California Sun.

Taking apart in my old garage, where space was not infinite.

The Bike belonged to a Customer and he wanted me to go way out there and make this a head turning machine, if I remember correctly he was a Rocket Scientist, so I had to come up with something that would Blast Off!!!

Everything apart and now its time to see what to do, I started with the frame first, as that needed to be cleaned up then stripped before I could get it ready for any sort of paint.

Happy with this now, I have to media blast the frame to remove old paint and of course any rust etc, file any bad welds and spot weld back to good again, then it will be time to take to Powder coater and get some Sunrise Yellow on this to make a big statement in chassis color.

As you can see, this really is a bold statement- I really wanted this to turn a few heads for my Client and he has let me go ahead with what I ever i feel this machine may need to give it a wow factor, remember, this was about 2006.

Motor stripped and rebuilt with New cam Chains, belt slider and clutch etc, this will be like a New Machine when all back together, but- A long way to go as yet.

Like a Jewel now and ready to go back in the frame when I have completed it to a rolling chassis.

So, the Motor is now all painted and polished and awaits me to lift this 230 pounds of aluminum and throw it into the Duplex Cradle frame of the SOHC, but I still have to get that frame rolling, what I need to do is finish the chassis so its a roller, then I can get this lump back in the place it originally was placed in 1978.

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I rebuilt the rear shocks with all new stainless steel hardware as I don’t want this to rust like it had done previously, and will take my time getting this together on my own.

I went another route this time as the 1978 Forks were in really bad shape, so I used a 1976 CB750F front fork set up, polished the lowers and fitted new tubes and completely revamped these with Progressive springs etc, this is a nice set up and very clean compared to what was on there.

Frame is back together, using an old 1976 front wheel to make it a roller as I shall be building new wheels for this bike, I also put pipe insulation on the frame so I don’t scratch the paint when I am fitting the motor.

She is now a rolling chassis, with this I got the bike off the bench and onto the floor then into the driveway, I used a 1976 rear wheel to fit in the back until I have made new rims up, but now is the time to see if I can fit this engine and that’s the last of the heavy lifting.

The Motor is now in, with the help from my trusty cat, I also fitted vintage speed equipment parts on the bike for that added bling, as well as new switches on the Ace bars and GT grips for that Nostalgic look and feel.

Fuel tank was a different matter, this time I wanted to fit an earlier K series fuel tank, so used 2 gas tank and sectioned them as I wanted a 5″ stretch for a long road race style petrol tank of back in the day, took a long time but sure looked great when completed.

It took quite a few weeks to get it right and I had another supersport frame I could use for a mock up so I didnt scratch the paint on the chassis.

Once that was all sorted I had to do the body work right here at home still as I worked in my garage all the time, lucky my neighbors are out all day so can bang, grind and sand with no interruptions at all.

Final fit of the gas tank and i like the stretch, not too much but just enough and an extra 2 gallons capacity is always good right?

 

I do not like 1977-1978 carbs and wanted to fit earlier versions, I only had old snotty ones in boxes that I had picked up at swap meets and yard sales, so a full rebuild was needed to get these to how I wanted them.

All cleaned up and synchronized and looking forward to fitting these to the motor and way easier and faster to tune than the flat tops.

I polished the original wheel hubs and used stainless spokes and attached them to CB750 Automatic rims as they are aluminum, bunged on some classic tread rubber and these look like they were from the factory.

This time I went with my CR style seat base and added a rear fender, fitted a Yoshimura exhaust of mine to give this machine more bark.

The bike is sitting well on those Automatic rims and glad that I made the choice to change to that as I have never like the 4 spoke set up that came on the 77 and 78 models, the Comstars as they were called were tin looking and I think, very weak.

Making parts fit that were not available for this bike always takes time and of course many failures, but I persisted and got the bike to where I wanted it so everything flowed.

I had an original Dunstall front fender that used to be hanging on the wall, I wanted to use it as it was from back home and very fitting it looks to.

I used the old Honda Super Sport gas tank decals from an old 400-4 as thats the color I chose for it and very cool it looks too, the bike was a hoot to ride with tons of low end torque.

It was a learning curve and I enjoyed the challenge on this bike, this was many years ago and I would change a few things now but this was a fun creation that was fun to ride.

You cannot lose sight of this in a parking lot, the color is loud and proud and the Customer loved it, a great stance to the bike too with that big long tank too its just smooth.

It may not be your style but I was super stoked to have a go at changing the sad tired original bike and give it a brand new life as well as a brand new look too.

I just wanted to share a few pics of this bike as I had lost them many moons ago and glad that I could load them up on my website for you to have a look at.

Thanks for taking your time to read my Blog on this Super Sport, of course I still make and sell parts and build Motorcycles, I always will as its a passion still for me.

CB750 Silver Cafe Bike The Silver Manx

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
28 Jun

I have built so many Motorcycles over the years and its hard to keep track as to what I have turned out over these 24 years here in Southern California, but every now and again I will be reminded of a unique machine that I created and today is no different.

I created this machines from a bunch of parts that I had in my garage and I purchased about 15 bikes up in the desert 20 years ago and sored them in my garage, back garden and next doors garden, as the deal came up and I had to jump on it, so always had a few platform frames to use for future creations and this is just one of them that I came across on an old CD that I had discovered in the drawer of an old cupboard.

So, this was a conglomerate of parts ranginging from 1971 to 1976 and I just went ahead and built this as a fun homage to the Isle of man machines that I grew up watching and reading about as a teenager, this was something I wanted to be like my Black bike but a different color and exhaust etc, so with a head full of crazy ideas and a box full of old parts, I began my creation.

I had a New Old stock Paul Dunstall Fuel tank, in fact I did have 4 of them to be honest, I had already used one on my Black machine and I used one for the greenday bike and I wanted to use one on this creation to keep in that guise that had started to become popular a few years later.

I wanted to have this machine in a style very reminiscent of the Nortons of the day, hence me designing the Honda logo in a Norton font, but I was happy how this looked and so glad that I went with that idea, some 20 years later I am still selling that logo design, over 500 of them I have sold in numerous colors.

This bike had a lot of mixed up years parts and I knew this would be a fun machines to ride, it was big and bulky and fitted the Motor well as that inline four powerhouse always looked great hanging out of the frame, this was a Muscle style Motorcycle that would turn heads where ever it stood.

A fun bike to ride and plenty of zip, I did fit a lightened fly wheel to this so the motor would spin over faster and this would really pull hard through the gears as i used a set of old Kerker headers that had been sat in the rafters for a long time and I had picked up at a swap meet in Pomona many moons ago, I mated that to an old Action four megaphone muffler and kicked it up 20 degree’s for a more aggressive look and boy did it growl when you got on it.

This sat well on a set of 18 inch Vintage Borrani rims of which a I had 4 of and wanted to use them up, so re-laced to Honda Hubs and threw on some Bridgestone tires and these filled the chassis out nicely. I rebuilt and painted the Caliper and drilled the front rotor and painted middle and used stainless Hoses to make sure this machine would stop quickly when you needed to.

I also ditched the stock factory footpegs as I had Ace Bars on and wanted my feet further back, and chose some Tarozzi rear sets to give me the leg room that I needed for that leaning forward stance.

I used a Kawasaki H2 Race seat that I actually made a mold from my first one and that was then upholstered in Black Naugahyde and snaps fitted for that vintage look and, I could keep all my documents underneath that.

I also wanted to use some Vintage parts up I had and I had a few sets of Original Koni rear shocks, so cleaned them up and fitted them to the rear to give it that road race look of the day, and also polished and drilled the rear brake cover to dissipate heat and get rid of brake dust, you can see the rear brake stabilizer that I machined out of 6061 and suits the bike well.

A really fun bike that I enjoyed creating, I took some old original 1974 gauges apart and revamped them with new custom faces, painted the needles, re-chromed the lowers and tops.

This was a tall bike and even I was tippy toe and im 5’11 but I liked it that way as you got to respect the bike for what it was, it was not for the faint hearted that’s for sure and gave that late 60’s look even though its a 70’s bike.

Motor Cycle News from back home in the UK sent a journalist over to come and see the bike and test ride it and they did a smashing write up on what I do out here, to me that was so cool as I have read that Newspaper since 1973 and to have made it in there a few times was just a head spinning time for myself.

A professional stunt rider too, he did not hang about on that bike and was quite amazed at the powerband compared to most of the Modern machines he usually rides and was smiling all the time whilst perched high upon the pegs.

It was quite a responsive engine and soon got up to the magic ton with no problems at all and way more there but we kept running out of road lol, we both raced up and down Miraloma road where people like Robbie Gordon would thrash his Nascar rides or Baja trucks by my shop, so only fitting that we gave it some beans here too.

All in all I was super stoked at the way the bike turned out and glad to have found some old photos of it to show on the website.

I have no idea where it is now or who owns it but just another machine in my style that I really loved to create and enjoy, it may not be your cup of tea but you may appreciate the time and effort creating motorcycles just out of parts laying about?

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Refurbishing the 1976 CB750K Honda Four

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
05 Jun

Here we are with another episode of tweaking that old 1976 CB750K Model Honda, she has been sat for so many years, I was initially just going to get her running and sell her, but I have grown attached to this machine and its my best year personally, so thought I would remove worn out parts and fit brand new ones. Still a ways to go and I shall blog as I go along but – Eventually this will start to look like it did when it came out from the factory. Except the paint as that’s a really expensive process these days but I may even have a go at that later who knows, so stay tuned….

I didnt like the patina on the footpegs, even though this particular machine only has 17,000 Original miles on her, she has sat many decades in a Back yard and the eliments have taken a toll on any of the parts and brightwork, you can actually see that the foot peg rubber has no wear at all, which is more validation of the low milage, but I wanted to fit some OEM parts and here is a set of New pegs that I will fit to the bike.

The same thing goes for the rear brake, it had heavy rust pits that even I could not be able to polish out, so I thought I would buy an OEM genuine Honda one and that will help clean up that area that does get neglected over the years on these machines.  Not cheap but rechroming would of been even more expensive, so this was the lesser of two evils.

 

The Original Kick starter also has pitting, so I managed to track down an original New Old Stock one and later on I shall probably get the original one stripped and chromed again but not right now.

The Honda should start to look like it originally did when it rolled out the door all them years ago and I am enjoying the time and effort to get this to where it really needs to be.

I removed the old clutch lever and thought I may as well address that issue with a New version and that will clean up the handlebar area somewhat as many people leave that part of the bike and I always notice that.

Now that looks a million times better and with NOS grips too I am more than happy to get on with another part of the bike now, I am in no rush at all with this k6 and when completed will offer it up for sale.

The poor headstock always gets left out, the steering stem nut and washer was begging to be replaced as well as the steering pinch bolt, I could not leave the bike with these parts like that.

I try to use as much Genuine Honda stuff as I can lay my hands on and this is the case right here, it is fantastic quality and you know not only will it fit, it will last many years too.

So, another job done and if I find anything I feel that needs sorting out I shall of course do it as I am on a roll now, although this is by means no restoration, just a revamp of tired parts.

The starter motor covers always rust as they are easily open to the elements, so I ordered a new one as this has seen better days, what do you think?

A big improvement and I could go on forever on the bike, just a few of the fundamentals needed to be addressed but I still need to rebuild a rear wheel as the original one is just too rusty to strip and re-use as its too dangerous to mess with stuff like that.  Next up is to fit the footpegs, a New old stock brake pedal and kickstarter to at least clean that side of the bike up and look more original now.

Looking very much like the bike it was originally at the factory and am pleased I went this route on this one, although still many more things I have to replace to get it to the standard I will be happy with, but each week that goes by I give this a nod of approval.

So, I will be working on removing the center stand and painting it as its looking a little weather beaten, its a big heavy part but I want to get that looking good, I may Powder coat it for long lasting life in all honesty, so stay tuned……

 

 

Honda CB750K 1976 getting a little more work completed.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
04 Jun

I decided that whilst I have some spare time and a few parts etc I shall get into the K6 a little more and clean her up, as she has sat for so many years in a Back Garden, its only fair I revamp her a little and put her to a more Original style as to be honest, the 1976 CB750K Model was probably the best looking bike of them all and ran well.

So, I thought that I would try and clean up the lower front forks, as the factory clear coat has long gone and and as the sprinklers, hot and cold climates happen, the lower forks and anything aluminum takes a beating.

I jacked the bike up and removed the front wheel, I also made sure I used a pair of jack stands too, just to hold the chassis incase we get an earthquake here in Southern California, as 530 pounds is not so easy to pick up if its laying on the floor.

As you can see, the lower stanchions have seen better days, the pitting is caused after the clear coat gets eaten away by heat and moisture then aluminum will break down slowly in cold temperatures causing oxidization, of which you can see on the left fork lower, but I have refurbished so many of these over the years, I was not worried at all about cleaning these up to a more original look, but it does take a bit of dedication and hard work to achieve that goal, like anything else in life really.

After sanding the forks by hand, I start my process of buffing, using Block  compounds you can buy from shops, to my “Special” Secret Sauce that I have used for decades and slowly improved to get it to the standard that I like, yes its messy but that’s the reward afterwards when you see a shiny piece of art.

Its not a 5 minute process that’s for sure and the more effort you put in, the bigger the reward at the end, this is just its early stage and I increase pressure and change cutting compounds as I go along, remembering that this gets bloody Hot as you increase the pressure on the wheel.

As you can see, that is a good comparison with just a little bit of work, more to do but I am happy how this is going and people ask me how I get the finish on my Polishing, so thought I would share this with you lot today.

Yes, I wore gloves as these get super hot and being aluminum, they hold the heat for a long time, I am really happy how the forks are starting to turn out and am glad that I made the decision to pull the front forks and rebuild them.

So, a bit pf scotch pad, sanding block, then polishing will get you to this stage, I can go more but don’t want it too showy chrome looking and will rebuild these now, the upper tubes are total toast, as you can see below.

The forks at the top are always covered by the headlight ears but Honda did not take into consideration that the metal will sweat in hot and cold condition and of course rain etc can get down the forks and sit there, these forks are typical of the many that I have pulled out of the bikes over the years, so a common problem.

I believe Honda went cheaper on the chroming, using less on the forks as you don’t see it and putting money into the Motor, as I have seen hundreds like this and that’s always been the look when you drop the forks at the top. But I have a Replacement set of aftermarket ones ready to go.

I have always liked Polishing,I was taught at a old 17th century Barn when I worked for Rolls Royce as a kid and it always stuck with me and its so rewarding to turn something ugly into quite the jewel.

I use my circlip pliers to fit the snap ring into the lowers, a real life saver these are as you do not want to risk scratching the chrome by using regular pliers etc.

I try to use Genuine Honda parts where ever I can as the parts are top quality and of course guaranteed to fit perfectly, as many aftermarket parts do not.

I refitted the springs and will fill with oil when the wheel is on but still up in the air, that keeps the pressure off the springs and easier to fill the forks that way and not have the springs flying out towards your eyes if you put the bike on the ground.

So there you go, forks back on and they look so much better than before. I will be fitting New speedometer cable and New Tach and speedo gauges to clean it all up at the front, but she is taking shape and will continue to revamp her as I go along.  I will be fitting Brand New 4 into 4 exhausts to the New Honda spigots that you see in the cylinder head, also New footpegs and New kick starter and brake pedal, so keep watching carpyscaferacers.com and see how we go.