A Friend and CMRA Hall Of Famer Passes away in a Motorcycle Accident

It is always hard to write about friends that pass away but even more so when its a Motorcycle Crash.

I wanted to share this as Ronnie and I became really good friends about 10 years ago, he commissioned me to build him a Cafe Bike to his specs and he was over the moon with the end result and when I heard he passed away In January, it was a very sad day indeed as Ronnie Loved to ride.

Ronnie was the Owner of Northwest Honda-Ducati and motorcycles were his passion and life.

So I thought I would post some pics of the bike I created for him and he rode a lot, a great friend who I will always be honored to have become a part of his Motorcycle fraternity.

RIP Ronnie.

Just after 1:30 p.m.on Monday, January 17, 2022, Ronnie Lunsford, 63, of The Woodlands, was traveling northbound on FM 149 at Stone Creek.

According to DPS Lunsford was riding a Honda CBR1000RR when he struck a Honda CRV SUV that was stopped behind a Saab 93T sedan which was stopped and attempting to make a left turn onto Stone Creek.

Lunsford was transported by MCHD to Memorial Hermann in The Woodlands where he passed. There were no other injuries. Lunsford is a very experienced rider and a long-time member of the motorcycle racing community.

He mentored two-time Superbike World Champion Colin Edwards II.

He spent years road racing with CMRA, WERA, and CRRC as well as racing flat track and motocross. Over the years he won 28 CMRA Sprint Championships and 18 CMRA Endurance Championships.

In 2004 he was inducted into the CMRA Hall of Fame.

In 1986 Lunsford bought the Northwest Honda Ducati dealership on I-45 from his father. He recently retired from there and sold the dealership so that he could spend time with his wife Janet his two daughters Leigh and Lauren and his two grandchildren. While the owner of Northwest Honda Lunsford organized the Honda sponsored Houston Ride For Kids-a a fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

The first ride was in 1993. Over the years the ride has raised millions.

The 2021 ride raised $1.1 million.

A great rider and Motorcycle enthusiast and I am so honored to have Created the Lunsford Honda for him.

From the Very start, Ronnie was really specific on the set up, the stance, the performance and the handling that he required for this special build.

He wanted a certain Red too, so a lot of time was spent getting the bike to exactly how he wanted it and we spent many a good time having a chat about the creation as I began the build of this Cafe Bike.

A thing of Beauty and when this was completed, it sure pulled hard and handled super well in the corners, using a set of CB400-4 Bars and cables for a More comfortable ride.

Custom Gauges and a cool hand made display console for the Oil light and of course Neutral and High Beam, these were a nice touch to this Classic Machine.

This is my hand made Fiberglass front fender thats Bobbed to 22 inches and fits nice and tight on the forks, hugging the wheel like a new glove.

Looks nice with the hand pin line and then plenty of clear coat, this is exactly how Ronnie wanted the bike to look, so many New Parts used to.

The Gas tank was one of my very own, made from my own mold and incorporates a Monza style flip filler cap and has aluminum plating molded inside to allow for petcock and brackets to bolt to.

Here is the way it came out of the paint booth and it is quite stunning to be honest and was really stoked at the finish this has for Ronnie.

I built a Boxed rear swing arm thats 23 inches in length, a slightly longer wheel base than stock and gave the Geometry a kick in the shins but worked great in the corners.

Ronnie wanted 18″ Rims and this set up was perfect for his height and weight, I spent a lot of time getting this right and was super stoked to get it rolling and off the table.

Every nut and bolt is either stainless steel or chromed, this is virtually a Brand New Motorcycle and no issues at all with this set up.

Ready for the Built Motor to be fitted into the chassis, a scary time sometimes as you have to wrap all the frame to hopefully not scratch that show paint.

All together and so much detail here, I am sure you will miss a lot of things done to this build, but boy, what a Machine this turned out to be.

So glad that I was able to create something that reminded Ronnie of the race days gone by and I know that he was super excited to receive it from here in California.

Thanks for reading this and I hope that you liked what I created for Ronnie Lunsford, RIP Ronnie.

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