Tag Archives: 4 into 1

New Parts and New projects this year

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
03 Feb

Hey Everyone

Hope that you are all well and trying to continue doing what you enjoy- This Pandemic is a royal Pain in the proverbial arse, but we have to stay strong and continue masking up, keeping your distance and soon after we all get the Jab, hopefully we can get to some sort of even Keel and enjoy the freedoms that we once all took for granted.

Things will be changing a little with me as I shall be having a steel barn built to keep me close to home, I can make prototype parts and start to create some more motorcycles for Customers and of course my own, I have a few ideas for many things and here I can do all that and much more.  I shall be offering more exhaust systems, that are all made right here in California, none of the China crap will be here and hope that you can pass the word so we can keep our money in the USA as so much money goes to China, but none from me- I tell ya that for free.

 

I love what I do, I really enjoy making new parts, I also enjoy the many emails and texts that i receive every day, if I can help someone out of their dilemma, even if it does not involve using my parts etc, I am still happy as someone now has got their machine on the tarmac.

Have fun with what you do, its an awesome hobby of ours and everybody wants to help each other out, I get a lot of calls right now as people are of course at home locked down in some cases, so, as to not get bored, people are creating their own style machines and there are some great creative minds working overtime as I type this Blog today.

So get into them Garages, Sheds or back rooms and have fun wrenching, I am here to help anytime, be it phone, Email or text, sure look forward to hearing from you, stay safe and get wrenching.

 

New Year, let’s hope this one is a fruitful one

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
03 Jan

Well, 2020 can go and bugger right off, what a shitty year for everybody around the world, and we still have some ways to go before we can all meet up anywhere, so I tend to think I shall be here at home and will put my time and energy into making New parts available for you lot that are building at home right now.

I am so lucky that I find creating parts very therapeutic for me and will make the most of this lockdown scenario to see what I can accomplish and make available for you all in this 2021 year that we have just started on.

I am looking forward to seeing how your creations are going and hopefully you can send me some quality photos with a full description of what you have done, as many people ask about readers rides, so looking forward to some emails of your projects.

So I am wishing you ALL a very Happy New year and lets get building and see some very cool machines on the Tarmac for the Summer.

 

 

 

Wishing you ALL a Very Merry Christmas.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
23 Dec

Well, here we are, on the Cusp of Christmas Day and most people locked away in their houses and told to stay there, so, with that in mind, I wanted to at least try and raise your Spirits by wishing you All a Merry Christmas and sure hope that the New year brings us a healthier one.  I want to thank you all for supporting me in this tough times and hoping that the positive side of this Pandemic is that you all got to spend some time in the Garage, Shed or back yard and wrenched on your projects to pass the time.

I too will be glad when we can wave goodbye to 2020, what a terrible year it has been, still some way to go until all of us can get out and meet but I hope that you have maybe come up with a cool creation to put together at your pad, to keep you busy and to show everyone your creative flair and aptitude.  Customizing Motorcycles will always be fun for me and I continue to do what I can to try and offer you all the quality parts that I manufacture and sell Globally.

 

Well, Have a great Christmas and if I can help, you can drop me an email at:  carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or a Text at 714-598-8392 Always try to help anyone out of a jam.

Exhausts are going out the door pretty quick these days

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
07 Nov

Well, a day off at last, albeit I will be catching up on things at home etc, but- I am in my office and for once, it has started to rain.  Something that we do not get much of in Southern California, so I will engulf this as it reminds me of back home in the UK and, it also gives me a little time whilst I have a cup of splosh, to tell you that I have been selling quite a lot of 4 into 1 exhaust systems as of late.

I have not added up the amount of systems I have sold over the years but its a few thousand now and I am so stoked that Customers still like them and, they are made right here in California and not China, I get many emails from customers, letting me know they love the look, fit and of course the sound and performance that these systems make, a very unique and smooth breathing system that I am very proud of and cannot thank you all enough for purchasing.

It is unreal the places that my systems have ventured out to, Russia, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, etc as well as Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding Islands, from Hawaii to London too, I am amazed when I get the order to see where it is going. So thank you all for that and I shall be looking into some more designs when the New workshop is built, something that will always be enjoyable.

These will fit the CB500 the CB550 and the SOHC CB750 K F models from 69-78 and you will see a big difference from stock, weight for a start, sound and of course the response is way faster and smoother, rev that girl out and watch the RPMs enjoy the free flowing system and the bark as you shift gears.

These come in a variety of finishes, for the Tough look, there is Raw steel, its bare bones and will rust of you dont wither wrap it or clear coat it but it looks killer when fitted and the industrial look in really popular right now.

Also there are Color options for the systems, we get them Professionally Coated with Cerakote.   High temp ceramic coatings act as a ceramic insulation in that they protect your exhaust system from rust and corrosion. Ceramic coating will protect your exhaust from things like road salts, oil and gas, heat from your engine, and exhaust gases that flow through your pipes. Also can improve the performance of your engine’s horsepower. It helps increase the speed and maintain the quality of exhaust gas flow while keeping the temperature of the engine low. When you apply the coating to the exterior, it can make the exhaust flow faster, allowing for a reduced loss of power and temperatures. 

Above is the Burnt Bronze which has a Texture to it and helps dissipate the heat fast. You aren’t going to want to replace the items in your exhaust system very often, and you won’t have to when you use a high temp ceramic coating. The coating reduces the thermal cycle surface temperatures, reducing the exposure to a constant hot-cool cycle. This all means that the coating reduces the risk of the metal arts in your exhaust system weakening.

A stealthy 1978HONDA CB750  SOHC looks Tough as Nails sat outside the owners garage, he loved the fit and sound of his machine and rides it as much as he can, it looks great eh?

The Sidewinder is a good system too and hugs the frame tightly, it also allows for a Main stand to be used if you wanted to.

The Yoshi is my Best Seller and as you can see, it sets this machine of nicely a great Motorcycle and it gets a lot of attention where ever it is ridden to.

Above is the Titanium Color that some people order, its great to be able to offer a few colors as the bike they are building can have a matching system that suits the styling.

We try our best to come up with a great exhaust and I think that we have made many people happy that this is available not just in Raw steel, but in a variety of colors and stainless steel too.

The good thing is that this 2 piece set up comes with a Removable Baffle and you can either pack it with fiberglass to quieten it or leave as supplied for that Velvet tone, as 99% do keep the baffle in with No packing at all.

Which ever way to go, I am here to help, I look after all my customers and over seas I adjust the customs forms so you dont get hammered with Duty fee’s etc, and as the system is a 2 piece, I can get it in a smaller box, which means cheaper shipping as well.

Exhaust Systems update

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
05 Aug

The time is flying her in Southern California, I am so busy right now, mostly with exhausts and making other parts for our beloved Machines, etc and I really appreciate you supporting me in these times that we are in right now.Volume is a little quiet but just wanted to say hello to ALL you out there.

A CB500 Honda with a Tough Attitude

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
05 Aug

I sometimes have to kick myself to remind me that I have created all these Custom Motorcycles sometimes, its amazing that I still have a fluid creativity when it comes to two wheeled powered machines and the next bike i want to show you is a great stealthy bike that I sometimes wish I had kept.

I dont have the best pics of this machine as I had a shitty camera, but at least I got some pics that you can make out what I did to this old 1972 CB500 Machine. It needed a lot of work and was a non runner and missing a lot of parts but I was sure I could build something fun and affordable with what I had as spare bits and bobs scattered around the garage.

The old girl needed some help and I used what I could with parts I had around my garage, this was many years ago now and I had a few 750 parts in the rafters, so thought I may as well use some of them and see how this goes, but nothing ventured, nothing gained is my saying and it was fun to piece this little 4 banger back together, of course in bigger clothes than it had stock, but thats what I liked about this challenge.

The Motor kicked over, so I cleaned up the carbs and she ran quite well, so I thought that I may as well have some fun on a budget and see what I can create in a short amount of time. The engine was really responsive to be honest and as I had a 48 Tooth CB750 sprocket on the back, I knew she would boogie along as soon as the flag dropped.

I had an old beaten up 1982 CB750F Gas tank that had seen better days, so I cut out the flap and gas tank lock and welded it closed, drilled a 2 inch hole and fitted a Monza Style Aluminum Gas cap and then set about and hand hammered the tank for that old Manx look, I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of this big old tank.

I Polished the forks and rebuilt the internals, then laced some 750 rims up and drilled the front brake rotor as well as rebuilding and polishing the front brake caliper too.

Braided hoses on the brake made sure this puppy would stop when you grabbed a handful of Anchor, I pressed out the Curved license plate as I wanted the old school British look.

Like I said, a mish mash of parts but cost nothing to put together to be honest and this was almost 20 years ago now too, time sure does fly when you are having some fun with Motorcycle parts.

I used a Harley 16 New rim for the rear and Shod both rims with Bridgestone tires as I like the handling of those boots. The rear seat tail piece is off an old Kawazaki Z1 race bike.

I used the stock shocks and swing arm to save some money and had an old Mac system that I never used and was sat up in the rafters, so I threw that on and it sounded ok with a shortened baffle and rejetted Carbs.

The clubman handle bars and the long tank, gave for a fun lay down cafe feel to it and was a blast to ride, it had a taller rear sprocket, so it got out of the gate real quick.

Even all them years ago, I was using Oil pressure gauges as its a quick way to make sure your heart beat is pumping in the motor, had to make an extension pipe to be able to connect under finned cover.

She sits nice and high for a 500 and boy was it snappy off the line, the first three gears and you were almost at 80 mph, what a fun machine to blap about town on.

Hazy pic but glad I still had some images left of this old 500 Honda and hope you like it too?

I sold it to a guy in Pasadena who then phones me to say a car ran over it and dragged down the road for a few blocks, it no longer exists, big shame as it was a great little Bar hopper Cafe Machine.

 

 

New ride arrives at the stable 1977 HONDA CB550F SUPER SPORT

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
02 Aug

Well, a fun weekend and today being Sunday, I have plenty to do back in the workshop as we acquired another two wheeled machine that is a real classic find and glad that I was able to snag it from the buyer.

It does pay off to go through a few listings from time to time on the social media pages and Facebook was no exception- I was just periodically scrolling through the bikes for sale page and all of a sudden, this Burgundy Honda 550 came into my View.

To be honest I was surprised to see it in the condition it was in, so I messaged the owner and wondered what he would take for it, as I had just spend a few quid on presents for my girlfriends birthday and a few bills had come up lately, so wasn’t really in the market for a ride at this moment in time. But I thought I would see what the person could tell me about the little inline four and maybe I could go and look at it.

The owner was a young fella that acquired the bike from his grandfather recently, it is a one owner from new 1977 Super Sport, so I made plans to come down on Saturday and take a peek and this classic Honda Four Motorcycle.

I drove down with my Girlfriend Jennifer to Los Angeles , its only about 35 minutes drive, so in the Big White Transit we went and before I knew it we were there, with no where to park, so parked up down a side street and left my Girlfriend with the van, as LA is notorious for parking finds or being towed etc.  And then walked about a Block to the underground parking where the bike was located, I got there and I was pleasantly surprised how nice the machine was.

It ran OK but didn’t idle and the chap said its only got 11,000 Genuine miles on it, he used to ride it on the weekends as it was his granddads, and he purchased it from him in Minnesota and then had to move to LA to work, and didn’t want to take it on the freeways, and needed a bigger motorcycle, he said his granddad bought it from the dealer brand new in 77 and had never dropped it and looked after the bike. I knew that the problem was probably just the slow jets were blocked and a rebuild isn’t too much of a deal to get that purring right again.

The bike Sissy Bar on the back with the chrome rack and a big Chromed Crash bar at the front to protect the engine etc, both purchased back in the day in 1977 from the dealer, not the lovelies of choices but that was the thing to have back then, but that wouldn’t take too long to remove from the machine to look cool ones again.  The deal was struck and gave the guy the cash, he was happy and so was I, I happily pushed the bike around the corner and up the sidewalk for a block, feeling happy that I just acquired a true classic machine.

As soon as I turned the corner, I could see Jennifer by the van, rear doors open and the ramp already laid out, but what I then notices was a Huge smile on Jennifer’s face, she said ” I love it!”

I knew I was in trouble then, as she asked if she could have it, and of course, being the big hearted guy that I am, I melted to her and now we have a CB550F in our driveway.

The first thing I did, was remove the old sissy bar and rear luggage rack, we shall keep it in storage in case Jennifer goes out and needs to load the bike up or go camping etc, but I removed the Sissy bar and the front Chromed Crash bar with the cruise pegs on, the bike looks like it did when it was on the showroom now.

Will clean her up a little over the weekend and during the week, it does need the slow jets cleaned but will get into that another day, but its super clean for the year and wanted to share the bike with you on my Blog, to see what you think, this is a keeper and will get used for sure.  Nice to know there are still a few about like this and glad I took the time to follow up on this inline four.

Thanks for reading my Blog today and see what we sometimes get up to on the weekend, Motorcycling is a great hobby that turned into a Career for me and never tire of it.

 

Corona Diaries- The year of the Mask

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
24 Jul

Well, here we are, the weekend is almost upon us, things are still bad when it comes to Covid-19, this is a crazy time for us all, but- We have to live life and try and work the best that we can with what we have these days, and I hear from many Customers of their way to get through some of the lockdown and boredom, by working on their own projects in their Garage, barn, Shed or back yard.

I must admit, working with a mask on is hard, but lucky for me, I dont have people coming to my workshop to ask about parts, most will call, text or email about the issues they have with their ride.

I sure hope we find an antidote for this as I do miss riding with people and having a chinwag in person about pretty much anything two wheel related these days, but I shall continue to write a few blogs as I go along in life and share what I get up to in the garage.

I receive many orders in the day time and night, I think people sometimes believe that I work 24-7, and if I could, then I would, but I need my rest too, but, I do try my best at getting your parts to you as fast as I can but- due to this Virus, many places that I use are either closed or part time, so that holds me up in ceramic coating or steel supply etc.

So, if you can bare with me until this gets a little more manageable, I will en-devour to get your parts out of the door in a somewhat timely manner.

Be safe out there and hopefully we can get this Virus beat and all go riding like we love to, so- stay safe, stay positive and stay in the garage Wrenching.

Thank you so much for supporting me in this tough times we are experiencing in life.

Peace and Grease

Carpy

 

 

Exhaust Orders going super strong right now

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
07 Jun

Hey you lot, wow! Is all I can say, so many exhaust orders plus tons of parts going out the door, trying to keep up all the demand for parts for you to complete your Motorcycle Projects, so you can get out on the tarmac and blow all of lifes cobwebs out of the New Exhaust system I am supplying you all with.

So many Negative things going on in the world right now and as many of you are locked down in your place, you are getting positive things done like completing your Custom machine, and once you get out of your dwelling, you can enjoy the freedom of the roads and breathe in fresh air at 100 mph.

I have sold so many over the years and continue to offer a super fun system thats easy to install and made right here in Southern California, many people ask about my systems and then they email me after to say how wickedly cool these sound.

I really enjoy my job and seeing people happy, I have been doing this for over 20 years and still ride every single day of the week, and I want to Thank You All for supporting me in what I love to do.

Thank you all for your Patience, it is so nice to know that you like my parts and, I continue to push the envelope with new products coming out all the time, I push hard at pleasing everyone but must admit I have been over whelmed with orders these last few weeks and thank you for all understanding that some of these things take time as only now are suppliers opening their doors.

Its always fun designing new parts and I will be bringing some New systems out soon for you to try on your inline four Honda  machines.

The exhaust systems are affordable but function so well, you will love the Tone and over run and the mid range really comes into its own compared to others out there in the market.

If you want something that Fits, and works very well, and- Getting value for money, Look no further, I ride, many other companies dont even own a Motorcycle, what does that say about them? They are just in it for the money, to me this is my Passion and Lifestyle and I continue to push that proverbial envelope.

Have a Great week and look forward to hearing from you about your inline Four Motorcycle at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com

Peace and Grease to you all.

 

 

 

Saturday and busier than heck

Posted on by Steve Carpenter

Its the weekend and I am trying to get so many orders out, thanks for being cool about waiting as some things like chrome parts etc take a while as some of my own suppliers are closed still, due to the Pandemic, so I have to try and locate other companies, but thank you all for sticking with me and I am trying my hardest to get all your parts to you. So not a big blog today as I have to run to post office then make some more parts etc, just thought I would add a little video i did a while back, when I was at El Mirage Dry lakes for a TV show.

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