Working from home during this time?

Well, the world has changed dramatically in the last few weeks and, for the worse- But, we are all keeping our hands clean and away from our face etc and Social Distancing is the new Norm.

Now, I have been quite buy as home at my shop inside the garage as many people are restricted to their home quarter’s, and to try and alleviate any frustrations and of course anxiety, people are trying to work on their projects or hobbies- And in our fraternity, that means working or creating a motorcycle that they were hoping to get to at some point but were busy with life in  general etc.

I like to build bikes at home, less stress and close to the kettle for my favorite brew etc and I am sure it is the same for you lot as well?

There is something satisfying when you create your own machine, even just adding some Custom parts to individualize your motorcycle, and I receive many emails complementing me on the parts and service that I give via my website or over the phone etc, I really enjoy taking something that is old and tarnished and revamp it into to something cool and unique in many ways.

I try and do everything my self, but on things like the chain Guard etc above, I make the first one and then make a fixture and take it to a steel bending company to press out more, as if I didnt do that, I would be making chain guards all month, and that can burn the candle down real fast, but, as these times right now are tough, many supply shops are closing temporary and this holds my orders going out a little, but- if you lot can be patient like I am sure you will, as soon as I receive my materials, I can finish orders I dont have and ship right out.

 

Wishing everybody a healthy weekend and if I can hep you at all you can email me at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com call me on 714-598-8392 and even text me on the same number.

Thanks for reading.

CARPY

 

The Sturgis Bike Build Begins on this old CB750 Honda Four

Been busy with a number of other things this week, but I thought I would make an effort and start doing some more chassis modifications on the SOHC 750 seeing as the weather has been really good for January.

Such a long way to go and having no game plan can be quite a task, this is not going to be an easy build as I may indeed change a few things as and when needed if I am not happy with the concept, the fun of creating a new Monster I guess.  Rome was not built in a day either, so ” Steady as she goes” and we shall see where this mysterious Machine takes me, as over the 2 decades I have been building here in California, every build gets tougher and tougher.

Frame rail cut and my own Custom insert bungs will be fitted but first have to cut 1 inch off either end of the rail to allow for length of weld in fitting, I just wanted to try something a little out there.

Hogged a little out of the upright as steel insert Bung needs to fit snug before I can weld them in place, I like to use air tools where I can, as they save so much time, rather than a round file LOL!

Here is my fitting, it sits nice and snug and will make it easier to fit and remove the engine , many of you will understand this as these inline four engines are fitted so tight into the frame, you would think that the tool kit would come with a shoe horn.

This is just before the side stand mount and I was happy to get these to fit nice and snug, and once everything is welded, the Rigidity will be there, these bungs are used in Roll cages a lot too.

Makes it a lot easier using this saw., I have had the saw many years, and always gets me out of trouble, the old stuff is always the best in my opinion and when cutting anything, take shorter cuts and test fit as its hard to add on when you have taken too much off.

Fitted in place and am super stoked at how it looks , a long way to go and what I really need to do is fit the engine in the frame, that way I can add all the engine mounts and make sure that the geometry is bang on before I start any welding etc.

Now, when these are inserted, what I shall also do is drill a hole though the frame and tubing in 4 places, that way I can get an extra few spots welds on it, as well as but jount welds all around the neck, but in slow spot welds as I dont want to cause any distortion with heat.

My engine bolt lines up and is nice and loose, not tight, so I will keep an eye on all this when I eventually fit the motor to check alignment out, so not going to rush this and , as I am doing this on my own, I will take my time fitting the motor, last time I nearly popped my Arse grapes out lifting that inline four up on my own and sliding into the frame.

Also, I need to clean up the engine mounts as they have old nasty paint on them, I will for the motor and build the bike, then- pull all apart, bead blast the frame, hand file it smooth and then hopefully either paint it or Chrome it, we shall see on pennies available.

Bit better but so much to do, hope that you are enjoying the little Blog as i begin this slow transformation of this inline Four 750 Honda.

Carburetor Restoration Services

Well, for many years I have been rebuilding carbs on the SOHC 750 Honda, as well as the smaller 500 and 550 models, and I am still getting these sent to me to get the old crap and grime off of them and totally get then revamped to a Clean and smooth running set.

Many people have a go at sorting their rack of 4 out and get it to run, albeit out of sync etc but the people that do have a go, really know what is entailed in taking these carbs apart.

You need a lot of patience and plastic sandwich bags, to take these all apart and inspect where the blockages may be, as the journals are quite small , and even though you have cleaned the main jet and idle jet, you might of forgotten about the internal journals in the bodies.

Most of the ones I receive still stink of old gas and when you take them apart, the gooey remains of old fuel give that lovely aroma of bad petrol and that sticks to you for days, no matter what you use as hand soap to get it off of yourself.

The trick to these, if you want to call it a trick, is to strip apart, and then vapor blast these so everything is super clean, then air line it, then once that is done, ultrasonic clean them and slowly put back together, but, I like to have the parts zinc plates and the aluminum bodies powder coated, then the bowls and tops highly polished.

Above is a set of CB550 carbs that have seen better days and they run but very badly, these need to be taken apart and put back together only once they are cleaned and polished and these will look so different when they come back to you.

As you can see, its a huge change and of course for the better, the other thing is that these have all new jets and needles as well as gaskets etc, just take your time and have a look at what you get for your money, a lot of work and time spent on these.

Every thing gets taken apart, many do not and that will show up if everything else is spotless, but these are rebuilt and then bench synchronized and after that, they are run on a motor and synchronized with a mercury stick for smoother running.

Take a look at the photos I took, you can see what a difference this is, not just a can or carb cleaner and a quick wipe down, these are fully refurbished and ready to go on your inline four.

You can see the Detail here and notice New gaskets as well as hardware, the carb bodies look way better now they are coated and you have a choice of Silver stock or Black too.

Send me yours or I can sell you a set already built etc, the choice is yours to be honest, you can also have the piece of mind that these will run on your motorcycle, right out of the box and let you get on with other things, just remember to tell me what exhaust and air filter you are running to allow for jet adjustment for tuning.

You can choose a stock style, with polished bowls and top rings like the ones you see right here for the CB750K model Honda Four.

Or a wrinkle Black and polished set up thats a lovely combination for Custom builders, I like them all to be honest and I am sure that you will be stoked with these.

Send me your dirty snotty old carbs for a full tune up and a brand new lease of life, your Honda will thank you for it and no more of that choke throttle choke throttle hassle.

These will get all pulled apart and then be cleaner than a cats arse, I have rebuilt quite a few hundred of these in the 19 years and plan to continue to do this for another 20 years or so, thanks for looking and hope I can help you out.

You can call or text on 714-598-8392 for more information.

 

Adding Bags to the Old 750 SS Honda in the Garage

Been a while, but I thought I would fir some Bags I have had for a long time, onto the 750 Super Sport, as to be quite frank, I never fecking see them and, I had these on many bikes as I was a Disatch Rider, Ie Courier, and the more that I could carry on my bike, the more money that I would earn, as i rode all over the UK and parts of Europe and having unboltable saddle bags were a blessing indeed.

So, I have had these for a while, I did for some to Jenn’s bike and she has had them at least 5 years and uses them all the time, these will take a while to get to fit right and this is my 3rd set of brackets, still not there but its all trial and error and eventually I will get to the stage where I am happy and can tear the brackets down one last time, cut and weld and paint then refit.

Its good to be able to simply bolt these on and go, sometimes you need to carry stuff and these will be just the ticket when I have them completed, I am a long way off as they need to come in about an inch and half tighter but, Rome was not built in a day and these will not be either.

The trick is to make them look factory fit, then also once they are completed how I want them, they will painted to the same color as the rest of the body work and the uniformity will probably make these bags almost disappear once I have the livery that I am happy with.

Right now I think this bike will be a Dark Navy Blue with white Racing stripes and some logo, but thats a while away and also I need to fab a lower bracket to support the bottom of the bag and give it some rigidity as well as allowing for the shocks to still function smoothly with no binding etc.

 

Shame there wasn’t some off the shelf brackets available like Triumph have but I think Once I am completed and happy at the way they fit and function, I may make a few sets and off for sale on this website.

So,for now I have got this far, some will like these on the bike, and others will not.  What I like about this particular set up is, well, you can simply unbolt these and leave the bike in its naked form, but, if you need to go to lets say the Chrome shop to pick some parts up, just bolt these bags to the rear shock mounts and you are ready to go, no need for a bulky back pack etc.  I may add some LED turn signals into the back of these and a brake light to make more functional and keep me from being bumped off in rush hour.

 

 

 

Custom Drilling and Polishing Service

I probably have built close to 60 motorcycles over these 19 Years in Southern California, and many people have asked me about the detailed parts that I have created on the many Custom machines that I have completed.

I also have been drilling the rear brake hub for many years and have always liked the look when they are polished and fitted to the hub of the bike, they of course help with Heat Dissipation, and of course, gets rid of any brake dust.

So, after a few years I thought that as people kept on asking me about these rear brake hubs, I will offer a service to Customers for their bikes and i am happy to say I have drilled over 40 of these for Customers all over the globe.

No two Hub patterns are the same, I do not have a set pattern, I just go with my flow and see what happens and they always come out really well and get many comments about how the set the rear end off so well.

 

Also, Me and my Brother, were trained as polishers for Rolls Royce back in England in the late 1970’s and I have always enjoyed Polishing, something about ” You Can polish a Turd”.

Of which Right now i also offer my very own “Turd Polish” Of which has taken me 40 years to refine and have now sold quire a few cases of my product and they all contact me, informing me how awesome the magic past is as polishing Aluminum and Chrome, as well as Brass and Copper etc.

But, I had three orders for Drilled Brake Hub Covers this week and wanted to show you what they look like on here, just so you can see what I do.

If you need some inspiration with your machines rear brake hub, drop me a line as i can change the look of it and of course fit New brake shoes and springs, as well as New actuator arm too, just fit back on and you are ready to go.

Let me know if I can help?  The service is already on the website, so go check it out and if you like it, order one from me, takes about a week from the order but- You will be glad that you did thats for sure.

Other Parts that I offer to customers is a Custom Drilled and Polished Front Sprocket Cover, as the stock ones always look so drab, plus I enjoy doing this service.

Below, I take my time and just start as I mean to go on and over the years I have done over 50 of these covers for Customers and shipped all over the Globe.

Once I have go the pattern I like, well its time to take off the Block and then clean it and prepare it for polishing up to a Jewel finish.

So, this is the last you see it as a Dull color, time for my Turd polish and some good buffing and off we go.

like I said earlier, every one of these that I drill, is always a different pattern, that way, none are the same.

So, just let me know if there is something that I can do for you and your inline four machine, as I really enjoy making these Custom parts for people.

Thanks for looking and I shall be adding these services and more on the website, so keep checking back from time to time.

 

 

 

 

The Rebuild of the Vesco Honda Brat Bike Now Begins

Time does seem to fly- especially when you do not want it to, but not much that I can do about that, the same as the weather.  California usually has great weather most of the year round, but last month we were plagued with the most rain ever recorded in the history of weather measurements, this severely held me back in the tear down of the bike as I needed to move stuff out onto the driveway to give me access to grinders, welder and tube bender etc.

And I am sure that you have experienced the same as me when it comes to a deadline?  So, I put together the Vesco Honda with bits and pieces I had in and around the garage, just to see if it would even run, low and behold it did and you know the deal, you add this and that and before you know it the bike is on the tarmac and you are ripping through the gears.

 

I was going to simply enjoy this bike for a while and get as many miles on the thing as I could as I tell ya, it’s a hoot to ride, plenty of linear Power and turned heads all over the place, but then I get an email from Jay LaRossa to be invited as a Custom Builder for their up and coming show on the 23rd of March, so as I had almost 2 months I took the challenge, then the California weather took a huge dump for a month and has had me side railed for ever.

I managed to strip the bike down to the frame as you lot may know as I have blogged all of it on here, but so many hurdles still to overcome and now I have 9 days to completely rebuild this bike, I still do not have the frame back from the paint shop as its been to cool and damp to spray clear coat on the old metal-flake, so here I sit and have been doing little jobs like designing and making a New Stainless Steel exhaust system, and then set about stripping old parts and re-chroming them etc.

The Rims now have the old tires off and a quick repaint, cant go crazy as time constraints have kicked me in the plums, so just Black and will fit Road tires this time as Diamond tread tires I wanted are on the East Coast and will not get here in time for the show.  So I am giving it a go to get as many small things done as i can to try and see if I have a shot at getting this together in time, but I cant build anything until I get the frame back from the paint shop, then i can add the forks and swing arm and wheel and then fit engine and rewire etc, a daunting task thats for sure.

But, if I cannot get it completed in time, well- I tried and tried hard and do not want to show a bike half finished, that would be awful, so with a few days still left, I am hoping to have the frame back tonight and if its dry enough, i can start bolting parts back on the bike- I love that part as you see a completely different looking machine starting to come together, it is so satisfying to sit back and look at the completed machine and think to your self- jeez, I created that, its an awesome feeling that I know many of you get too.

1978 Honda CB750F Super Sport Snotter- Revamped

Well, here we go with a Customers bike that has been sat outside by a river for about 8 years, the Customers asked if I could help him out and well, you know me, I said OK.

The say that a Picture paints a thousand words, well, this aint no oil painting and there is not enough words in the the English Language that came to mind when they dropped the bike off at my place.

There it was, 500 pounds of old cold, rusty and Muddy Honda, looking to have a new lease of life, some how I think I have scrapped the bottom of the Barrel, then another rolls in, but I am a man of my word and help out I shall indeed.

This was a complete mess, I mean it had been rained on from every corner of the bike, then wind blew the tarp off and rotted everything that was rubber or plastic, then to rub salt in the proverbial wound, it got wet again and covered in mud.

The bike has had a tough hard life, there was Oil everywhere, of which probably saved a lot of the bike from rusting to be honest, but everywhere I looked, this Motorcycle needed help, it was a sad state to see and I knew that I could some how get this running again, the only issue was the poor chap was on a limited budget, and I know how that feels, been there many times.

But there is a point where I must stop and say No, but the Leo in me tells me to have a go and help this bloke out, so, with a shaky handshake and sweat coming off my brow from pushing the thing up the driveway, I sat there and took in the whole sorry life that this inline four must of endured to get into the condition it is now in.

1a

Even the handlebar grips were so thrashed from the elements that half of the grip glues itself to my hand, not even lacquer thinner would remove that tar like substance from my fingers and was marked for life I think, but this is just the start of something that I really should of said, no thanks mate I cannot help you. Story of my life with things I guess but I have always pushed the envelope and this needed a Caterpillar truck to move it. The rear chain was rustier than the Titanic’s Crapper door, I shall be changing this Big 630 chain and sprocket system to a 530 set up.

5

 

The tires were torn up, and would hold air for about 2 hours then go as flat as a pancake, my Compressor got plenty of overtime keeping these things up for sure, but the amount of dirt, grime and Spiders nests was just unbelievable. I really have my work cut out here and as everything is knackered, I have to clean stuff before I start replacing parts etc.

2

I was never a fan of the Comstar rims to be honest but this bike has some sentimental value to him and I will do the best that I can, to bring this old bird back up to speed once more.

4

Not only was the seat all torn up, the foam had hardened and was starting to fall apart as soon as I moved anything, and as the Customer wants a Hoop welded to frame and a flat seat set up, this thing can get 86’d into the bin.

7

As you may know, the 77 and 78 Models had these Keyhole carbs, and when they have been left for such a long time, these buggers are so hard to get back to running nicely again, they have an accelerator pump that plays up all the time, the choke is on a cable and up on top of the triple tree and the sun dried the knob, of which it breaks as soon as you touch it, lastly, this bloody things are a royal pain to work on.  Just to change the jest, you have to remove the rack from the bike, as the float bowls do not have clips on like the earlier SOHC models.  So what I do is if these carbs are goosed, I inform the customer they would be way better off if I fitted earlier carbs, as you can change the jest with the carbs still on the bike and, it has a choke lever on the left sode of the carb body and way easy to use.

8

The sprocket cover tells a tale right there, covered in oil and road grime, as well as spiders webs, this is going to be scary when I remove the 2 Phillips screws in a minute, so stand back!!!!!!!!!!!!

22

Holy Moly, just look at this, the bloody sprocket doesn’t even have a securing Bolt and washer on it, there is nothing to keep this sprocket from literally, falling of the drive shaft, now the 77 and 78 sprocket set ups are different, the earlier versions have a little clip with two holes for bolts that sit in the recess in the drive shaft. Where am I going to find a CB750F Bolt and washer ????

23

 

I looked in my parts drawers in the garage and bugger me, will you look at that, still in the sealed packet and, I had even written in sharpie CB750F Sprocket, what were the chances?

25

Think its a fair assumption that this chain is Royaly Fecked, so I shall be glad to cut this 630 version off, but there is so much Oil and grime all over this bike, things are going to be messy for a while.

12

 

There seems to be oil all over this bike, and I mean everywhere, I need to see whats occurring here as thats an insane amount of Oil deposit and the guy said the bike used to run before he parked it, I checked the tach hole in the Valve cover but thats OK, the Valve cover seems OK as well as the  Cylinder head, which I think could be one of the oil lines, but what a mess this is going to make, just to take that apart.

26

That looks like the issue, Oh yeah- I will just put electrical tape around the leaking oil line, that will fix it-Not! So I now have to make a new oil line, but at least I have found out where the majority of excess oil must of been leaking from to get all over the bike like that.

29

All fixed and I cleaned the other hose up and oil tank and I feel a lot better about putting this back on the Super Sport once more and hopefully no more issues in that department.

19

Well, its at this point you think to yourself. “Why am I doing this”?  But its a challenge, the customer is on a low budget and this motorcycle is of sentimental value, so a no brainer but there are so many things wrong and not working on this bike, this will take me some time to get dialed in.

20

Time to remove the carbs and boots and clean the frame up, I shall then fit New intake manifolds from a 1975 CB750K model, rebuild some early Carbs and fit new cables too.

36

I cleaned and painted up the motor with High Temp Wrinkle from PPG I get made up in cans, and that helped big time. I then fitted the earlier intake manifolds and, using a flat edge, made sure that the intakes were all even and flat, this makes fitting carbs back on the bike so much easier than trying to force a rack on when the intakes are off slightly.

37

I have always used New Stainless Steel, Rolled edged Hose clamps, as these will not dig in and cut your hoses with traditional clamps and of course, being stainless, they will not rust or corrode.

41

Well, I pulled an old set of inline four 1975 CB750K Round tops out of my pile and these need to be gone through but when they are completed, and then synchronized, these run like a top.

104

All clean and ready to go straight on the bike and, these will fire right up no worries at all, these are cleaner than a cats arse and will make a huge change in this motorcycles life.

46

These are now all in place and have fitted New Genuine Honda Boot covers over the linkages to keep crap out, many do not do this, but I want these to stand out as they look and function so well, plus you can change main jets is minutes with the carbs still on the motor.

30

I try and use as much of the original parts as I can, but these coils were losing voltage and not repairable, unfortunately these are not cheap to replace, I had no choice but to use Brand New ones but, so glad that I did, these new ones I will be fitting will last many years.

31

All bolted in, this bike will have a new life for sure, but it just goes to show by leaving a bike for 6 years with no cover and let mother nature belt the hell out of it, is not a very good idea at all.

39

The old cables were all torn up anyway, but, on the earlier carbs you must use the earlier cables, but thats a good thing as you know everything is new and will function real nice.

40

New cables going in, now we are starting to make some very good progress, make sure that you use WD40 and lube these cables as they will keep these operating smoothly.

49

The aluminum hangers were oily and needed a bit of a revamp, so I removed these and began to clean them up, think I shall polish these to make a difference on the bike.

50

Now that is way better and I feel a lot better putting something clean back on, this motorcycle will sure look different and for the better.

52

New cables through out, the clutch cable was actually seized up, so a new one was purchased, I always use New adjusters too .

57

The points cover looked like it had been in a bad way for a long time , but- it wasnt too banged up to be honest, so, using my special Formula High grade restoration Polish, I jumped into action as I love polishing old stuff, it took me about 90 minutes but it was well worth it and looks as good as new now.

58

Now that is a lot better and used New stainless Allen head bolts to give this Points cover a New lease of life, it sure looks great on the motor now.

59

The Clutch cover was in the same shape as the Points cover, so, back to the polisher, some more secret sauce and a polishing mop and then I will refit to the engine.

60

Now this looks a whole lot better once polished to a super high luster I used Allen head bolts which are all New, as is the clutch cable too, so a smooth clutch at long last.

44

Look how bad the muffler is, its had bad gas welding, then an old screw held this together, sort of, I will keep the stock header and will make a new up-swept tail pipe for this bike.

47

Getting to it with a piece of 2.5 tubing, as I want this to look cool and sound pretty strong too, this will be a fun part of the process on the Super Sport Bike.

63

There is the tail pipe, complete with a Removable baffle, this is way better than what was on there, the old muffler even had a mouse nest in it, so glad to change this set up.

64

Next up, the Customer wants a flat frame with a hoop, so what I am going to do is cut the rear frame horns off about the middle of where the old cross brace is.

66

I have cut the frame rails off to where the customer wanted, this will then have my frame inserts put in and I will cut one of my special frame hoops to fit to the bike and give it a new look.

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Now- I use a de-burrer to remove any inner tubing, I want to make sure that the inside is hollow and smooth so the inserts will slide in tightly, that way there will be no issues.

68

The inserts are in and they are really snug, I go in about an inch and half both sides, it is double walled on this part of the frame, so the hogging out does take a while and may annoy your neighbors if you have to use an air compressor and a die grinder to open this up.

69

As you can see, I have laid the hoop on top of the frame, this way I can figure out how much I want the hoop to be placed at, I then mark the hoop by the end of the chassis, as this is where it will butt up against so you can then weld it.

70

 

Once you make the cut, you simply cut the other side, take any burrs off the inside and then you are ready to attach this to your bikes frame and this will change the look of you machine right away.

72

As you can see, I fit the hoop into the inserts and then I simply just tap the end of the hoop with a Rubber mallet, until the ends are almost touching the frame, as I want just a tiny gap to allow for good penetration of the Mig welder to secure this to the frame.

So the little Video above shows you how I first attach the hoop to the frame, I then mig weld the ends all around and you can drill into the frame and insert and spot weld there too if you want a more secure weld too.

78

I have Mig welded this in place and am happy with the end result, next up is I have to make a seat base for this, you do see some on the market already made but many times you want to make the length of your frame to your dimension, so- I always make mine for each frame and its pretty easy.

83

Use what you have around you to make a template, I had a packing box handy, so traced the outline of the frame and cut it out, a little trim and I am ready to now make a seat base.

84

I may have gone a little over the top on thickness as this is 18 gauge but I had a sheet in the garage and may as well use it, its strong as Hercules but obviously the down fall is its harder to cut and shape, but this will work fine and be a great sturdy base for the seat I am going to make.

85

There you go, its done, now to check on the frame, grind any adjustments that need doing and drill some holes for the bolts to be able to fix to the frame, as I shall upholster over the bolts so the studs are the only thing sticking out underneath.

86

There you go, I am happy with that now, simply need to use high density memory foam and choose the material and stitching and that will be upholstered and look so different.

96

Still a long way to go on this Super Sport but- It is finally taking shape and looking way better than it did when it was dragged into my place looking very sorry for itself.

88

The Gauges were shot, one of the needle drives was not working and I wanted to clean this area up quite a bit, so came to the conclusion that this can look a lot better with all this clutter removed and different bars fitted too, as well as removing the upper triple tree and polishing it to a chrome like luster.

89

The stock fork ears have to go and the turn signal housing as they were rusted out and looked pretty ugly, customer wanted a Brat style bike and these tend to be removed, I shall also add one of my custom headlights that have internal LED turn signals inside the light, so there is nothing protruding.

91

Removed the handle bars and gauges, as well as the ignition switch as the plastic connector and dried and crumbled up, due to being sat out in the California Sun for 8 years.

92

Now, that is a lot better, as you can see, I removed the old paint from the triple tree and polished it, I also removed the stock fork ears and fitted some Custom alloy versions in Black.

93

New ignition switch also added as the stock one was worn out and now all new once more and of course, functioning too.

94

Had to make up a new pig tail for the lights as the old harness had dried out, but this will work great and, reduce the amount of wiring thats inside the headlight.

99

As ypu can see, what a transformation, my LED turn signal headlight set up is the way to go, Halogen bulb and the LED signals actually do light up Amber, a neat custom touch.

100

Starting to get some where, still have to foam and upholster seat, as well as pulling front wheel out and fitting new tire and sorting the brakes out and these are all seized up.

105

I removed the rear wheel, I need to clean all this up and thought that i would take a photo and, below I have done a quick video on my phone, to show you how I undo stubborn nuts or bolts when they have been on many years and have seized up and you cant for the life of you get them undone with just your wrench.

I try and show videos where I can, as many of you ask me on the phone everyday, so thats why I do things like this and hope that it helps some of you out that may be out in the sticks and nowhere to ask.

Hell yeah, this is slowly getting better everytime I work on the bike, the Customer came and visited and loves the way the machine is now looking, but I tell ya, it has even tested my patience on more than one occasion, just take a step back and do something else, but- as you can see, I have now upholstered the seat, and did it in the Nostalgic Diamond stitch and added silver trim to break the seat up.

I kicked the front a little to try and hide the arch in the stock gas tank, usually I weld up that area, but this customer is on a budget so this was a good way of over coming this issue, I used High Density memory foam and I tell ya, it is super comfortable.

The seat will be Bolted down so it sits nice and tight onto the frame, I still have to smooth the chassis and paint Gloss Black, but also as you will notice, I have fitted an LED strip at the back, this will function as a Running and Stop light in Bright RED.

The Turn Signals are Chrome and LED too, so this will be sure to get a drivers attention and inform them as to what they are doing ahead of them.

The New 2.5 Gauges that I sell on my website were just the thing needed to tidy the top of this machine up, I vapor blasted the master cylinder but its beyond repair, so shall be fitting a New version tomorrow.

The old 630 was totally rusted and, falling apart, so opted to change this set up for a 530 chain and sprockets, this was so messy, I was glad to change all this and have it look at least a little cleaner, thats why I prefer to usually strip the bike to the frame and do it right, but sometimes that is just not in the Customers budget, so do the best I can for them.

Looks so much better and I am glad I went this route, plus the Customer was over the moon with the look, so a double whammy there. Now onto the Exhaust system.

 

As you can see above, the exhaust is so so but underneath its a mess, the rear muffler was so badly welded, they needed to fit a screw into it to keep them together, so i thought that it was time to set up the good old Heat wrap, I like that Hot Rod look and so does the Customer.

There you go, all wrapped and ready to go back on the Motorcycle, remember to replace your Copper crush Gaskets too when you re-fit an exhaust system.

Looks so much neater now and I like the way that the Honda is slowly taking shape, I mean, a few weeks ago this was in a terrible state from all angles, so right now I am quite stoked.

Right, now onto the rear brake Caliper, as it is seized up beyond belief, what I normally do is remove the caliper and stick a towel in a bucket and simply put an airline into the caliper and leave the bleeder in, that usually pushes the piston out pretty fast, hence having a bucket as there is 150 PSI from the airline going into that small cavity.  But this time the Piston refused to exit, so that tells me there is a small rust ring around the piston.So what I do in this situation is go back to old school ways of getting things resolved.

So, now I have the piston out, using an old set of handlebars and a master cylinder to bleed it out, I can now get onto rebuilding the caliper, the O-Ring seal usually gets nasty and this one had too, but the Piston was rusted in and lucky for me I had a New Piston and rebuild kit at the ready. Below, Old and New, always replaces seals, especially in Brakes.

I use a pick to pull the Seal out, and then I was glad I had a New piston as the original one I removed from the Caliper Body was seized in and pitted up quite badly.

So, before I fit the Piston, I need to clean up the old caliper, as it has a lot of Oxidization in the body, as the carcass is a cast aluminum, so what I do is use a Rubber wheel to clean the body up, I sell these kits on the website, whats coo is that it does not hurt the caliper at all , although it will remove the oxidization pretty easily.

This is what I do t clean the body up, been doing this over 18 years here and always makes the brakes work really well and smoothly, I sell the kit on my website.

So, thats now clean, all blown out with an airline, a little brake fluid in the Caliper body to make sure all is smooth, Seal is in and Piston slides right inside nicely.

So, all rebuilt and ready to fit back onto the Super Sport, Bleed through and hopefully we shall have a brake now as before- this was seized solid from years of inactivity and parked outside for 8 years.

The rear brake is now a success and functions very well on the pedal, a lot of work but worth it in the end, as this brake caliper was seized up solid, am happy now.

I also didn’t like the strip light set up that I fitted to the frame, so removed that and fitted an LED stop – tail light and fitted the License plate to it and looks so much better I think.

I removed the Red LED turn signals as they were not functioning bright enough, so replaced them with some Classic Alloy 12 volt Bulb versions and tested, worked really well.

The front fender was a mess, but I wanted to still use as the front end needs bracing, so I though what I would do was cut it down and remove 11 inches off each end to make wheel look bigger.

 

I then elongated the mounting holes in the brace, that way the fender will hug the tire, not touch it , but give that appearance that it was.

The Customer will paint it Black when he gets the Gas tank and side covers painted, but this sits nice and tight and stiffens the front forks up and stops crap flying in your face.

Next up is to clean the rear frame up and paint it Black, tidy the wiring, fill the gas tank, add new fuel line and see how this bike runs.

OK, I have managed to do all that and can now take this for a shake down run around the Block, the petcock bloody leaks, so have ordered a new one and will change that when it arrives.

Did a good run around the block and wanted to make sure that all is well, I knew that the headers would smoke for a few rides until they have cured, so no worries there, but the top end of this old Super Sport is rattly as hell and all adjusted, these can stay like that for a long time and thats how it is going to stay for a while.

OK, so now the Customer changed his mind about a few things, so I have changed the rear tail light and made a License plate mount to sit off the bottom of the shock and used a Ford Model A LED rear Tail light.

The Bike now runs, all the gears work, Turn Signals function as does the rear Brake light and Running light, I have put a lot of time into getting this thing running again.

Virtually a different Motorcycle now, it runs well, albeit the top end rattles like some old nails in a can but they will go on like that for a long time and the customer can do that later, it pulls hard to be honest and the exhaust of mine is just Killer sounding.

I am not going to paint it, I sealed the gas tank but he can paint it as the Customer is on a budget, so when he takes it next week, he can get a painter to do their thing to her.

So there you go, pretty much done, this bike had not run in 8 years, all the brakes were seized and needed so much cleaning before I could even work on it, it is amazing it runs to be honest.

The Customer can add mirrors if he so wishes, thats just cosmetics, but at least I got this to run and drive, many would of given up and, I wouldnt of blamed them, but I continued and won through.

I am going to play with My Hot Rod thats in the back ground and look forward to this leaving my garage during the week, thanks for watching this build, hope you liked what I have done?

SONNY’S Oh So Sweet – Alloy SOHC Machine

Welcome to Readers Rides, I started to do these about 15 Years ago and think I should return to these, so people can get inspired from many peoples own creations, they can see their machine and what it consists of parts wise and many have my parts on their Motorcycle, so if you have time, drop me a line with as many cool photos with good angles and maybe some great back drops, ie- Bridges, River, castle, Pub, Water fall, Bricks etc and lets feature your Machine. Show the world that we have very similar tastes and look forward to opening the Global book of our readers Rides.

Below is the first cool bike that I hope to receive more pics but- a Good taster to get you lot going, how about Sonny Morrisons CB750K Model Cafe Racer, Sonny is from Rancho Cucamonga in California and about an hour from me.

OK, I am still awaiting some more information on this build but will feature it and add when I get more input from the owner, above is Sonny Morrison’s SOHC Honda and its a Cracker.

 

What a great looking Cafe Racer Machine, right up my alley, or as you look at this photo, right next to a Rock wall, this machine is tough and and enjoying the 19 inch front Lester Rim and either a 16 or 17 inch rear.

Sonny used one of My Custom 2.5 Speedometer gauge Brackets that I manufacture and it certainly looks at home on top of that Polished triple tree, love the dampener set up on-top too.

 

Hand Rolled Alloy Gas Tank and Seat really suits the bike, not sure where he found this set up but will let you know when I have a build or spec sheet from him but it sure looks nice.

Has my 4 into 1 Exhausts system and the Rear Sets I sell, this CB750 is built for getting around the twisties on any day of the week.

Loving the Manx Tank, I am guessing its from India, the front forks look to have been rebuilt and polished, that 5 Gallon Tank will get him a long way too and love the fact he used hos original rear Mudguard for that Classic look.  Clip one and minimal controls really does make this SOHC stand out.

Thought I would share today and hopefully will be receiving more photos and spec sheet soon. get out in the shed and start building your two wheeled Machine and hope to see some photos of your garage soon.

You can send photos and Spec sheet to: carpy@carpyscaferacers.com and i will feature on the website for all to see, spread the word, lets see your Rides.

 

Sonny Just sent me this, so thought I would add it on here.

 

Up here in the Great Northwest Territory of Idaho one has to be creative when building a motorcycle. Finding parts locally is like finding gold. This is my story on my 1973 Honda CB750 SOHC Café Racer build.

After finding Carpys Café Racers online and drooling over his incredible builds I decided to give it a go. I purchased my bike as an old 70’s chopper, I had to drive 140 miles round trip but once I got the bike home I started the stripping process, everything I couldn’t or didn’t want to use came off the bike,

First to come off was the rusty chopper forks and the 21inch brakeless front wheel, I then found a new fork assembly with the inner parts I needed to bring the bike back to where I wanted it,  the donor bike was half buried in the dirt and had been there for decades, the old guy wouldn’t sell it to me unless I took the whole thing, no rear wheel, gas tank, seat, controls or gauges, it was just the frame that was cut up, the forks and a crusty frozen motor.

I pulled the forks and carbs off then placed an ad on Craigslist advertising it for free, a guy came and hauled the sickly thing away! after polishing the fork tubes and triple tree upper I started the rebuild, new seals were installed as well as new fork boots, I bought some progressive lowering springs for the front and I then purchased a set of short shocks for the rear, this completed the lowered stance I was looking for.

I met a chap online who lived quite a distance from me but he not only had the front brake caliper and front fender I needed, but also a set of New Old Stock Lester wheels, So off I went to pick them up, when I got there he offered me a better price on everything seeing that I drove so far, he also threw in a rear fender and some misc parts for free, A really nice guy!

I ordered a new stainless shorter café front brake line from Carpy’s Café Racers which made the install a breeze, I had the front brakes stopping on a dime in no time!, I then moved onto the controls and speedo, since everything stock was missing I bought aftermarket clutch, brake and throttle mechanisms along with all new cables, I then ordered Carpy’s Café Racers lowering bracket for the Drag Specialties Speedometer.

I installed a set of clubman bars and bar end mirrors and the whole front end finally came together, from there I moved onto the engine, I installed new Dynatec electronic ignition along with new matching Dynatec coils and wires, it made a huge difference when starting the bike, just a slight push of the button and it starts immediately. Then I ordered a set of Carpy’s Café Racers Yoshimura style Ceramic coated 4 into one exhaust, although it came with a baffle, I decided not to use it, I like the raw open exhaust sound and wouldn’t change it for a thing.

By the way, it’s been a couple years now and the Ceramic coating has held up great, they still look new! I just love rolling on the throttle and listening to her ROAR ; )… I found a place in India selling the aluminum Manx style tank for the CB750 Sohc, HOWEVER… it did not fit and the fuel petcock mount was an odd thread and I could not find a pipe thread type to fit, I basically ground it down and made an aluminum block, I drilled and tapped it to fit an original factory Honda dual outlet petcock, then I had to cut off the tank mounts, reconfigure everything and have an aluminum welder fix me up, it added some coin to the price of a tank that was supposed to be bolt on and go!

{P.P.S.}  That Singh guy from India has made some good parts but many parts do not fit, just be aware.

Buyer beware of anything from India!.

I decided to get an aluminum café seat pan and seat, but this time from a maker in Florida, this to was an issue as I waited months to receive it, seems they lost my order! the quality and polish was excellent though once I received it. I then bobbed the rear fender and added a Triumph tail light. I ordered new aftermarket side covers, mounting rubbers and factory emblems then painted the side covers gloss black with a clear coat.

I ordered Carpy’s Café Racers Billet Aluminum Rear Sets for the CB750 and love the fit and finish, the bike shifts like a champ and is comfortable to ride even on extended journeys, one of the best purchase’s I made, well other than the Yoshimura exhaust!, I rebuilt the carbs and jetted them to what Carpy runs on all his bikes running the Yoshimura exhaust, I started with Pod filters but have now changed out to a custom made one piece billet aluminum air cleaner. I’m sure I am forgetting a lot of stuff I did during the build but it has been a couple of years now. Having multiple bikes means the Café Racer doesn’t get ridden as much as I would like but I have to share my time among them or the other bikes will get jealous…LOL.

One thing about using Carpy’s Café Racers web store is the parts are tested and always excellent quality, shipping is fast and if you have any questions, Carpy himself will answer them. It was a fun time building the Café Racer and it draws attention everywhere I go.  It’s fun to come out of a store and have 2 or 3 guys standing around the bike admiring it. All I can say is….I don’t have a witness and I can’t prove it, but this is my story and I’m stickin to it…..

 

 

HONDA BRAT 1976K FOR SALE $5000

Here we have a 1976 HONDA CB750K Model for sale, this Brat style machine runs really well and is a strong machine for sure, Located in La Mirada, this 500 pounder is not a show bike but a bike that is meant to be ridden.

1976A

 

This bike has had some work done to it and it a fun Motorcycle to ride, a linear power machine too.

  1. Rebuilt CARBS.
  2. Rebuilt Top end
  3. 4 into 1 Mac wrapped.
  4. New solid state Rectifier
  5. New Lithium Battery
  6. 2.5 Speedometer and Tachometer
  7. 7/8 Black Drag bars
  8. Black rims
  9. Brat seat
  10.  Custom rear tail lights
  11. New intake manifolds.

This is a fun machine thats pretty reliable and is an ideal platform to take on and do what ever you like to it. $5000 Takes it home.

1976g

 

 

Fires right up and runs pretty hard too.

1976b
If you are looking for a solid machine that you can ride right out of the gate, then this is a good ride right here.

1976c

These are getting harder to locate these days and to fond a decent running one is even harder, so this may be just the ticket for you.

1976e

I will be selling a few bikes on here and it is always great to see new owners have a CB750 and enjoy their power and reliability.

1976f

This runs strong and had great tires that hold the Tarmac very well indeed, brakes work really well and is fun to ride. Thats actual mileage since the top end rebuild.

1976i

Also it has recently had New shocks fitted too and still has the passenger pegs attached if you want to go ride 2 up.

1976j

So easy to change about and make it your own style with a paint job and a few different accessories, but by it and have fun on it this year and maybe make changes after the Summer?

1976k

New headlight as well and functions admirably, have a look and see what you think of this inline Four Motorcycle.

1976l

It has a hooped rear end and is pretty comfortable to ride, Rims and Hubs were powder-coated and re-laced too.

1976n

So there you go, a great runner and you can own this and change it to your style and color pretty darn easy.

1976m

If I can help with more photos or a video, let me know on 714-598-8392 and I can text you or email you, my email is carpy@carpyscaferacers.com

bannera1

Many thanks for taking your time to have a look at this 1976 CB750K model Honda.

Rice Boiler

 

Have a great week and I appreciate your time.

 

 

 

My Honda SOHC 4 into 1 exhausts

Hey Everyone

A few people email me asking for sound samples of the exhausts etc, sometimes I keep them on file but after a while I tend to lose the files somewhere in the vastness of Computer space and never get them back.

So today I shall add a few sound bytes that I have done over the years to try and help just a little as to what my Exhaust systems sound like on these inline Fours.
Been doing these over 17 years here now and am very proud of that fact, none of that china stuff many others use, and then say its theirs and made in USA, all made right here in Anaheim California.

OK-if you need more information, you can email me on carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or if you like, you can drop a text to me or a Dime for that matter at 714-598-8392 and I am more than willing to help you out if you need photos or info for the 4 into 1 system of mine. Also check out ALL the exhausts on the parts page too.
Enjoy.

 

That was a 1978 Super Sport and the next one up is an earlier model that you can sample on here.
Next up a K4 model.

Here is a K6-K6 Model with the Yoshimura style 4 into 1 system of mine on it.


Below a customers video.

Below is another exhaust system from me but this time its for a CB350 and CB400, now this has a Fully packed baffle, a little too muffled for my liking, but it is what the Customer wanted.

A little louder version and this bike had not run in years and was first start up too.

Another Raw steel one but this time on a CB400-4, this sounds pretty good for a bike that had not been fired up in many many years.

Another Customers video of my exhaust on his CB550 Honda.

This is a customer video, not sure if he has the baffle but still great to hear.

Here we have a CB750 that a Customer had made a video of, with my pipe, see what you think, sounds crisp eh?

Here is one of my Custom versions, the Razor and the Hot Rod as well as the Sidewinder.


Many moons ago I built the F-Bomb and it sure was too!
Hold your ears for this exhaust system I made.