A day of filming for TV with Larry, Jay Leno etc was a Blast

Hey Everyone, well its the weekend, I have been a bit ill in health recently and have not been on the website as much as I would like to but I am back on my feet, few health issues to try and figure with the Human Technician but I am sure I will get that all dialled in.

Anyway, its a Saturday so I thought that I would add a great video on here, my Buddy Larry Romestant builds Beemers and they are works of art, we have become good friends over the years and thought today I would share the tv show that had him showing him creating his bike, like you lot I am sure you have had many ups and downs when it comes to creating your ride and Larry does indeed too, which means its the real deal.

Jay Leno,  and James Maund get a feature in this show and I was happy to oblige in a segment too, great to watch on your PC or Big screen and hope you like it?

 

The trials, tribulations and triumphs of being a custom bike builder come to life as Larry and Carol Romestant design and build a one-of-a-kind BMW Special K cafe racer. Featuring Jay Leno, Steve ‘Carpy’ Carpenter and James Maund with some of the most scenic riding sequences ever seen.

 

http://specialks.net

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MY TRIUMPH 2013 Thruxton 900 FOR SALE $7000

For sale :
2013 Triumph Thruxton. 714-598-8392 call or text . email: carpy@carpyscaferacers.com

 

This is my personal Motorcycle , I’m going to be buying a New Machine to Ride with my Girl and my Cafe Bike is now Available.

Handles great in corners and will be missed for sure.
Been riding up by Grand Canyon and JOSHUA Tree as well as many other places . Been in magazines and some TV stuff and even movie ads.
Classic look with Polished Alloy Parts everywhere . If you like Nostalgia, then here it is with a Capital N.

Many people know this bike and she rides really smoothly, the gear transition is smooth and direct, it has strong linear power due to different sprocket set up and of course it has the power Commander, and the air injection removed, the Zard Pipes make her breathe oh so well.

Wave Rotors help slow it down with Custom Berringer 4 pot Caliper at the front is a great set up that is way better than the stock version, I also designed and made the rear Caliper bracket to change the Rear caliper from a bottom mount to a top one, so at least they both look the Status Quo and do not get cluttered up with leaves and road grime like the factory ones do.

Has a Bigger polished Alloy Motone Gas tank which is a couple of Pints wider and allows for more miles of smiles, I ride it pretty hard and it has tons of Go in her and with them Custom Canyon TT alloy Rims, all that rubber grips the road and gives you so much more maneuverability than the skinny stock rims.

The rear wheel is 5.5 inches wide with a nice 170 rear tire of which I am fitting a Brand New one this week.

New Leather Seat with Diamond stitching and a hand made rear Allow cowl that has a secret compartment to keep all ya fear in like gloves, goggles, paper work, scarf and tools, of which I use it to store all the time is a bonus here as its so useful. And was the First to Fit a Fog Light set up as I wanted that Old School European look to the bike and have sold maybe 200 of them Fog Light kits since, Be seen is my Philosophy.

I also frenched a LED teardrop Tail light, it functions as a Running light and a Brake light and its nice and Bright, looks fantastic, also have LED Turn signals front and back to make sure people see which way you are going.

Steering stabilzer at the front soaks up unwanted potholes and the clip on’s are a good fit for the triple tree, I have Custom Grips to so your hands do not tire as well as Custom Mirrors to let you know who is behind you. But also notice I have Works performance shocks, these were $1500 alone and the pipes were another $1500 as well as $3000 for the wheel set up.

I also changed out the headlight for a 7 inch chrome one and fitted a 6000 Lumens LED bulb and the headlight has LED internal signals that change from clear to amber when you hit the button.

Alloy Side cover, and a hand made alloy Bash plate complete the Livery of this TT style machine really well.

I stripped the stock swing arm and changed it about, drilled the holes and inserted strengthening tubes in the side and then chromed the whole thing and boy does it look cool and sets off that big rear wheel. I also designed and made the Knuckle Duster Heel Guard and have sold many over sea’s, these look great.

it has form and function and the Zard pipes are stainless and from Italy, they sound awesome as it is now tuned and with the power commander she is great in any elevation too.

 

I have done almost 12,000 Miles on the bike and she runs pretty hard, I always use expensive Motul Oil for her as thats what Triumph use, I know its $70 a gallon but I want Longevity out of this engine, no cheap oil for the sake of saving money, good oil and regular services keep this running right. I also only use Triumph Oil Filters and iridium Spark plugs, this has K&N Filters too.

This bike has a lot of character and gets many looks, if I had a bigger Garage I would keep her but, with a few more bikes and a Hot Rod, I simply cannot justify keeping her covered up and it needs a new home.

Here is a list of things that I have done or fitted to the bike below.

Polished Alloy Tank 2 pints bigger.
Hand Made Alloy cowl.
LED Tail Light.
Custom Leather Seat with storage compartment .

Custom Swing Arm and Chromed
Custom Alloy Rear Caliper Bracket that moves caliper to top of Rotor.

Ribbed Fork Gators.

Custom Alloy TT Rims wide wheel kit. 5.5 inch wide . $3000
Wave Rotors.
Beringer 4 Pot Front Brake Caliper.
Custom front Alloy Fender.

Chrome Headlight with 6000 Lumens LED bulb and LED internal signals.

Works Performance $1500 Rear shocks .
Clip on Handlebars 
Custom Levers 
Custom Mirrors 

Custom Grips
LED Rear Signals 

18 Tooth Front Sprocket 
TEC Steering Stabilizer
Custom Upper Triple Tree
Lithium Battery 
Power Commander 
Zard Stainless Steel Exhausts $1600
Titanium Heat Wraps 
Custom Fog Light
Custom Knuckle Duster Heel Guard
Speed Merchant Finned Trans Cover
Speed Merchant Finned Shift Cover 
Speed Merchant Engine Cover
Air Injection Removal 
Rear Fender Elimination Kit
K&L filters 
Custom Alloy Sump Pan with Bottle Opener
Alloy Side Covers 
Custom Horn
New 170 Rear Tire
Only used Motul oil 
Custom Foot Pegs
Regularly Serviced
Oil Pressure Gauge

Knuckle Duster Heel Guard

X-Ring Chain.

A great Motorcycle that always has made me smile, many many times, but I am looking at a different style machine and this is a good opportunity for someone to enjoy a purpose built cafe racer.

It runs great, no oil leaks and is comfortable too. You can email me on carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or you can text or call me on 714-598-8392.

 

 

Unique Motorcycle.
11,800 miles

Another Build in Mock up stage, the CB750 Street Tracker

Well, I have a few old frames and parts laying about and pulled some stuff out of my storage and decided it was time to build another bike, as of course, thats what I like doing.

So, this time I want to build a street tracker style machine, just something tough looking but functional as well, I grew up with Motorcycles as a kid with my brother and we had old Dirt bikes and road bikes we turned into dirt bikes and this takes me back to that very time we rode around and around the back garden, just having time in the saddle when we were teenagers.

This old Honda is a Bone shaking Rusty 1978 K model that had been sat for over 30 years in the desert, so what better way to resurrect something and at the same time make something fun, as well as a part of my life back in Great Britain when my brother Mick and I would go out in any weather and I mean any weather, we even rode in deep cold snow with just jeans and a jumper but loved it.

So, there is this old carcass that I shall be using to try and at least make something that will at least turn the corners of my mouth up and have fun again, no idea what I am doing exactly for now but we shall see how this old inline Four progresses as and when I put time into it, its not a paying job, so will be just spare time here and there and a test of patience and money to see where this goes.

First off, I will get it running first, hasn’t run in decades and has seen a sorry life sat out in Palmdale out in the Desert with Sun, Wind, Rain and Frost invading its chassis , so I feel I must do something with this old Girl and she will run once more, I can promise you that.

This Machine is a Big heavy Lump, the 78K was the last of the SOHC models, along with the Super Sports and boy were they heavy, with a bigger exhaust, bigger Gas tank and seat, these were mammoths of their time, so all the old stuff like tank and seat were rotted away, I managed to mock the bike up to how I hope to have it later on, albeit I am sure things will change but I shall be keeping the Old School Lester Rims.

I got these off an old CR750 Race Bike about 17 years ago and have kept them in storage until now, so I will of course change the tires for Knobby versions to give that European Tracker look and see where we go.

Quite exciting really as it will be a look back at Yesteryear and something I and my Brother Mick will look at and remember the struggles we had as kids with bikes when all your mates had new stuff, we had Motorbikes that either were not wanted or left by the way side, but – Makes you a better person for it I feel.

This bike will rip along quite well and I am sure will be fun to take anywhere to be honest, as they have plenty of grunt and no worries green laneing, if you have good Enduro tires, then I see no real issues on here, so thats the style that I am going with and want it to look a little 1960’s.

Sp the adventure of building and recreating something begins, I had an old Alloy Gas tank and hope to use this as well as a Alloy Seat , they look kinda cool together and like that Sammy Miller set up, so hope that I can use these as it will be great to use up some old parts that were just sat on a shelf for Donkeys years collecting dust.

Will make the exhaust system up as I go along and it could change a few times, but we shall see, I do like the way it is going now though and I have some frame chopping and changing to do.

I will most probably run a Disc Rotor up the front too, not a fan of bikes with only half a braking system to be honest, it may look cool but not so cool when you got to stop at 70 Miles an hour with no front Anchor eh?

Parked up next to my old 1928 Model A Ford Roadster, 2 Classic bits of iron on the driveway.

So, there it is, in the garage, on my table and when I get spare time and a bit of loot, I shall begin trying a few things out to see what I can do to first of all, get this old girl to run again.

Once that is done, I can then go about and get the proportions right and start to create a fun Street tracker, Better get some liquid refreshment to get me in the mood with this 70’s Classic.

 

 

 

 

Triumph Bonneville gets the Stealthy Look.

Here we are again

Where does time go? I try and type up a blog as quick as I can, but, being a 2 fingered key Board picker, I cant get as much down on the website as I would like, but none the less I try and seem to get a following for the Motorcycles that I see on the net etc and tend to grab my beady eye and then I will do a quick Blog on it.

It brings me to this Twinline Triumph Bonneville, Another Australian Motorcycle but, before this transformation came about, the owner had had a bit of a to do with the tarmac. the exhaust was knackered, Gas tank had more Damage than a Boxer who just wet a round with Tyson, and the Bonny had seen better days, so- Time to revamp this Meridian style 2 Cylinder and this time the Owner by the name of “Mixy” decided to give a Sydney Based “Gasoline” Shop a go.

Founder of this little shop in Sydney “Jason Leppa”

The Bonneville was riddled with other issues too. Mixy had made some mild modifications himself, but after meeting Jason and the Gasoline team, he decided to leave it to the experts. Plans for the rebuild expanded, and ‘Blak’ began to take shape.

The front end was binned, and USD forks from a Suzuki GSX-R grafted on. A custom axle and spacers ensure that wheel specs remain the same, and the sportbike forks are held in place by a CNC’d triple clamp. This was by no easy task but, Jason managed to massage the GSX smoothly onto the frame using a set of TT wheels made in california and shodding them with a sticky set of  Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires.

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The triple clamp was designed to house a Motogadget Classic speedo—in black of course. An m.lock keyless ignition system keeps the wiring simple, and the Purpose Built Moto switch blocks are sleek and contemporary.

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Adding to the racing vibe is a shift from mid to rear sets, this made the motorcycle was more comfortable and a far Racier look, going back to the Days of the North Circular back home in the UK in the 60’s.

But the rear tire is wider than Burt Reynolds old shirt collar with a whopping 190 shoe horned onto the Aluminum rim, this sticks to the road like Gum on a sweater.

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The biggest visual change is the new tank, which eschews the somewhat bulbous proportions of the Triumph original.

It’s Gasoline’s take on the classic Yamaha SR tank, fabricated in aluminum and shot with deep satin black paint. Running across the top is a subtle gloss black racing stripe.

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The subframe has been reworked in-house too, and now supports a new fiberglass seat pan hand molded by Gasoline’s head tech. The local artisans at the Bad Arse Trim Co. made up a new seat to match, using a dark shade of suede.

There’s an integrated LED tail and indicator light strip flushed into the tail, and tiny indicators up front from Kellermann. “They are some of the smallest LEDs you’ll ever find,” says Jason, “but still bright enough to cut through the darkness.”

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The headlight has the old style Fog lens that gives the impression of a Foundry’s  Cauldron when ignited, plenty of brightness from that and letting people know that this Stealthy Middleweight is coming through.

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Petrol tank was hand fabbed in Aluminum then plastered in Black Semi Gloss paint and it has a bulbous shoulder to exaggerated the lines a little and something that really works well.

This is a pretty well sorted machine now and its a shame I wasn’t still a Posty in St Leonards,  as I often went into Sydney and would of been great to check this Bonny out.

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Great job to “Jason Leppa” you did a fantastic Custom look in a short amount of time, something that is not easy to do and get right.

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Tenacious Ton – 1975 Honda CB750K Custom Alloy Cafe Racer

 MY ALLOY CB750 CAFE RACER called the “Tenacious Ton”.

 

 This is a 1975 CB750K Original model that has been customized over 9 years and a fun bike at that, I have a title and she runs and drives.

 

 

 I have been in many Magazines all over the globe with this machine and it also went to Sturgis last year for the Ton Up show and had great reviews.

 

 

 I am now building other machines and am going to be selling a few of my Personal Motorcycles to make space, this is a cool ride and I know you will get plenty of head snapping reactions.

 This has a One Off 5 Gallon Manx Tank built by an old fella in Ireland that has since passed on, this is one really cool gas tank and it screams out Isle Of man T.T.

 

 

There are so Many mods on this I have forgotten how much work I did to this, but have a look and you will see the tank, I made the Alloy seat and it has WW2 material on the seat.

We also have a Lithium battery that powers the 836cc Motor and minimum instruments to be honest, stripped down to the bare bones is cool.

 

This has Original 1970’s Borrani rims that are hard to locate these days, not aftermarket and these are the real deal, not only that, check out that front end an original Arces of Italy front end, even rarer than Cerriani. And that came off a GP road racer from the UK back in 1978.

 

I converted this K frame to a Rear Disc set up ad its a super cool design, but also, I used 3 Alloy swing arms to come up with this set up and it works great.

 

The Oil tank is from 1972 and was on an early Drag bike from Santa Pod back home in the UK and fitted with Goodridge Hoses.

 

 Original 1973 Finned Engine dress up goodies adorn this machine too. Hand made Chain Guard and old CB1100F shocks at the arse end.

The exhausts are our Dunstall style 4 into 2 and these were the first ones we made.

 

This bike is a classic, its not a showbike and never wanted it to be, but all the frame is smoothed out and has plenty of life in her.

 

 

Polished cases and whats cool is we hand turned the Velocity stacks out of 7075 and then polished and fitted stainless bug screens.

 

Double disc front set up with an old De-soto headlight up front just looks cool.

So many things done to this bike I have forgotten half of it, but as I said I have the title in my name and can ship if needed using Eagle One trucking.

 

 

 It has Marzocchi Clips on’s too with early waffle grips.

 

 

A fun machine that would look good anywhere, be it in a studio or in a museum for sure.

 

Below is fresh off the Press, this book JUST hit the stands and my machine is in there for all to see.

 

I was super stoked to have my machine at Sturgis for this show and many people commented on it.

Flipping through the pages I was stoked to see quite a few cool photos of the alloy Machine of mine.

If you can understand half my smile, then you know what I am feeling right now.

A truly cool day for me when this came thudding onto the floor from the posty.

This is a unique bike with so much character.

Grab the hardback book if you can as there are superb motorcycles featured in there.

 

The Arse end is a good shot too.

 

 

So another Chapter closes but a new one begins.

NEW ALLOY GAS TANKS COMING SOON !!!!

Many of you have asked me anout Alloy Gas tanks, well, I am now in talks to have these made and available for about $500 a tank.

 

Not sure who is interested but thats a great deal and will look like mine that is on my Cafe Racer.

 

 

If you have a CB750 K model from 1969-1976, then this might be right up your alley?

And, if you are interested in having one of these beauties, then just drop me an email at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com and I will put you on the list.

These will be a polished alloy and ready to rock on your inline Four motorcycle, so stay tuned…..