Helping you with New Parts create your ride

Hard to believe that I have been wrenching here in Southern California for 23 years, I continue to make parts for Motorcycles and Hot Rods too, it is nice to be busy and I am a very Positive person with a massive work ethic that I very much doubt I will ever stop from doing.

So I am hoping to come up with a few more parts and of course, offer them on my website, there may be some other things I will be doing like video’s etc to show you how things fit etc, soon as I have got my workshop sorted out to how I want it.

Fun times ahead but still love building Custom Machines.

Well, the Storm has left Orange County, more rain than anything to be honest, but at least over the next few weeks it will get a little cooler, but after September is when I love the temperature to turn wrenches in the Barn.

It’s always fun the first time you fire a Machine up after putting a load of parts together and the final product is revving away and begins a new chapter in its life as a Custom created Motorcycle.

Soon I shall be creating a few more Machines and will be up for sale on my website, so keep checking in from time to time, of course, I will add a video of anything on here, so you can have a closer look etc.

Have a great week everybody.

 

Awaiting Hurricane Hilary

Well, here we are, I am sat in the office, gazing out of the window at the rain that started to to fall a few hours ago, we are used to having pretty much, 340 days a year of sunshine but to be honest almost year round riding weather in Southern California, so to see some H2O coming down is quite refreshing.  But – We are expecting Hurricane Hilary to be arriving this afternoon, something SoCal has not witnessed in 86 years and, to be honest I don’t think it will be anything like a hurricane, more like a windy day in Seattle I think.

Plenty to do in the workshop as well and need to pull my finger out a little as its starting to fill up faster than Noah’s Ark, but its all good and will get to them, I need to sort a few bikes out, I may let the Katana go cheaply as I just dont have time to work on it, been sat inside for many years and I am sure someone will want that machine for $500, as its a great platform to have fun with, but as yo see, I have many projects to get sorted and the weather will cool off in a month or so and give me to me to see what I can concentrate on here.

I will be building some of the CB750’s to sell, but will of course, show the machines on my website for you lot to have a look through and see if there is anything that may float your boat etc, but I still am making parts for bikes and always continue to manufacture new stuff to get your bike back up on the tarmac.

Just thought I would write a quick blog and show you what I am up to and hope that where you are is warm enough to get out into the Barn, shed, garage etc and start wrenching.

 

 

Summer time at the workshop

Well, the Californian Summer hung off for a while, but now it is in full swing and boy is it getting hard to work in stifling heat and humidity is up the ying yang right now, feels like I am in Florida to be honest, but the show must go on, I have so much to do but right now I am waiting on some help with my Barn doors to be hung, they are big heavy wooden sliding doors.  But once they are up I can start to organise a little bit more, it is lucky we have a large property as I can store old projects all over the place but need to get it all under one roof soon and be more happier when that does come to fruition.

Like many of you, we are always wrenching on things, for me I have New parts to make or to become a dealer for and of course, I have Motorcycles to build and projects to finish, but as the saying goes, ‘Rome was not built in a day”.

It seems I have spent so many years on my knees but to be honest, I feel comfortable that way, even if the bikes on a lift, I guess it goes back to grass roots or what you grew up with, we had nothing as a kid and made the most of what we had, if we were given something we would cherish it and improve on it, but I still have so much passion in creativity with parts and creations and hope that I never lose that flame for design and ingenuity etc.

I love all sorts of Vintage and classic stuff, from obviously Motorcycles, music, fashion and of course cars or trucks, my recently purchased F250 has been fun but I have to also wrench on that and have changed stuff so far to improve the ride and running, with more to do as this is my parts hauler.

I was at the ceramic Coaters and decided to take the back roads to my place as the traffic was busy and it was 100 degree’s, the old F250 has been great so far as it has not got hot, but the 390 seems to be having carb issues, it has the stock Autolite 2 barrel and to be honest even though jets changed, power valve changed, float level set and cleaned many times, it just will not start after a few minutes, so things will be changing next week to sort that issue out.  But had to pull over and take a pic of this cool vintage sign I saw on the side of the road.

I love Southern California for old shops and signs and seem to see something different every time I go out to be honest and thought that i would share with you as I love Vintage signs too.

My Birthday coming up Thursday and I will not be working that day and enjoy time with my girl Jennifer, we do so much together and the good thing is she likes pretty much the same stuff I do, so we really get each other, she rides to and that makes a huge difference and she understands the trials and tribulations of running a Motorcycle and Automotive business.

Just wanted to say howdy to you all out there and thanks for supporting me in what I make and sell, I love you all.

 

Keep your eye on the website for more parts and bikes soon, just got back from the Post office, sent exhausts to Hawaii, Puerto Rico , New Zealand and Brazil today.

I went out for a Pint of milk, Came back with 10 CB750 Engines

It’s a funny old world, I mean, I initially went out to get a pint of milk and on the way there I came across a stash of SOHC Motors that a buddy of mine needed to off load as he was clearing his place out for renovations etc, what better way of getting rid of them then to let me have them.  And, as I have a Long bed Pick up truck, I thought to myself I should be able to get all 10 engines in the back of the F250.

Lucky for me, it’s only 4 miles from my place, and as my old beast only does 6 Miles to the Gallon, it was well worth taking the turck to go and get these SOHC in line Four Motors, they had been sat outside in the Californian sun for many many years but I can use some of the parts even if some of the motors are locked up etc.

It was no easy task carrying 10 CB750 Motors from a back yard and loading them onto my truck, at 230 pounds each, every one became heavier and heavier, by the time I had dragged the 10th Engine out and up and onto my bed of the F250, i was feeling as weak as watered down beer. But I got them all on and then thought about it, man- That’s just over One Ton of Engines, and the F250 is a 3/4 Ton.

I know I will have use for these, even for parts alone, I have a small collection now that for now I shall place in my barn and wait until later on when I have some free time to see what is what.

These towed home no problem in my pick up and that hardest part was unloading a Ton of engines, as it was only 3 miles from my place and I was already tired from throwing tem up onto the pick up bed, but, not as far to move to the barn.  I sure felt it afterwards as thats 2 ton moved in less than 2 hours.

I have stored them away now in the Barn, but I am still working on New doors for the outside, so will just have to tip toe around for a bit until I am ready to hang the doors up.

Glad to have got them and I know I will be turning to a few when I create some more machines for the tarmac, nice to have spares at your finger tips though.

I have another Motor in a frame you can see and one more on a dolly in the shop that I need to move over, always something to do at my New location, it will take a little time to get it how I want but then it will be icing on the cake as working from Home is always the easiest and more enjoyable way of working i think.

I have a lot of work to try and catch up on since our European visit but refreshed and ready to take on another chapter in the life of Custom Motorcycle creation, I have a few ideas for more exhausts, Handle bars and other parts, so stay tuned to the site if you can.

Oil leaks whilst i was away need to be cleaned and gaskets fitted, Doors painted and hung, and then organise the bikes and where the parts will go is something that is not to be rushed but everyday there is something to mess about with and I enjoy so much.

Thanks for reading my posts, I like to share what I have been up to and its great hearing from you too and seeing what you are building at home, if I can help I always will be it via email carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or call / text at 714-598-8392 as its a pleasure having a chin wag where ever you are in the globe.

 

 

Picked up 6 CB750’s today

Sometimes I get a call asking if I could clear out a garage or back yard as it has a motorcycle in it, this time it was 6 CB750’s, so what closed the deal was it was free but a friend of mine I have known many years and helping him out was the least I could do, and as he was less than 4 miles from me, I took the big G F250 out there and loaded up and bought the bikes home. I dont like to have to many as the place gets jammed packed but, its hard to not when it is so close to home.

To be honest, I can never really turn bikes down, especially CB750’s as I have had over 150 of these over the years and parts are always good to have handy, so I could not say no to this fella and help him out of a predicament too, these were in the back yard of his place, so a huff and a puff as some had flat tires etc but, determination is always key here and I wanted to get these home to eventually be used as another build. Once I get the Barn doors completed I shall space in the workshop to haul these up there and find a corner to rest them up together.

I have always enjoyed coming up with another build, they do take time and of course money, but when you hear them fire for the first time in many years, its something you get quite a buzz from, I get many texts or emails from Builders and customers who tell me that they just got their machine to run and I feel so stoked for them as I understand the euphoria that they feel when they first time you hit the starter or kick the kick starter and the engine coughs into life.

These are getting harder to find in back yards these days, I remember at one point I had 25 CB750 Honda’s in my back garden and driveway about 20 years ago and I have built every one of them over the years, so I was quite stoked to have these and bring them home. But don’t want the place to look like a junk yard so have to hold back on other stuff I have been offered.

Nothing super rare like sandcast etc here, but a couple of K1’s of which I have always liked anyway as never was a fan of the Ko with the Big side covers etc, there is no rush to do anything with these 500 pounders, so just unload and put them up in the Barn later until I come up with a build plan for them.

I have spent a lot of my life with Motorcycles and finding new stuff is always fun, just bringing them back with a plan of getting these to be back on the road in one form or another is always a challenge that I quite enjoy.

I have some Motors to look at tomorrow, so who knows what I may bring home, the hunt is half the fun and even though they are what I call snotters, parts are always handy to have when building machines.

So now is the time to unload these and see what is there and then I can mentally remember what these are as I store them and know that I have a choice of frames and years if I get into creating a new Build that will turn into something head turning, its hard to refuse when you build motorcycles and parts for a living, some will get it, many will not and think its some disease etc. LOL!

Of course, if I do start a creation, I will be sure to post on the website and share with you lot as many of you ask what I am up to these days and I thank you for that, I will be making more new parts too, so keep checking back on the website to see what’s going on, I do like to post blogs too and give you lot something to read.

 

Exhaust Systems I manufacture- Sound Bytes From Customers

Howdy one and all

Here we are once more with a small Blog, this time I thought I would look about for some sound bytes of my exhaust systems for the Honda and Triumph etc, I have been selling these for 23 years now and continue to make more performance systems for other makes as I continue to help the Motorcycle fraternity with well made American Products.

Honda 1981 Silverwing now running good.

Well, it took a little bit of fudging about etc, but the old bird is now running and idles well, all the white smoke has gone, no smoke at all, a real bonus.  I will probably have a go at adjusting the cam chain, but without a kick start its a pain in the arse, oh well, at least she runs now,

GL500 1981 Silverwing Carb replacement

Busy day and trying to beat the rain storm that keeps on coming in then out etc, but I was prepared for it and got a lot done today, considering this is my first GL500, no books, service tips or much info about on these 22 degree road machines, but the CX is similar so at least a fighting chance at getting the carbs off and new ones put in place.

With the old manifolds removed, I cleaned the intake face area up with Carb cleaner, I made sure also that I dabbed a little grease on the O Ring that seats into the new Aluminum intake and then hand tightened the bolts to see how the angle was for the carb kit to fit to.

I am sure glad that I did take the extra time to clean up all the area that had grease and grime and these intakes fitted like a glove, but now the fun begins as there is not a lot of space inside the frame rails to work with and the carbs plus air filters are going to make it tight to do anything but here goes.

I got the intake manifolds all sorted out, apparently the CX500 is even tighter in the frame and apparently I was lucky I had some maneuvering room to get these carbs to fit.

The trick for me was to put a little grease onto the rubber manifold, to allow the carb to slide in easier and this sure did help as I did try it dry and I struggled, so I was stoked when these plopped into the manifolds.

The same with the Air Filters, pretty tight inside the chassis but with a few curse words, a dab of grease and they fitted up no problem and look pretty cool.

Both these girls are in and I will hook up the new battery, add fuel lines and connect to an auxiliary gas tank that I have on a stand, as the old tank has bad gas in it from sitting for years, but I have not hooked up the throttle cable because I want to try and run this as the carbs are pre set, so they will idle high for a bit until I take both chokes off, so will leave one choke on and see if she runs. I am sure there will be a ton of white smoke coming out of the exhausts as I poured some Marvel Mystery Oil down the bores to lube everything.  Sometimes Piston rings will stick and marvel is great for bores, but it will have white smoke as I also put some WD40 in the bores to and left it for a few days.  I do this with all motors, it cant hurt it and eventually will burn clear.

Old Video but was fun to look back at the shop in the City Of Orange

I had fun with this shop, had to build all the walls, move one wall 20 feet back, move stairs etc, paint floors and make a brick facade speed shop ewtc, it took a long time but sure did look good.

Lucky for me now I have my very own workshop/Barn, so no more renting premises, as so much money goes to a Landlord.

But wanted to share the old place to you lot, hopefully you will dig it?