Tag Archives: cafe racer

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

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
22 Mar

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

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

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

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

RIP Ronnie.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 2021 ride raised $1.1 million.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The KC Special CB750 Honda inline Four

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
17 Feb

I have always loved creating My style of machine for Customers and this one is no exception, the KC Special turned out to be a great looking ride and the Owner Keith Conrad ( Hence K.C.) lives in Milwaukee and asked if I could revamp his old 1975 CB750 into a Silver and Black Cafe bike, I said sure thing and the deal was done, a build sheet was agreed upon and Keith sent the bike out to me.

I took the bike apart, right down to the frame, as I do all my builds, then I set about cleaning the frame up some what and smoothing some of the old factory welds, as Honda welds are quite rough back then as i guess they were hand welded and not automated as they are today.

As you can see, I took my time as I wanted the frame to really look nice in a Gloss Black on this build, I wanted it better than factory, so I took a long time to make sure that this Chassis came out nice, as i mostly powder coat my frames, unless I am using Candy Paint or Metalflake etc. Above you can see how Glossy the main frame rails are.

I took the stock gas tank and using my Egg Hammer, I pounded the sides to create Knee inserts, so you can tuck your legs in tighter to the bike and get a little more stream lined, just as they did back in the day for racing etc, this is no easy task and you will see how much it takes to do when you have a go your self, but worth the look in the end thats for certain.

The Paint scheme is High Gloss Black with Metalflake Silver panels and racing stripes and I really needed to make sure that this flowed well, and am happy with the result.

Plenty of Detail too, I hand machined out of 6061, a Custom Finned Oil Tank Dip Stick cap, this really did look trick, compared to the stock version.

Its like the saying says, the devil is in the detail and there is plenty to look at on this CB750 Cafe Bike and am stoked how the bike turned out in the end, worth all the hard graft.

The seat is one of my own that I manufacture, called “The Rocket 4” its a sleek sturdy and well rounded seat base that I produce and has the same curve as the gas tank, that way the body work then flows and give the machine the Status Quo.

Keeping in the theme of Old School styling, the seat upholstery was hand machined and small 1 inch Diamonds in white stitching with Silver piping and vintage snaps was completed to really make this stand out from the crowd.

I used an LED Custom Tail light that I offer on my website and this is bright as Einstein, and I think is a nice addition to the back of the Rocket Four seat unit, also the silver flake racing stripes really stand out nicely.

I machined some covers for the rear piggy back shocks as well as making some risers for the lower, to increase the ride height by 2 inches, out of 7071 Military spec Aluminum.

I also Chromed the rear swing-arm and hand made then Chromed a Custom Chain Guard to show the Gold 530 X-Ring chain off, I also polished the Hubs of the rims and painted the centers black to give a nice offset.

The Motor was rebuilt, as well as the carbs and synchronized etc, my Custom Oil lines were added in Black for a nice offset too, I fitted an oil Pressure gauge to keep the rider informed as to what is going on below.

As you can see, there is plenty going on here, I took a lot of time on the front sprocket cover and I even polished the rear set brackets for a more Custom look too.

Rebuilt and polished Carbs with hand machines velocity stacks from Steel Dragon really help the look of this bike and give it that Nostalgia look and it runs really hard too, there is something about hitting 6 grand on a 750, then you know you are starting to pull like a steam train.

People ask me about my gauges that I create on these inline four machines, and this one is no exception, unless I am restoring a bike, I don’t really care for the Honda’s Gauge faces as they are Green or Blue, not my favorite color of choice to be honest, wished they would of gone Black with White numerals like the Classic British machines, but oh well, so what I do is take the gauges apart and then I fit my Custom faces thats an overlay I print out, then repaint the needle and add chrome cups to embellish the bodys and give it a little more Custom look.

I have always liked to do this and it really does personalize your gauges, this time I went with the Cafe Racer Font and crossed Flags of which I think suit this Motorcycle to a Tee.

You may also notice that I have fitted a 2 inch handle Bar riser, to give a more comfortable riding position and easier strain on the wrists too, then fitted my Relocation bracket on top of the handle bar clamps to clean the top end of the bike up, with a BIG oil pressure Display light to match the Needle ends.

This is one tasty ride, the 4 into one system of mine is Ceramic Coated Silver, its a great look, almost a brushed polished Aluminum look to it, and she barks like a scolded dog when you get on the loud button, you will also noticed I machines a Finned Stabilizer Bar at the rear of the bike and did my usual drilling on the brake hub to let brake dust and heat escape under hard braking.

A lot of time and energy went into creating this machine and the owner really digs it, it is just how he wanted it and am glad that i was able to oblige with his demands.

The Customer wanted Gloss Black Rims with stainless spokes and he really did like the way these turned out on the bike and the attention to detail that I am known for on these inline fours.

I always fit an Oil pressure Gauge, as I do not trust the Honda Pressure switch thats behind the Barrels, so these run great and give true pressure as soon as you fir the bike up, as it is connected to the oil galley plug.

As you can see, New Levers, new Control switches, new Handle Bars, polished triple tree, New cables, New master cylinder and stainless nuts and bolts through out this motorcycle.

A great but solid Motorcycle, with aggression when you want it, reliability for everyday riding, and an awesome stance to give it that moving look standing still, sure does sit well in my stable.

I really did enjoy putting this bike together and felt good to know that I had done all and more than the Customer had asked me about, its one fine steed and I enjoyed slinging my leg over it.

I wanted to share it with you guys and Gals and hope you like what I have created too?

Maybe if you are in Milwaukee area, you might come across the KC Special? if you do, take a snap and send it to me, love to see it again.

 

I’m still a Pencil and Paper designer but todays graphic Artists are pretty cool

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
12 Feb

I have always doodled since I was a youngster, I drew Motorcycles on anything to be honest, be it a Napkin on the table, the school folder or on an opened up chewing gum wrapper.

But todays graphic artists are on another planet, and Garinca Bali from Indonesia is no exception, I came across this Royal Enfield Custom he designed for a competition, and even though I have no idea how the heck that you do something like this, I admire the bloke, what a great skill.

Just thought that I would share today.

Always loved Solid Works etc but this is Art Station and boy you can do all sorts of creations with it.

Clever people that I have always admired, making visual and crisp creations from someone like me who give them a chewing gum wrapper sketch.

I think life would of been very different for me if we had this sort of software at school, but when i was at school all we had was a microfiche LOL!

So, if you are learning this Modern art of designing on a Computer, good on you, I love seeing stuff like this and hope someone can draw up a sketch of mine sometime so i can share it with others on the INTERWEB!

New beginnings for 2022, Looking forward to it.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
10 Jan

The New Year is here, still a crazy world out there and I am not taking any risks to get ill again, I got all my shots, I then caught Covid and then at Christmas got a cold almost as bad as the New Omicron, what a shit start to the year for sure, but- I have got the cold just about beat, still coughing like a badly tuned motor, but I am on the road once more.

For over 20 years I have rented a building for what I do, we all throw away good money on rent and the Landlord is the only person that makes anything out of that, but- this year is all different, about 7 months ago we put in plans for a barn to be built on the 1 acre we have here in La Habra heights. We had to jump through the many hoops and have many inspections, but at last we are now making some great progress.

Once the Concrete slab was laid and left to cure for a whole month, we started to get the Barn ready to go together on Wednesday, the sun was out and the rain storm we had for a week before had gone, this is a really excited time for Carpys Garage and wanted to share some of the build with you.

A great Company that makes steel Barns for many years was the choice that we went for, robust and affordable, a steel skeleton is constructed and bolted with high grade bolts to the Concrete floor, this is a sturdy set up and am glad that we went this route.

I have no idea how I am going to decorate as yet, that all takes time and of course money, but the main thing is to get the workshop put together and then see what I can do to make it my own and have fun creating what I do from the comfort of home. And not a drive to work either.

 

This will indeed be the perfect place for inspiration and dont have to worry about parking, or the street sweeper etc or the Land lord coming by to increase their rent, this is a bitchin set up and super stoked to be doing this.

It is the perfect size for me and although will take a little time to dial in, it will be such a relief to jump out of bed and stroll up the yard to the Barn and begin to make parts or create builds to offer the Customers all over the globe.

I wanted a Red Old style Color Barn as the area we are in has many Ranches etc. And we thought this color will fit right in, hope to find an old Cart Wheel later to add to the side and of course old industrial Lights to mount outside, along with a Cow or Bull skull with Horns.

Lots t do but making great headway and will be a fun project as we go along, some might not understand the importance of your own workshop, but those who do, will really get how stoked I am to be in this situation.

 

Eventually I shall decide on a cool Barn door, as I don’t want just a regular roll up, they are noisy too, so I am looking into a few styles with Jennifer to see what would look good on the front.

It is also a nice wide opening, so I can get my bikes and Hot Rod in there with no issues, the run off is super good if we do get any more of the wet stuff.

Just wanted to share the news with all you lot, I know that a lot of you will be stoked for me and I look forward to making brand new parts here from the countryside of ideas.

Its Bulldog approved now and she will enjoy hanging out again in the garage as she was in many of my shops and loved hanging around in the workshop all day.

So, thanks for reading my little Blog and I will show more of when I have got other stuff finished in the Barn, but good things are happening and many thanks for sticking by me.

 

Thought I would show the New Little CB350RS HONDA that’s out and about, very Nostalgic looking, what do you think?

Another Year awaits, Have Fun Building your Machine

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
29 Dec

Well, what a bloody tough year we have all had, for me it has been crazy, what with moving to another location as well as catching Covid and then on Christmas day catching an awful cold with the same symptoms of Covid but without the temperatures, its been a long battle throughout.  From having some of my suppliers completely closing down due to the Virus to some retiring early, I have had to come up with some more ideas for parts and apparel to have for the coming year we await.

But, the positive side to this awful dilemma we are all facing right now is, we have some time in our garages. sheds or back yards, to turn a wrench, help a mate or give a whole new project a go and take any frustrations out of what’s going on in the world and turn it into a working machine that is yours and yours alone.

I love making parts or building new rides, its a therapy and an escape from life’s woes to be honest, and also there are many many failure before I find something that fits and works as it should, so for those who are trying it on your own, or building your own machine, Failure is a learning curve, we all do it and not only once. I have almost given up on a particular piece I was trying to make, I left if for a day or two and when I head a fresh brain, it all clicked and worked.

Do not be afraid to fail, I have sat and pondered and even been seen to shout at the parts calling it all sorts of names but in the end we managed to come up with a result that we are happy with, the fun is in the creating at most of course, taking your ride out and stretching its legs for the first time is such a thrill and the Euphoria is un measurable, but what I am trying to say is

“Dont Give up”  There are many friends on the internet that can I advise, heck, I even put my phone and text number on my website so people can text me, rather than waiting all weekend for an answer from a company phone, i want to help the best way I can, its not all about sales for me, its Service and the camaraderie of the fellow builder.

I am hoping that this coming 2021, we can all have fun in what we do and maybe even meet at an event or on the tarmac, or at the very least, on the end of the phone of email, there is something self gratifying when you complete something on your own machine and I receive many emails and photos from customers who have really enjoyed creating a unique Motorcycle that they want to personalize for themselves.

Hoping that you can get some time and turn a wrench and have fun with that two wheeled machine of yours and maybe I can help with parts or advice?

Wishing you ALL a very Happy New year that’s almost upon us and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your orders from around the globe, you all Rock!!!!

 

Here is a little video I saw on you tube of a guy with minimal tools rebuilding his little Honda Cub.

A HONDA CB750K I Aptly Named The NUT BASHER

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
10 Dec

I forget to add pics of Motorcycles that I have built over the years and some times I kick my self for not posting anything, but today I will overcome my forgetfulness and add some photos of a fun creation I built using parts that I had around the shop.

 

I wanted to build something that was a cool reference to Cafe Racer styled Motorcycles back in the day but, of course using a later motorcycle but, still early enough to be classes a classic and I started off with a 1971 CB750 Honda four that was just basically a frame, I had a bunch of boxes with parts in them and over time, I started to put a few things together.

I had an old Fiberglass Racing Gas tank that I thought would be just the job, I fitted it to the frame and sat on the bike, immediately crushing my nuts, that’s when the Penny dropped and I thought what an apt name for the bike and thought if I did it in the style of the Norton Logo, this would look pretty Classic.

I chose to go the traditional deep Black Color and then pin line around it in Gold, as that would really give it the 1950’s era British Motorcycle look that went along with Norton, BSA, Triumph and Matchless, as well as the Vincent of course.

 

Now the Gas tank has a Ton Of clear sprayed on it, I had to test fit it to the frame, as I had powder coated the frame Gloss Black and Built the Motor to an 836cc and wedged her back in the chassis, the bike was looking really good and I was happy about this, but now I had to come up with a Classic styled seat unit for the Nut Basher, so I went the whole hog and built one from scratch.

I tried all sorts of ideas until something clicked, but had to thing of a cool way of mounting a tail light and I wanted to have the light incorporated into the seat hump.  I chose to French the rear Led tail light into the cowl, and although it took a full day, it came out really well indeed and was super stoked that I had gone this route on the NutBasher Machine.

It sat on the frame just right and I attached snaps to the sides of the until so I could pull the cover off and get to any documents I need, or remove the seat if I ever needed to quickly, I also made sure there was a ton of clear coat applied just incase I scratched it and could buff it out on final fit etc.

I was super happy with the way the seat unit fitted and the tail light assembly was Classic looking but in fact was an Led stop light that was as bright as Einstein.

I wanted to put a lot of detail into this creation as I knew it would turn many heads where ever it ended up, this Fuel tank held 5.5 Gallons and that made for some great riding, without worrying about running out of squirt, but it sure was bloody heavy once the tank was filled up to the top.

She was a Long and thin Motorcycle that screamed out Nostalgia, it ran hard as nails and breathed really well as it has a hand made 4 into 1 Racing exhaust that was built in less than 3 hours by a Indy Racing mechanic, this would really exit the gases well and have never heard something so mean in all my life.

This was created by a top Indy exhaust builder and designer and he didnt even need the bike to make it, just an upside down engine, it was so cool to see him knock this out.

A sheer work of art and it fitted like a glove too, this was made in Inconel and a one off like this, nobody in the world will have one like this. The material is as I said Inconel  that refers to a family of trademarked high strength austenitic nickel-chromium-iron alloys that have exceptional anti-corrosion and heat-resistance properties. … Burns Stainless recommends Inconel 625 alloy for exhaust systems due to its excellent strength, corrosion resistance and fabricability. And it sure stood up to my fire breathing 836 motor no problems at all.

This is such a nice system, shame to coat it Black but I want the bike to have a lot of Black parts on it, so ceramic coated it will get and I am sure it will look great.

This Motorcycle will not just look fast, it will haul so much arse, it will leave people scratching their heads as it goes by, and the roar from the exhaust will stay with them for a lifetime I should think.

Another thing that I do and nobody ever did back then was, make my own gauge faces, I have created many over the years and this Ton Up machine needed a great set of gauge faces to give the top end of the bike some class too.  So I went with a Roaring Tiger, Synonymous with the 1950’s Triumphs and colorful to say the least.

These are really easy to apply and give your tired old gauges a brand new lease of life, also very unique and personal to your bike, something that I have been very proud of.

I even repaint the needles and add a longer Red line to the end, so you can clearly see where the needle is pointing at speed, also if you look, I have readjusted the configuration of the gauge faces and they digits start at a different position than the stock factory versions.

Not sure that you will notice but, I also changed the 100 to the word TON, which of course means the magic 100 MPH and a milestone in Café Racers back in the day to reach that Golden triple digit. I also added my own Oil Light warning  display of which has a High Beam and Neutral light, just to keep you informed as to what’s going on up top.

The Motor was totally rebuilt, the head was Ported and polished and has an 836 Yoshi kit inside the jugs, this pulled like a steam train and of course, stainless Allen head bolts throughout the whole engine. I also drilled the starter Motor cover and fitted bronze mesh for a cool Look.

Rear Hub got my Custom drilling and Polishing detail, as well as rear brake arm, I sure loved creating this Motorcycle and always enjoy doing my own thing to it.

I machined my own Motor mount to follow the fins of the engine and on ALL motors, I have always run an Alcohol filled Oil Pressure gauge, to give me a true reading of actual engine oil pressure, through the oil galley.

Cerakoted exhaust system looks great against the Silver and Polished Aluminum of the inline four engine, I used Italian rear sets to give this bike a wee bit more aggressive stance when you are sat upon it. I sell many pairs of these and dead easy to fit, they function so well and smooth, I try and use these on the majority of my creations.

All clean and new, this bike ran so well, it was like a new wrist watch to be honest and sure do miss this Beast of a Motorcycle, but enjoyed every minute building it.

Rear sets look pretty darn cool, I drilled and polished the sprocket cover too, for that Racy look and give it a little more Bling, personal choice but I have fun doing that.

The Grips you may find to be from somewhere else, and you would be right, I used Original 1970’s Schwinn Bicycle grips, put them in Boiling water and then pushed them onto the handlebars, they fitted snug as a bug when they cooled down and look great and flow with the piggy back shock reservoir’s.

 

A tall drink of water for sure, running on 18 inch rims and Bridgestone tires, a Combination I have used many many times, these have great grip in all weather but of course, have a nice Classic tread pattern too.

I have always been a fan of how this bike has sat, she looks ready to race off down the road from any angle, I also made sure that the front fender sat tightly to the tire.

I also removed the fender stays to clean the look up at front and I think that it works well, I hand drilled the front rotor and you can see much polishing of Aluminum was done to give this bike some class.

There really is a lot of detail that you will not notice at first but hope you like what I have done, we are all different and have many styles we like, but I get a lot of emails about this build and thought that it was time that I shared it with you lot.

I should of made a mold of the gas tank as I really liked that shape, even with the Chin Divot at the front of the tank, that goes back to the early TT days and stream lining.

Everything redone, even machines the Oil Filter Housing to give it some fins, a thoroughly pleasing to the eye motorbike that I am quite proud of creating.

Thanks for looking at The Nut Basher, I hope you liked what I have done to this old inline Four Honda and I continue to build and make parts for these 500 pounders.

Thank you for reading about this bike, if I can help you with Parts, Service or just if you are stuck, you can email or text me. carpy@carpyscaferacers.com carpysgarage@aol.com or TEXT 714-598-8392

A New Year is almost upon us, what does it bring to the people in the two wheeled world?

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
05 Dec

Sitting in my office, looking at the fog bank rolling in across the front of the window, reminds me of years gone by when I was back in England, I had an old garage that was built in the 1960’s, the doors were missing and I shared the area with 9 other garages, closed in by a wall and agate, the Fog would roll in just like today and I continued to work on one of my projects, be it a 2 or 4 wheeled model and just shrug the weather off.  Today the Fog is surrounding me but I have been fortunate to have an office now and as I type this, the New Concrete slab that has just been poured for my new workshop, is hardening and hopefully in a months time, the steel Barn can be constructed and give me a new chapter in my life of Building and manufacturing parts for Motorcycles and Hot Rods.

This Covid Virus has really turned the globe on its head and many times I have heard news of friends and family catching this awful strain, I too submitted to it, even with 2 shots, but, the world is now evolving and in a way, getting used to life with a mask and Social distancing.  I mean, Life has to go on, we have to live, survive and of course put bread on the table.

I see a few companies starting back up, albeit on a smaller scale, but we have to carry on and get back on track, and not look back at the sad and painful year or so that has gone by.  I am getting enquiries on commissioned builds but am not ready to commit to contracts on these until I know where I am with my New Workshop etc. and want to take my time to equip the barn with the tools I need to do what I do.

But, 2022 is just around the next apex and I can see it approaching a bit faster now, I see a way better year ahead for all thank god and look forward to attending some shows and exhibitions etc. to show people New parts, builds and also just Human Communication, something I do miss of course, without communication, I have no input into what people like, want or are hoping to see in our two wheeled family and with the new Year offering hope with Vaccinations and the like, I believe that we can slowly get back into gear and enjoy the hobby that we all love.

 

I love all Motorcycles and really enjoy chatting to other builders, some of who simply knock my socks off with their own creations that leave my proverbial jaw continually slammed on the ground in amazement of their skills and creativity.

I think that as a builder and manufacturer, we all feed off input and the importunateness of shows and meetings etc. is Vital in the industry that we are in, and looking forward to attending a few shows next year, even if its just to stretch my creativity legs so to speak.  I really do enjoy talking with Customers about their needs and what makes their crank turn and even though I still receive many phone calls and emails, its always great to see the Client in person.

So, here’s to a way better year and look forward to seeing some of you on the tarmac, always great to hear from you all and get an idea of what you are creating at home.

TV show with great Motorcycle in it.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
16 Nov

 

Grantchester is a British TV series set in a Cambridgeshire village in the 1950s, where an Anglican vicar named Sidney Chambers — a former WWII Scots Guard officer — helps an overworked Detective Inspector Georgie Keating solve local crimes.
Now, I grew up not far from here, 30 miles away to be exact, and to see the Villages and towns etc. that I blasted through with my mates on our Cafe Motorcycles when I was a teenager, well- it brings back so many fun and fond memories to be honest.
East Anglia has not changed too much in the rural parts, many Villages are still the same and that’s why this series is great as many places have stood still in time, making for a Director of TV shows, to have to worry less about locations as its all there and not many props needed to give it that Nostalgic feel.
I think the Motorcycle is an A7 with different year BSA parts added to give it a Rocket-Goldie look, and to me, that’s so cool to build something out of parts, we all referred them as  “BITZA’S” when we were Teenagers bits of this and bits of that.  Love this Cafe  Racer Motorcycle and hope you lot do too????
This is a great series to watch on Netflix as we have been watching an episode every evening, But season 6 is the best for me because of the BSA the Vicar rides. So, if you have some spare time and not sure what to watch on the One eyed Monster, give Grantchester a try, it is a great series and am sure many of you will enjoy it as much as we have and still do.
GRANTCHESTER
The vicar’s intuitive techniques complement the inspector’s more methodical approach. Issues such as racism, Soviet espionage, civil rights, and domestic abuse are brought to the fore. From season 4 onward, Chambers is replaced with Reverend William Davenport (actor Tom Brittney), a former inner-city chaplain who listens to rock-n-roll and rides a motorcycle.
Our kind of vicar! Said Brittney of his character: “I represent this sort of youth coming in at the end of the ’50s – the rock ‘n’ roll, leather-jacket-wearing, motorbike-riding, Elvis-listening people…”
“The motorcycle looks like a ’50-’52 ZB Gold Star. Motor, tank, exhaust, most of the stuff looks kosher.”
Has a ‘custom’ dual seat, I think the plunger model (it’s not a rigid frame) only came with a sprung single seat and optional bum pad. Has twin clocks but on the only timing side pictures I could find, there doesn’t appear to be any tacho drive on the timing cover and no apparent tacho cable.”
However, the Gold Star was a single-cylinder, and the vicar’s BSA is most definitely a twin. To us, it looks more like a mid-50s modified BSA A7, which featured a swinging arm frame, hotter cam, around 30 hp, and a top speed of 90 mph.
Unfortunately, Grantchester’s production team doesn’t particularly interested in two-wheeled authenticity, as the sound clips never seem to match a BSA engine note, and there are other issues, too.
 “Did you see the episode where he starts the bike without kick-starting?”
“God works in mysterious ways.”
Actor Tom Brittney had actually never ridden a motorcycle prior to this role and had to learn for the series. In an interview with TVWW, he says he was terrified at first… “I never, never ever thought I’d be on one …. When you are going 70 miles per hour down a motorway, that does not feel natural. I did start getting the bug for it, and I did start probably going a lot faster than I should have.”
I really enjoyed the series, I think we have 3 episodes left, so I hope that they continue to make more episodes from a part of the Country I rode many many times and it makes me smile every time I see the bike fire up.
Thanks for reading my little Blog about this TV series, you should be able to see this on many media streams, from You Tube to NETFLIX and great Music and lots of Nostalgia in the whole Series.

Girls and their Machines

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
13 Nov

I have written all sorts of Blogs on two wheeled machines but I am trying to share more info on the Amazing Women that ride Motorcycles too, I have a few Girl friends that ride and I couldn’t keep up with them, they need recognition, and a little insight to how and what made them have an interest into these 2 wheeled internal combustion engine machines.

I hope to feature some Girl riders more regularly, and with any luck they can tell me and you in their own words, what makes them tick, I don’t think there is anything cooler than a Girl on a bike, and my very own Girlfriend rides a Bonneville and has an old 550 Honda, as well as an 883 Sportster.

Below is a friend of mine that was a real Motorcycle enthusiast when I was in London, and still is as mad about two wheeled machines today. Karen Stephenson is an awesome Motorcycle aficionado and is handy with a Spanner and a paint brush.

Here is her explanation of what got her interested into the same scene I am into.

Originally from Canada, it took moving to England to awaken my passion for classic British bikes.

I moved there for work and was introduced to ’60s Triumphs and the Rocking scene.

I would go down to the 59 Club every month and go on the Rockers runs down to Brighton.

If ever there was a rockers do, I would be there. My first bike was a 1957 BSA bantam D1 which I rode from London to the south of France and back after one day’s training on a learner’s license. After that “on the road training” I went back to Canada to get my full motorcycle license.

Upon my return to England I bought a 1968 Triumph Tiger 90. I soon realized that the Tiger 90 was too small so my boyfriend at the time and I upgraded the engine to a Tiger 100.

I loved that bike. That started a passion in me that continues to this day. I have now had many Triumphs and a Triton and some Guzzis and a Ducati Monster. But the constant has always been a Triumph.

 

Work took me back to Canada 11 years later and I am now back to building Triumphs again and have just finished a 1969 Tiger 100 from basket cases and I’m just starting to build a 1963 Bonneville from scratch.

I think I will be riding triumphs until I have to trade it in for a Zimmer frame. Even so, I may put Triumph handlebars and a headlamp on it. Haha

Thats so cool that Karen is still building her Motorcycles and has as much passion now as she had back then.

How about a trifecta of ladies on their Ton Up Machines, awesome photograph taken back home.

There has always been something cool seeing girls and their bikes, especially when they are in full stride in kicking the motor over to hear it scream into life.

Karen does her own wrenching, so saves all that Labor money that garages and the like love to charge and she has built many Motorcycles over the years. A very talented Lady.

Its been many years since I have owned a pair of Black leather Gauntlets, but the British weather always called for them before the slimline fancy stuff was available, nice to see Karen donning the same style like I had for years.

What a Brilliant Photograph right here, these triplets are not to be messed with. Karen’s Jacket is so typical of the attire many of us wore with all them badges of honor and key fobs, love it. A really fun photo that I wish we could all see some more of.

Cannot get enough of these Nostalgic Photos of Karen and her steeds and hope you lot are enjoying as much as me? And am hoping that we get a lot more Ladies sending in their photos of them and their Mean Machines.

This photo is how I remember seeing Karen when I was going to an event like the Rockers reunion etc, a classic look and style and will be loved for ever. I do not know who took the photo but am forever grateful for them as its a Timeless shot that has travelled the globe many times for people to admire.

How many of us have done this over time? I know I sure have, I remember the ride to Hemsby on my little BSA Bantam or when I rode my T100 in rain and wind all the way to the east coast, no money to stop and stay somewhere nice, but I could pull in and find some shelter and lay on the bike to get some well earned rest, love this photo Karen.

Karen lives back in Canada and maybe we can pop in and see her when we get to travel more again, she is a super person and a very talented Mechanic and artist.

So, if you have a Wife, Girlfriend, Partner etc that rides MotorCycles, then drop me a line with some pics and lets do a blog on them, as I love to see as many girls on the road as possible.

 

 

 

carpy@carpyscaferacers.com  OR at carpysgarage@aol.com

 

 

Time and Tide wait for no Man or Woman

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
22 Oct

No matter what is going on in the world, one thing remands the same, and that is the ticking Clock, she will always continue to grind away 24-7 and I am vert aware at times of that as deadlines come up real fast when yo are a small business, but, there is nothing better than being your own boss, so that out weighs the stress and difficulties that we all endure at times in the trade that we are in. Time to get on my Bike and start to design some New parts for you all.

Things are changing for me and not long to go until I get my Own Brand New Workshop/Barn, exciting times for sure and look forward to spending some quality time in there and banging away at some projects that I must get completed my self. Sometimes I need to Police my self to get things finished, but a New Workshop is something to keep you Motivated that’s for sure.

I have just made up a bunch of Braided Hose Oil Lines and Braided brake lines, one piece and 2 piece front brake lines to cover any of your builds and continue to make and design more parts for the inline four, as well as other makes too. Have fun on your Machines this weekend everybody.

 

 

 

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