Formula 1 Livery CB750 SS Honda Project

Well, I have been playing about with the F1 project and have decided to fit the good old Rocket 4 seat assembly and then upholster the seat with traditional style snaps, just to show the times of yesteryear and the old school seat set ups of the day.

I am happy with the way it looks and it feels super comfy.plus your legs do not foul the air induction side scoops of which I really like now and want to try and represent some of the Ferrari’s styling, I still need to get all the body work wrapped but locating a company that knows what I am on about is not easy, my guy I use has flaked so its off to find someone who wants my money.

I will be looking forward to firing this old girl up and taking her for a spin about where I live as it was made for Motorcycles as we have miles of winding roads with off cambered corners and chicanes etc, this will be a blast to ride.

I went with a 17 LED stop tail light to give people lots of warning that this machine is there and again, give an old look with modern internals and this really does suit the bike, I still have to fashion a license plate bracket under it but thats later on.

Starting to look like a Classic Motorbike again and got plenty of hand waves and beeps from people driving by over the weekend, so that’s something positive eh?

I’m getting closer each time I do something and I believe the only hang up will be down to the graphic company, if I can’t find one that can do the job them I will have to paint it and letter it by hand and thats a time consuming job but we shall see.

Just thought I would do a little blog to let you know what I have been doing lately and hope you are enjoying the build????

Working on Projects in the Barn

Time does not stand still and I now have all sorts of work to do but glad that I still get many emails, Phone Calls and of course texts, asking about builds, parts, service or idea’s etc, I love what I do and even though I really have had not had the time to build cabinets and work benches , I have enough to get by and get a few projects sorted out.

A lot to do and still get some what organized in the Barn, I will move my Model A Roadster out and start to get myself in work mode as quite a few things I have to do in here and its sure nice after 22 years doing this, I am still popular with the Public all across the globe.

You may remember The Red Devil I created about 2006, it got in a wreck when we were out riding about 13 years ago, and now it is time to fully rebuild this Old Caff Machine that has done many miles over the years and to resurrect this to a Tarmac eating two wheeled Monster will be a challenge but I am up for it.

This will be a frame off build and will be taking the old girl completely apart and will remove the paint from the frame and powder coat a Gloss Black, but keep the rims RED as its a great offset for this bike and nobody was really doing it when I did this back in the day.  I’m keep the tank but need to repair it as it has some damage from the crash, there must of been 100 Yards of Oil on the road when she slid on her left side when a Pick Up truck slammed into it on a off ramp from the freeway right in front of me.  Poor lad had a bad leg for a long time but now, years later, he is looking forward to a revamped Red Devil Motorcycle.

But I am looking forward to turning a few wrenches and creating some unique rides, the RED Devil will take some time But I have the Super Sport to finish next and then once I am happy with that, I shall offer it up for sale.

The Milwaukie Special will get a Full RED and White Paint job and will be quite the head turner, with great 4 into 2 exhausts and a fully rebuilt motor, this will scoot along quite happily, anywhere around the USA, as its had tons of work done, from the painted frame to the hand drilled rotors, this is quite a work of art that I really enjoyed creating.

All sorts of motorcycles in the shop now and of course the Mint 550 Supersport is always a lovely sight for sore eyes, as well as the 883 Sportster I am building too that will eventually buzz around here on the twisting roads that we are lucky to have we we live.

A Lot of 750 Bikes too in the stable with more to come, I hope to be creating a few cool rides and then offer them up for sale, I love building Motorcycles and am quite happy when I get to use my creative juices and try and build something interesting.

It will be a busy year here at the workshop and looking forward to building these and making some interesting inline four Custom bikes for people to really have fun with.

This old Girl is an old Drag bike that was built in the mid 1970’s, but may be transplanting it into the RED Devil if the Mill is OK as have no idea if she will run, but this is no ordinary engine, this is a RC COBRA Engine, with extended Cam towers and an RC Engineering Exhaust, along with an ARD Magneto and a set of smooth Bore Mikunis.  So before I get too crazy in stripping this old bike, I will need to get her going, this is a long term build but I hope I can get her to run again.

 

CB500 HONDA Cafe Racer Fired up with Gas tank back on

It is always a nervous time when you get something ready to ride and has not run in many decades and, it was back in the UK when it did run.  So many things can be wrong with it as no history to compare too etc, but, I fitted the Fiberglass Bimota gas tank and seat, poured in 97 Octane Gas and fired her up.

The Clutch was seized up as I thought it may of, sitting for many years unused will do that, I have had many bikes and cars for that matter with the same issue, I always start in neutral or fire up with clutch in and front brake locked on, just to see if she is seized on the plates etc.

I was super stoked to sling my leg over this machine and wait for the clunk! -As I pushed the rear set into first gear, she pulled away fine and I eased the bike out onto the road and went through the gears, all seems fine, although rear brake needs adjusting quite a bit but front did make up for it seeing it is now a double disc front set up.

I turned the bike around after about half a mile and rode it about a mile up the twisting tarmac to the the junction and pulled over, just to check on things, all was good, so I gave it some beans coming back as I wanted to see if she pulled harder and also, if she took a crap- Well I could roll home on momentum etc.

All was good and I see one clutch cover drip but need to change the oil, even though its clean, I like to know its all gone through etc.

The bike was quite responsive and I am happy with the way she rides, but I’m 50 pounds heavier than I was when I used to ride these back in the UK, although that didnt matter as teenager memories of my early days of Cafe Racer riding flooded back like a burst dam.

The weather was perfect today for riding this 50 year old inline Four and I bonded to this machine right away, laying on the tank was easy as I have my own Belly Airbag now but the feeling of Euphoria was immense as I went through the gears and felt the little 500 pick up speed, as these bikes really are a force to be reckoned with.

A bit more to do on the old Girl, Like New Throttle cables as right now it has just One and the idle will creep up a little and I prefer that snappy throttle with a return cable to be honest, also I want to adjust and Oil the chain and change the oil, it has rebuilt carbs now and New plugs and good gas and a New battery so we should be good.

A happy Medium for now but I will improve a few things later, better looking headlight and signals for sure and I need some bar end mirrors to see if anyone is chasing me lol.  Taking this out for its first time running in the USA was a brilliant feeling, like anything that has never run for years, there is always trepidation but I overcome that by clunking into first and whilst the beads of nervous sweat dribbled down my forehead, all disappeared in a roar of 4 stroke exhaust and I was Barry Sheene Once more.

 

 

New set of frame Hoops made and banging out other parts too.

Well, time and tide wait for no man, woman or child for that matter, I have been flat out as of late and will be busy for some time to come for sure, albeit in the Barn designing a few different exhausts and parts etc.  Fun times ahead and I hope to try a few different brands of machines as well, a kaleidoscope of colors in parts and a good sprinkling of new tools to help you work on your ride easier.

Many people email all the time carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or at carpysgarage@aol.com with questions on their build and what they can do to get the motorcycle running a little better.  I try and help the best way that I can, I have been doing this for more years than I can remember but we are all a big combustion engine family and, if I can help, I feel great for making someone’s day.

So, today I made a bunch of round steel Flat Frame Hoops, I have sold over 500 of these and needed to make a load more once more as I was almost out of stock, these are all mandrel bent and I make them long, that way you can cut and get the look you require easier.

Tomorrow I shall continue to bang out some of these frame hoops, but this time I shall be bending the versions that have the 22 degree kick up, as I only have 3 of them left in my inventory, so I will be quite busy for some time and hope to be offering a few more parts on the website to help you get your creation on the road.

So stay tuned as there may be a part you are looking for and I make these right here, not in China, not in India and Not in Taiwan, all made in California USA.

I Always want to thank you for ordering from me, I have been running my business here in SoCal for 22 years and it just get more enjoyable every year, I get people come up to me where ever we are in the world and say, hey! Arnt you that guy who builds the bikes in California? I am always blown away by that.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me and my products, it means a lot.

Peace N grease

Carp

 

 

A HONDA CB750K I Aptly Named The NUT BASHER

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

I have been invited as a 20 year Long term builder for the Sturgis Exhibition this year in August.

Well, with everything going on right now, I need a little pick me up and a little while ago I was invited as a long term Builder to exhibit a Motorcycle I am building from scratch, to display at the Buffalo Chip at Sturgis this year- but, with the Pandemic, everyone was held up in a way that would make it very difficult to create and head turning Motorcycle by August.

So- the Organiser Michael Lichter has decided to make this Sturgis deal and 2 year exhibition called heavy Mettle. And this year all builders will be showing motorcycles the created years ago and I thought would be neat , is taking Bass Player of Greenday “Mike Dirnt” Caff bike I created for him back in 2006, and hopefully its still in one piece after all them years as Mike likes to ride pretty hard when he gets time to go out etc.

I wont receive it at my place until the end of the week, and as 14 years has passed, I am sure it will need a little bit of clean up but it will show this bike is used and I hope I do the Cafe, Brat and Metric Motorcycle builders out there, justice at what I created all those years ago.

I am excited to at least show this old Ton up machine that I built from parts around the garage when Mike Came to see me back then and then later Next year will bring the bike I am staring to create for the show, but thats a long way off from being completed and am glad we get this opportunity to continue building for next years show.

I am going to put the information for Sturgis below, just in case anybody is attending this year and want to see a little something different and creative.

So-here is the information about Sturgis as I am hoping that some of you may be able to make this show and see some creative Builders that have been around for Donkeys years LOL! Seems like it anyway.

 

 

So I am going to take Mike Dirnt of Greenday ,Cafè bike to Sturgis.

It arrives from Oakland Thursday so I can clean it up, I built that back in 2006.

 

Heavy Mettle” Exhibit to Feature Legendary Builders Who Have Withstood the Test of Time
See Dozens of Machines Built by Master Builders for Motorcycles As Art Exhibit Curated by Michael Lichter
Who:You and your friends!
What:Heavy Mettle Exhibit
When:Saturday, Aug. 8 – Friday, Aug. 14, 2020 – 2-10 p.m.
Where:Buffalo Chip Event Center Near the East Gate
Why:See this one-time collection of world-class custom motorcycles built by the most legendary builders in the industry.
How:It’s FREE to the public! Get there however you can.
Many motorcycle builders come and go. Economic downturns and fickle twists and turns of moto fads can yield a new crop of talent each year, only for those names to become forgotten by the onset of the next trend.

Those with metal-lined backbone and character strong enough to buck trends have earned their legendary status and a fair amount of recognition. During the 80th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, you’ll have the opportunity to see 38 of these builders display a motorcycle in the style of their choosing in the Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s 2020 Motorcycles as Art exhibit titled “Heavy Mettle: Motorcycles and Art with Moxie.”

In addition, this one-time collection will give you the chance to see photographs captured by exhibit curator and legendary motorcycle lifestyle photographer Michael Lichter over his 40-plus-year career on the walls of the exhibit hall.

The exhibit is free and open to the public at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip Event Center from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 through Friday, Aug. 14, 2020.

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Heavy Mettle: Motorcycling With Moxie will feature a collection of custom motorcycles from 38 of the world’s most celebrated builders that’ll show you the spectrum of history and possibilities inherent in custom motorcycling. Without a theme to guide the builds themselves, you will see the world’s most legendary builders shine in their particular niche of custom motorcycle building that’s made them a household name in a world-class gallery setting.

In order to secure an invitation to join this show, builders must have completed at least 20 custom builds and been in business for at least 20 years. Faced with the knowledge that half of all businesses fail in the first five years, it is evident these motorcycle aficionados have fought hard to become successful and legendary well beyond the confines of the industry.

You’ll be able to get an up-close view from every angle as each bike is individually lit and displayed atop elevated pedestals spread throughout the hall.

Every bike you’ll see in the display will be built specifically for this show. This means in many cases you’ll be one of the first in the world to lay eyes on them.

MEET THE CUSTOM BUILDERS
The list of custom motorcycle builders scheduled to present their masterpieces at the 2020 “Motorcycles as Art” exhibit include:

Arlin Fatland

Bill Dodge

Billy Lane

Brian Klock

Carl Olsen

Chica Chikazawa

Cole Foster

Cory Ness

Dave Perewitz

Don Hotop

Donnie Smith

Eddie Trotta

Fred Cuba

Fred Kodlin

Jeff Cochran

Jerry Covington

Jim Nasi

Kaichiroh Kurosu

Ken Nagai

Kiwi Mike Thomas

Lou Falcigno

Mondo Poras

Pat Patterson

Paul Cox

Paul Wideman

Paul Yaffe

Richard Pollock

Rick Fairless

Roland Sands

Ron Finch

Russell Mitchell

Shinya Kimura

Steg Von Heintz

Steve Carpenter

Sugar Bear

Tomo Matsumura

The list of custom motorcycle builders scheduled to present their masterpieces at the 2020 “Motorcycles as Art” exhibit .

Saturday and busier than heck

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

Always here to help if you get stuck on a project at home.

Well, with all this lock down around the globe, people are getting bored, but- on a good note, people are getting into their long term projects and want to finish it in this time that we all have at the moment, so as of late, I have been running around like a headless chicken . Trying to fill orders, answer emails and texts as well as phone orders and questions, and try and build a bike and design parts, its all going a wee but mad but, I continue to push hard and try and come up with new parts etc.

I am going to be making braided oil Lines for the 77 and 78 CB750 as they are  longer than the other models , so in a few days you can look out for them and maybe help me and pass the word that more products will be coming out of the shop soon.

Once all this pandemic settles down and we are all healthy and back on track with life, I shall shall continue to make parts for Motorcycle and Hot Rods and some other services I may be offering too, so keep checking back on the blogs at least, as I try to be your one stop shop, many follow but I really have a passion for this and I push hard every day in what I do and hope that you like what I am making these days for your machine.

 

I am hoping to be manufacturing more exhaust systems and may delve into a few more Models too, as I seem to be getting quite a few inquiries into other Honda’s and system styles, so there is something I am now looking in to and will of course share any news as and when I am ready to share with you lot.

I love all sorts of machines, this was My Ducati that i should of kept, boy what a fun toy that was to blap around the twisties here in California.

If you need anything, just drop me a line at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com and I will do my hardest to help out or even just advise, thats what I am here for and maybe steer you in the right direction if you get a little of course in your build etc.

The main thing is to have fun, we have all been there at times of the crossroads, just as you think you are making headway, there is always a fork in the road, or an obstacle that you do not think you will be able to get around, so just drop me a line, call or even Text me, and I will be here to try and help you out of your dilemma. 714-598-8392

 

 

 

Time to kick back and listen to some sounds whilst you work in your Garage

Well, Saturday, its here at last, not sure what you lot are up to but I have been flat out with orders for Customers as many people are trying to get some of their long term projects done whilst they have a little down time.

Thought I would share what sort of tunes that I like to listen to, some you may like, some you may not, but at least you have a little insight to what turns my dial.

Below is the delta Bombers, a superb band that have taken the Globe by storm.

Another Killer band is Al & The Dampers, with his husky voice, this Bopping band is all killer and no filler.

And who cannot resist Bottle Neck Blues?