Spirit Racer – Hedonic Triumph Thruxton R

Posted on December 18, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

18 Dec

The Custom Motorcycle creations that are turning out today is so far advanced than back in the day as we have so many good machines from Water jet cutters to 10 axis CNC machines that can design , print and shape pretty much anything that you can pull out of your mind and install in Machine coding to its control box.

Still, you of course will still need the skill set to be able to achieve just some of these processes, and when you look at today’s builds, not only is the engineering so smooth, the tolerances for detail are even finer.

So, take for instance, the factory Triumph Thruxton R motorcycle, I mean, it is the quintessential Cafe style motorbike that Triumph them selves have re-invented and added everything you need for modern comfort and of course ride ability. When the Thruxton R first came out here in the states, I was one of the earliest test riders of this model here and I was amazed at the way it handled, looked, felt and of course, reacted when I gave its neck a bit of a squeeze.

The Perfect bike, nothing needed I thought to myself, but when you then give one of these thoroughbred motorcycles to a French Motorcycle company named Hedonic of which means.

Definition of hedonic

1: of, relating to, or characterized by pleasure

2: of, relating to, or characterized by hedonism

The Creator of this head turning machine is French Man Serge Heitz and he has made a number of head turning master pieces over time and this time he wanted to make sure you looked more than once when you see this Triumph Thruxton R heading towards you.

About 90 minutes from Bordeaux , the workshop is equipped with everything you require to fabricate steel to alloy and they sure know how to handle that.

Any Motorcycle created by Hedonic will get so much attention to detail, you will be gobsmacked for at least half an hour when you see a finished product come rolling out of their doors.

The bikes curvy Fairing, swooping lines of the Belly Pan and side covers and also the curvature of the Bobbed front Mudguard, are all hand made from Aluminum, with well over 150 hours of kneeling, banging, smoothing and hand massaging these components to the bike that you would think Rolls Royce engineers were creating this.

The Aluminum parts were all hand rubbed for that brushed look to show the quality of the material and see no cheating had occurred, this is simply a work of art and so pleasing to the eye.

The front end is ample enough for the roads of anywhere to be honest but Serg was not happy keeping it stock and wanted to put a twist to the front end of the bike by fitting a Yamaha YZF R6 front end, no easy task, no plans and some careful measurements and patience paid off.

The Rims were changed in favor of 16 inch items and a set of Firestone square edged champion style tires were fitted, not everybody likes these but I personally do, albeit they handle like crap but look so thick and fill the bike out.

Custom Clip ons were made with some very cool touches such as integrated brake master cylinder and clutch cable and wear inverted levers. To slim down the bike’s proportions the factory indicators have been replaced by tiny LED units mounted to the fairing and rear wheel hugger.

Under that Fairing is a custom triple tree along with some Moto gadget instruments, the whole top end is cleaned up and just shows the quality of the french man and his team can do.

The Engine is just under 100 horses and ample enough for anyone to get into trouble with but a cool set of exhausts were made with Turbine rear caps to finish this Futuristic look off to a tea.

The Brown Leather seat unit is a nice touch and I look forward to seeing a few write ups in magazine on this European Machine as it has so many cool angles that just flow, it would be nice to see more about it.

Just wanted to share this with you today and hope you liked it half as much as I did, what a fun machine, something I would love to take out for a blap.

BMW R9T Redesigned onto a tough looking Scrambler by 2 Loud in Taiwan

Posted on December 17, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

17 Dec

Morning’ Here at Carpy’s Garage I often sit and look at other superb designs by other shops and people etc and spread the word on such builds, and this Scrambler below is exactly what I mean when people think way out of the proverbial box, such a great job in re-creating something that was great on the road, but this is a new level of Motorcycle design and building that has become so popular, had to write up about this BMW, as it has many hours of thought, sweat, tears and am sure scraped knuckles in bringing this old Heavyweight back into the ring.

So, when you think of the good old Beemer, there are a few things that pop int your mind, first off, I think, Expensive, then I think of Comfort, after that I think of Smooth riding, then its weight and of course, its just for the Tarmac.

But check out the ultra cool work that the Company 2 Loud, which are based in far off New Taipei, where the heck is that I hear some of you ask?

New Taipei is a special municipality and the most populous city in Taiwan. Located in northern Taiwan, the city includes a substantial stretch of the island’s northern coastline and surrounds the Taipei …

Germany are one of the best engineering countries when it comes to reliable Motorcycle engines, The BMW R nineT was developed by the German marque as a modern version of the now iconic R90, with heaps of Torque and smooth linear power transfer, this BMW machine was intended to shrug off the enduring image of BMW bikes as staid and utilitarian.

2 Loud is a rather well known Motorcycle and apparel company based out in Taiwan and has created some uniqe machines over the years, so the owner Max Ma always enjoys a challenge in creating something that will stand out amongst the now popular Scrambler and Brat style machines that now seem to pop up in every corner of this world.

Max was heavily influenced by their Japanese counter parts, as they are closer to Taiwan than the UK and his passion for their machines grew over the years, gaining experience with these bikes by owning and rebuilding them.

Max and his Crew are known for their attention to detail on anything that they fabricate and this is testament to all their creations with this BMW.

Taiwanese traffic regulations are notoriously pedantic, so max often finds himself trying to balance visual appeal and practicality with the fine letter of the law, of which is very hard to pull off, so glad that here in California that we do not have all the BS that the traffic division have enforced over there in Taiwan, and Max had to pull all the tricks he knew to make this Custom creation look amazing, yet keep old Mr Plod off of them constantly sending fines in the mail for their non conforming Motorcycle.

The 1200cc Engine needs nothing in regards to a total rebuild, these horizontally opposed twin cylinder behemoths are lavishly equipped with a 6 speed gearbox, Dry clutch and super soft suspension, so it just needs a reconfiguration of other modern parts from different machines to turn this build into what it is you see now and boy what a superb build.

Also, with a 110bhp, this alloy Mill does not hang about and, with a top speed of 135 mph, its not to be taken to lightly in the power and speed division, unless you have owned one of these German power plants, it is hard to believe that these will produce this sort of speed and power, but, they are really a sheep in wolfs clothing.

When the build began, the first thing to go on Ebay was the stock bulky Gas tank, I mean, that thing could hold more gas than a Proffesional farter, so what was done after that tank was removed was a new one off was beaten out of a piece of flat steel, then an Alloy cover was fabricated and laid over it, making the tank more streamlined and showing off the lines of the chassis that the Germans are so good at engineering.

Max liked the original wheel, so these were simply stripped and powder coated then they wrapped the rims with chunky Pirelli MT60RS tires front and back and the old suspension was completly changed for a high quality set up made by Gears Racing H2P with two-way damping adjustment, an active valve piston, and spring pre-load adjustment.

The mill its self was gone through and although minimal wear, anything that needed to be replaced was done right there, then using a special High temperature paint, the engine was given the Stealthy look with a deep Black finish and this really does set off the engine in the frame.

A stainless steel exhaust system was begging to be fabricated for this monster and right there, Max and his team designed and created this really nice Brushed Stainless system with bigger header tubes that flow so nicely into a set of hand rolled Megaphones, this gives the Beemer its distinctive Bark, a tone that is never often equaled to any high end system these days.

I personally loved the unique hand fabbed Megaphone hangers, to me they remind me of Aerospace design and a great way to hang these beauties on the bike to show off.

A New ARCH Finned Oil cooler was added to keep this running 15 Percent cooler and give it some more styling to boot, as well as adding Brand New K&N High Performance and deep breathing filters to make sure these keep that engine running smoothly and of course efficiently.

The original brake, indicator, and headlight were removed and replace with much lower profile alloy indicators with a MS Pro aluminum alloy CNC-cut tail light, and a 4.5” headlight finished with chrome embellishment, the Upside down forks are a tough addition with a wide stance and aggressive stance and the great thing about the whole concept of this motorcycle is durability.

The Hand made rear sub-frame was handled in house and suits the new hand fabricated seat thats lavishly upholstered in Leather.

Take a look at these lines, they all flow and the bike has taken on a completely different guise, so much in fact, you would have to do a double take to make sure this is a BMW, of course the opposed Jugs protruding out like a baby bird sticking its neck out of an egg is a quick indication what motor this is but what a great piece of eye candy.

What I really like about this Master Piece is that the bike is a universal machine, meaning that this can haul as much Arse as it wants on the tarmac but also this bike is more than happy to go onto other terrain, soaking up bumps and rocks like it was Born on an enduro track.

So I guess in a way a Custom Dual Sport for the want of a better word., and me being in the 59 Club would love to take this to a meet and see what the club members think, as I am sure it would be a thumbs up all around.

Many people have owned these machines and this has been quite largely customized all over the world, but- This I personally think is the best conversion I have seen of this big 1200cc monster machine and sure hope I get to see it one day.

There is not many that would even tackle a New gas tank made from scratch and I am glad that the subtle white pinstripes that run around the New Gas tank is very reminiscent of the original Toaster style tanks of the day, showing a little-Albeit Subtly, the Heritage of BMW. Another thing that of course you cannot notice is, under that hand crafted Gas tank is some major components that are needed to make sure this Motorcycle lives and breathes, So, max incorporated very cleverly, the 2 Computer boxes, also the ABS unit needed to be rehoused, and the Gas Pump too is no easy task to re-fit and of course the mechanical cables had to be re-routed and hidden, a tremendous task that Max and his team managed to pull off and you would never know.

Hand made Handlebars have the reminiscent styling of the good old Scrambler days, thus hiding the control wires and cables inside for a cleaner look and using high quality Brembo Master Cylinders really gives this a bike to be ridden hard but knowing this will stop in a safe controlled manner. The handlebar height is perfect for the right stance to make this a comfortable ride, unkike many back breaking styles that I have ridden, these look like they would be able to keep me riding comfortably for many hours.

So, all in all a very unique Motorcycle that deserves one of my Longest Blogs in a little while, and being Sunday, it was a pleasure to type out in the comfort of home, living in La Mirada we are blessed with riding weather and think today we shall make the most of it and take our Triumphs out to stretch their necks out, but how much fun would it be to take this unique Scrambler out and get it through its paces on the winding roads and dirt tracks that are splattered all over Southern California.

Have a great Sunday and hope you can ride some time today or during the week, Motorcycles are my life and love to share anything I see or locate and hope that you enjoyed reading about this Big BMW Scrambler, it sure was a great time putting this together on my Sunday off.

Christmas is just around the corner and I have to get a few things as yet but, if there is anything I can help you with, just check out the website and maybe there is something for the Petrol head in your family?

Peace and Grease as Always.

Carpy

DOWNSHIFT STUDIO HONDA CX500

Posted on December 14, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

14 Dec

Well today’s blog is cool as I consider this builder as a friend of mine, DownShift Studio is run by Jeremy Lacy, an industrial designer based in Denver who specializes in illustrations and sketches of custom bikes, often helping fabricators and builders from around the world visualize their ideas and projects before the metal is cut and the tools come out.

Jeremy had done some prototype sketches for me before and even did the memorial Bike Sketch I am creating in memory of my Mum that passed away and will be raffling the bike off and donating to the Hospice when completed.

The Honda CX500 you see here is his first hands-on project, it’s the result of a collaboration between Jeremy and Joel Fitzgerald, and the bike shows far more technical skill than we’re used to seeing in a first custom. I knew that Jeremy would do well as he has the foresight in his sketches to see how something will look when it goes under the knife, and under the knife this old CX500 Maggot went, Jeremy had been learning how to weld and fabricate recently, and this would be an exceptional Sketch pad for his platform bike to transform Honda’s number 1 chosen Dispatch Rider bike, into a head turning Brat/Tracker.

Jeremy’s JD2 Tube bender got a pretty good thrashing, as he designed and hand fabricated the rear tubular swing arm for this CX500 and in its construction Jeremy wanted to make sure that the swing arm had its strong Rigidity and didn’t want any compromise on safety that would cause any sort of issue or integrity of the geometry, with the addition of three safety reinforced mounts to the swing arm, gave this set up a very robust structure to handle any road condition that was thrown at it. Have a look and see the work involved, as this is a great looking machine and now a Mono shock, getting the Geomatary is key here and you will soon see if you got it wrong as the bike will bounce like a kangaroo if the angle of the shock is off.

The Sub frame was hand made using 065 wall Cold rolled steel and shaped at the shop to have that sleek look and a minamalistic feature, then they hand pounded, bent and curved a steel sheet to fit over that frame and sent it off to Master Upholsterer Ian Halcott who did his magic using Low profile high density Foam, then lavished with leather Hyde and stitched to perfection.

The front end of the CX sat too high, giving this Project an ugly stance, so a quick strip down and New Race-Tech Springs were added and then the fork tubes were slide through the upper trees to give that lowered stance that they were seeking. Then the front wheel was painted black to stealth up the 19 inch front and the rear had a new 18 inch Comstar rim also painted Black and then had some Blackwall Shinko 705 Rubber shoehorned on, giving the Honda a better profile and ride now, nice stance and a more comfortable posture for the rider now.

The Bent Four Mill was in pretty good shape, so to save time and money, they just serviced the old girl, removed the stock Carbs and fitted new intake Manifolds of which then got a Brand spanking new set of 34mm Mikunis Gas drinkers attached to make sure this Japanese Iconic 4 Valves per cylinder gets enough Motion Lotion, these are a fun bike, not an arm ripper but the 497-674cc water cooled Longitudinal OHV 80 degree V- Twin gives smooth transitional linear power that just goes on and on and on, how do I know? I have owned many of them in the UK as I was a Dispatch rider and just having a smooth running motor that handles traffic and of course has great engine breaking, this was a Work Horse machine that I did Hundreds of thousands of miles on over the years.

Plenty of Modern technology sprinkled onto this machine and Jeremy used Motgadget for the two button controls, then they were mounted on a brand new set of Renthal handlebars, the rear of the bike got new LED combination brake light and turn signals to make sure traffic behind him knew he was there. The handlebars received Bran new comfortable grips, New levers and a new throttle assembly set up for a smooth action. The Motor got some detailing too, and the headers were wrapped with some Titanium heat wrap by DEI, on the ends of the headers were fitted some Cone Engineering megaphones that give this V-Twin some Growl.

Jeremy managed to bag, Fettle, smooth and clean up the machine just in time for the 2017 Handbuilt Motorcycle Show of which is one of the best shows in the USA for Hand Fabricated machines that are unique to everyone, this is over in Texas but well worth the trip to show their hard-work off. The Gas tank looks great as all the paint was removed and a Classic brushed finish was completed in time for the show.

Both these guys did a great job and the HONDA CX500 was well received at the show, put on by the super talented Revival Cycles. Lots of cool work, hiddent electrical harness and of course battery just add to the many hours of time that was eaten up bringing this machine to life, Great Job Guys.

If you like the look of this minimalist CX500 street scrambler I have good news for you, DownShift Studio currently have it up for sale to help fund their next projects. If you’d like to read more or enquire after the bike you can click here to visit DownShift Studio.

Thanks for reading my Blog and good Luck to jeremy, he is a great designer and now a builder.

Here is some footage of the Handbuilt show for you.

A Few other Videos for you to have a look at.

CB500-4 Created by French Builders

Posted on December 12, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

12 Dec

Well if you think of France, usually what comes to minds is Wine, frog legs, snails, striped Tee shirts, Black berets and people riding push bikes with bunches of Onions and Garlic hanging off it.

Thats very true, but, they bang out a few cool motorcycle too and this 1974 Honda CB500 Four is the result of these Garlic eaters and a great job too.

Pure motorcycle company has been around since this Honda originally came out, so when a Customer approached them to create a unique Brat style machine, it was a no big deal slam dunk for them and they got right into the stock bike. the seat was shortened 4 inches too and then reupholstered to give that Classic look.

A clean look, Pure Motorcycles then hand bent some 7/8 Handlebars up and powder coated Black, then for minimal look, they made a small switch mechanism up which Incorporated the starter button and the headlight, of which works great, to add to the Brat look, this has a small 2.5 Speedometer that has all the led’s at the lower half to show neutral, Oil Light and turn signals. New stainless hardware will not get rusty in the damp European winters as well as using a set of old metal-flake GT grips from a Schwinn, dressed the bars up some what.

The front forks were lowered by 2 inches and rebuilt, adding twin Rotors and then polished the lowers and calipers to a chrome finish, the Obligatory Fat Blackwall tires were fitted and although not the best Handling tires, they give the bike some Vintage styling.

With a fresh rebuilt Motor and the Carbs synchronized, the engine is like New, the Gas tank got a cool retro look and this time they wanted to keep the original side covers to keep the Classic original lines and leave the stock battery and electrics where they were from the factory.

Bobbed rear fender, Bates style short LED tail light and a brand New Marving 4 into 1 exhausts gets this bike looking cool, Yamaha headlight, Polished cases and New X-Ring chain finishes this Brat style Honda off.

 Bien Joue my French freinds.

RARE ORIGINAL HONDA CB750 PHIL READ REPLICA

Posted on December 11, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

11 Dec

The Colin Seeley-built Honda CB750 Phil Read Factory Replica is a very rare motorcycle, approximately 150 were made and they have the distinction of being the first fully faired race replica available to buy off the showroom floor from a Japanese marque.

COLIN SEELEY

The motorcycle frames developed by Colin Seeley in the 1960s and onwards were so revolutionary that they had an enduring global impact on motorcycle engineering – an impact that continues to the current day. Colin grew up in a motorcycle family, his father owned a Vincent Rapide and they would both travel to the nearby race track Brands Hatch to watch the races.

Seeley started his working life as an apprentice at Harcourt Motorcycles, where he became acquainted with Bernie Ecclestone who ran a used motorcycle dealership nearby. Over the course of his young career he also worked as a mechanic at a driving school – where he tried driving a car for the first time. Colin spent much of his free time in his parents shed working on his own projects, and learning the fundamentals of motorcycle design and engineering.

He started racing in 1954, and over the course of his competition career he would race in endurance road events, off road enduro and scrambles races, and road-based sidecar racing – this latter form of motorsport would capture his heart, and it would be the one in which he would win the most accolades.

Upon retiring from competition at the end of the 1967 season, Seeley turned his attention to manufacturing frames and complete motorcycles for racing. Although he had no formal engineering training, he had an intuitive ability to bend and weld Reynolds 531 tubing into remarkably rigid frames. Though he started out building frames for British motorcycles he began a shift towards Japanese engines by the early 1970s.

THE SEELEY HONDA CB750 PHIL READ FACTORY REPLICA

The bike you see here is a rare bird, it was commissioned by Honda to celebrate Phil Read’s 1977 Isle of Man TT victory in 1977 aboard an 820cc version of the Honda CB750 F2. The F2 had been released a year earlier in 1976 as an upgrade over the original CB750. It had a new head with larger valves, a hotter cam shaft, and 28mm Keihin carburetors with accelerator pumps – this boosted power slightly to 70 hp at 9500 rpm.

In order to celebrate their Isle of Man TT victory Honda decided to have a series of race replicas built, so they commissioned Colin Seeley’s legendary company to convert otherwise stock CB 750 F2s into official Phil Read Replicas.

Seeley’s team fitted a double beam full fairing with Cibie headlights, a hand-formed 5 gallon alloy fuel tank, racing-style rear sets, a new single seat and rear cowl, a custom high-performance exhaust, and it was all finished off in the same red/white/blue color scheme used by the Honda Britain Racing Team.

Only 150 or so bikes were built before a disagreement between Phil Read and Honda killed the project. Colin Seeley remained undeterred, and slightly redesigned the model, then continued selling it as the Honda Britain, with Honda selling them as the CB750SS.

It’s thought that less than 40 original Honda CB750 Phil Read Replicas have survived, and this is one of them. Amazingly it has 0 miles on the odometer and it’s claimed that it’s never been started – making it almost certainly the most original example in existence.

The Honda britain was rare to find back then, and even more so now, I have had a couple of Phil Read Kits but not complete, and to see one of these is so much of a thrill as I have built so many CB750 Honda’s over the years and this is a gem of a bike.

Yeah, with Zero miles too, thats rare, but I would still ride it at least once in its life as I had an Original Seeley Honda with 9/10ths of a mile on the clock and I rode it 15 miles and, so glad that I did as it is completely different to ride as the geometry is so good.

These machines are so well Balanced, I cannot tell you the night and day experience it is until you get the chance to ride one of these amazing machines.

The Cibie headlights were such an amazing look for its time and the Phil Read Motorcycle was an instant Reminder of what this bike is just by the front end alone.

When a few Phil read kits came out, I fitted a few to stock bikes and it sure changed the look easily and now a hard item to locate at all these days in good order.

There is something about a Full fairing and as I was a Motorcycle Dispatch Rider in London, these would of been like a Cadillac for me as not only would it cut the wind down and the weather, I could store all sorts of things in the fairing.

Slightly bigger headers helped the Motor breathe and Double Disc front end make sure that you could stop the increase in the power plant.

I was never a Fan of the Comstar rims, they looked cheap, were made cheaply and just didn’t have that classic look, in fact my bike had Lester Rims which were Mags and way better.

What I did like was the hand formed Aluminum 5 Gallon Gas tank, it was a sturdy set up with nicely formed knee indents, but what I did notice was how much heavier the bike was when I filled this huge Petrol tank up to the brim.

Up sweep 4 into 1 system sounded great compared to the original steel Cannon that Honda used as a stock version and this flowed so well.

I do remember the Rubber Vacuum Cleaner belt that held the gas tank would snap from time to time, the suspension was the good old Girling shocks, you either used Girling or Koni back in the day and these were the best available for the era.

As this was a Honda Production road Race machine, it has stock rear lights and of course the main stand too, thats 12 pound you could lose right away if you removed.

Keep your eyes out for these machines, they turn up once in a while, some may just be kits, but none the less, what a great era to relive these days.

If you see some Honda Britains on the road, or at a show, take a good look at them as they are very unique, super machines and a shame they only made a handful of these motorcycles.

You could buy the Body Kit for about 360 Quid and the bike would transform into a replica, albeit no extra bolt on power though LOL.

Keep your eyes peeled as kits do turn up from time to time and its so refreshing to see one of these bikes on the road, I have only seen one out here but a few did make it to the states and many kits did too.

Thanks for reading my Blog and have a Great week at work. below is my Old Seeley I truly miss.

Peace & Grease as always.

Happy Holidays

Hiawatha the Bonneville that’s Sharper than a Tomahawk!

Posted on December 9, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

09 Dec

Well, you see many different style of Motorcycles around the globe that have taken a good and strong foot hold on the Cafe Racer, Brat, Bobber, Tracker, Custom look, and this is no exception.

I obviously have been into these style bikes as a kid, when I was 12, me and my brother had a french Mobylette, Dad bought it for $20 and it had no seat, we removed the Mudguards, and headlight and fitted Dirt bike handle bars and use a skateboard deck for the seat and, a Brat was Born, and over 40 odd years later, they are still being created today.

Dubbed the “Hiawatha” after the native Americans the platform of choice was a 2007 Bonneville, Not the last of the Mohicans but, the last of the carburetor motors as in 2008 the Fuel Injected models arrived.

This bike was being built by the Ton up garage for a Client out in Lisbon, and a second hand 2007 Bonny was located as the Platform to create a unique Brat style machine for the Customer.

First off was to strip parts off the machine they no longer needed, the seat was taken off and the frame rails were altered to allow for a Custom seat base to be fabricated, once that was completed, it was upholstered with memory foam and stitched in the old school style Tuck n Roll, with a grey Naugahyde material for a long lasting comfortable ride, as well as being able to take his partner on the back as and when desired.

A set of much wider Western style Handlebars were fitted, as well as removing the old Master cylinder for the clutch and a hydraulic version fitted, this really cleans the front end up and with the smaller Speedometer and headlight, the bike has a really different stance. Magura hydraulic master cylinder clutch and brake are a good quality set up and will help stop this machine way faster than the stock set up and with less hand pressure.

At this part of the blog I like to point out, “Each to their own” Some people will like what they have done, some may not, its all in the eye of the beholder, I hear many complain about the big bulbous tires and small head light, its a style, like some of you like wear hoodies and Converse, so give this bike a chance.

Many complain that it will ride so badly, well, unless you have built and ridden one, you will never know, I have built many and, although way different to modern tires, you get used to drop off in corners. This is a Custom Brat style build, not a T.T. machine, so a slower speed to take the area in, rather than a Ton Up Rocket.

I personally love this Custom created machine from a work of art, its unique and very well thought out, I love fat tires, just look back to early 1940’s Harleys, they had fat tires, I think that these do have a certain equal proportion to the machine and sitting on 16 inch tires will sit level now.

The engine had a little bit of tune up and then painted black, of which I like, the carbs were re-jetted as Up-swept Megaphones were fitted and the headers were wrapped for that old race track look, I like this too, many dont, like I said, “each to their own”. Also New K&N Filters were added to help these Carbs breath more easily.

The wire harness was modified and the battery was replaced with a smaller Lithium model and hidden with the rest of the electronics under the seat, this keeps everything neat and tidy and having the Rims and hubs painted Black sets the whole motorcycle off big time.

Suspension was sorted out with an expensive set of rear Ohlins and re-springed front end, made sure that this beast is a comfortable ride and soaks up any of the bumps on the Lisbon Tarmac.

Hand fabricated rear fender is Bobbed to make this machine look bigger and the small bates style tail light may be small but LED lighting is brighter than Einstein.

The Olive Drag green with a flattening Agent works well against the Silver Base and even though I personally am not a fan of Green, this works really well, I mean the Thruxtons came out in BRG, and this color concept does indeed work very well against the Black of the frame, exhaust and wheels.

Thanks for looking and, if I can help locate or sell parts for you and your machine, just let me know.

XS400 Yamaha Brat bike 1977 Custom build from Brisbane Australia

Posted on December 8, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

08 Dec

Back in the day in the UK, these were fun machines, albeit, people want the faster RD400, the XS was a great machine and had a style unique of its own, I do not see many here in Orange County these days and this would make a fun Brat bike if you located an old rusty relic and this is what the Australian fella has done with this great ride.

Ellaspede is a great Motorcycle fab shop based in Brisbane and when Dan approached them for this build, they were all in and knew what they wanted to do to give their Customer the Cafe/Bobber styling that is quite the trend Globally right now.

The drive train is a refreshed 392cc motor but new Crank, Piston and rebuilt carbs, this breathes well through home made smaller header tubes and custom mufflers that have a 22 degree angle and then wrapped in DEI Titanium heat wrap.

I love the way this machine sits and the Aprillia RS125 front end looks like Factory and I am certain it will handle 100% better than the stock telescopic front end ever did. With a Brand New set of Ikcon 7610 shocks, really makes this an all round smooth ride, SR500 rear end and the wheels are shod with a set of Avon Road Runner Tires, keep this Yamaha on the Tarmac.

Chopped front fender and unusual fitting of the brake Rotor to the right hand side, makes this 400 machine stand out on the crowd, The Smaller 5-3/4 headlight sits well and balances the front end of this creation.

As for electronics, it has been equipped with Motogadget products such as the m-Unit control box that simplifies the wiring, the m-Blaze turn signals , the Mini Motorscope Mini Gauge marker , the m-Grips and the small m-switches . The brake-position light has been integrated into the chassis.

The wiring has been simplified, isolated and hidden through the handlebar. An Antigravity lithium battery powers the system. For the boot system, it uses the Motogadget m-Lock RFID , which makes it possible to dispense with the original key. For the controls have been added adjustable handles, a Tommaselli accelerator and a low-rise LSL handlebar . The seat made of high intensity foam has been adapted to the new shape of the subframe and finished in a dark leather.

A really well build machine and this 1977 Classic has been resurrected into a fun motorcycle and am happy to share this build with you this morning.

Super wide bars, Moto gadget switches and a very clean front end will make sure this bike will turn many heads where ever it is parked up, I really like this bike and am sure it will get a lot of publicity as it deserves it.

Perfect stance and I bet this sure is a blast to ride, the riding position is bang on and a refreshing creation that works at every angle too.

XS Pod Filters fitted, Flat slide performance carbs now breathe through oval pod filters, ensuring there’s enough mixture going into the oversize bore.- and all electrical hidden away under the seat, makes for a really tidy chassis, hand made seat has traditional tuck n roll to finish off right.

This bike was literally hiding for many years in a barn over in Northern Queensland and the Customer (Dan) was stoked to get this bike and find a company that was into transforming the bike into what it is now, they tried a few gas tanks, even an RD version but in the end, the stock tank had great lines, so why not use it and I am glad to say it works tremendously.

From the front it only gets better, that Halo light shows the way with no worries at night and with adjustable levers and a Tommaselli throttle on LSL low-rise bars, well it is a really comfortable machine to ride anywhere to be honest.

So much work to get the bigger rear end in and it was worth it, and with stainless hand made exhausts, well it compliments the craft of these guys down under.

Motogadget Bar end signals make sure people can see where this machine is heading and just look how clean the front end is, albeit it would need a mirror over here.

Having a comfortable seat looks to be impossible with some of the rides I see created these days, but no here, using high quality and density memory foam, this is lavishly applied to the hand made seat base, then for added Arse care, a gel insert was laid on top of the foam, to give your bum a Cadillac ride, then covered in an Ox Blood Naugahyde in the old school Tuck n Roll, this really finishes the bike off well.

Hand made and double stitched, this looks like a factory made seat, a really nice job and a cool touch adding the companies name as a tag.

Below, the Aprillia front end sits so well and look at the gas tank, Yamaha Tuning Forks logo is reminiscent of them 1970’s racing days, as well as the red Blocking that Kenny Roberts would be proud of, actually turn out to be a Ducati Color RED and white pearl and it sure works very well indeed.

At the rear things were a little more complicated given the new wheel width. An aftermarket SR500 alloy swingarm provides some more room for rubber while matching the subtle angular aesthetic of the build. Custom spacers keep the new rear hub in place with offset adapters required to space both sprockets out for the re-specced 525 chain to clear the wider rear wheel.

The bulky factory rear disc / caliber combo was discarded in favor of a compact Yamaha drum setup, which provided the required look and is braced via a custom dogleg linkage. The rear brake actuator rod was also made to clear the wide rubber.

The front rim was a reasonably straightforward fit with some custom axle and brake spacers bringing everything together. The factory Aprilia disc rotor bolted straight onto the Yamaha hub and the Aprilia name was machined off the brake caliper before being rebuilt. A aftermarket master cylinder and stainless braided line completes the front brake setup.

Thanks for reading my Blog today, its great receiving emails from people letting me know how it was and spreading the word on 2 wheeled creations.
Have a great Friday and hope that you get some saddle time over the weekend.

BAAK MOTORCYCLES CUSTOM TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T120

Posted on November 30, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

30 Nov

THE TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T120 More fun that watching a dozen frogs in a Fly factory.

The Triumph Bonneville T120 made its debut in 2016, the motorcycling world had been expecting some big announcements from Triumph so it wasn’t a complete surprise, but the T120 was perhaps a little more than most were anticipating.

At its heart the Bonneville T120 is fitted with an all-new liquid-cooled parallel twin with a SOHC, 8 valves, a capacity of 1200cc, a bore / stroke of 97.6 mm / 80 mm, a compression ratio of 10.0:1, multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection, and a 270° crank. There’s 79 bhp (at 6550 rpm) and 77 lb-ft of torque (at 3100 rpm), fed to the rear wheel via a 6-speed gearbox and an X-ring chain.

Reviewers overwhelmingly loved it. There was a clear and distinct improvement in build quality throughout, and rival motorcycle manufacturers like Harley-Davidson, BMW, and Moto Guzzi had been put on notice.

BAAK MOTORCYCLES

BAAK Motorcycles was founded in Lyon, France in 2012 by Rémi Reguin, it’s since grown to employ five, and the company enjoys a global reputation both for their custom motorcycle builds, and for their in-house developed motorcycle parts for Royal Enfield, Moto Guzzi, and Triumph.

THE BAAK MOTORCYCLES BONNEVILLE T120

The new T120 is the current motorcycle of choice for BAAK, in fact they’ve probably built more customs using it as a platform than any other garage in the world. They built this bike for a customer in Spain, his main request was to use a British Racing Green on the fuel tank, as a hat tip to the cars of his childhood.

British Racing Green, commonly abbreviated as BRG, is a perfect color for a British motorcycle with heritage like the Bonneville. The team at BAAK matched the fuel tank with a medium tan leather seat, side bag, grips, and gators, with brushed steel knee-indents on the tank.

The plan was to lower the bike a little and tighten up the handling, so a pair of Shock Factory -20mm shocks were fitted in the back, and a machined aluminium flat triple trees were fitted up front to proportionally lower the front end.

A new 16″ rear wheel was installed and both ends were fitted with Avon MKII tires, giving the bike and vintage look with the benefit of modern tire compounds. A MotoGadget ChronoClassic dial was fitted carefully into the back of the headlight unit, a nice reference to instrument fitment on vintage British motorcycles, and the team at Baak are currently working on a plug-and-play system for others who want to replicate the look.

The original handlebar was swapped out for the Baak N°1 wide stainless steel unit, with machined aluminium handlebar clamps, and a mini brushed stainless steel rear mudguard with license plate support – significantly better looking than the factory fitted unit.

Up front theres a longer stainless steel front mudguard with aluminium supports, Mini LED blinkers from Motogadget, a Monza-style gas tank cap, Beringer Aeronal front brake discs, and proper mirrors left and right.

The completed bike is a tasteful custom, Bobber-like in some respects, with combined British and French heritage, and a future that will be based in Spain. Also this is a very unique machine and wanted to share this with you as a blog today on my website. www.carpyscaferacers.com

It takes a lot of thought and sketches before you even come close to a final phase drawing of how you want a machine to look and also, the budget of the customers is a huge part of any project, but this time, the froggies got it right on the money.

So as I close this for Thursday, hope you all have a great day, the weekend is not too far away now and I know you are itching to either ride your 2 wheeled machine, or jump in the shed and start wrenching to produce your own creation.

Thanks for stopping by and if I can help with anything for your machine, even if it is advise, I am here. 714-598-8392 and you can even Text me on that to save more time too.

Right I am off to the shed myself as I am building a project, so, as the Terminater used to say. ” I’ll be BAAK”

CAFE RACER 1970 CB1000 RUSS COLLINS SPECIAL

Posted on November 30, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

30 Nov

This is the Old Russ Collins Bike I created from parts.

Below is a Video but hard to hear as the old Powder coating shop behind us is loud as hell, but it was a tight motor and loved to ride it, hard to hear but this is the only video I have of it.

This machine was just a frame sat in the garage at home and boxes of old parts, and I wasn’t sure how i was going to go about this build but, as I had a russ collins Magneto I thought, what the heck I will be a traditional Cafe bike for fun.

This bike has so much work but for me it is fun and I enjoy every bike I create, sure, people say why not restore but heck, its not a sand-cast and plenty of these later K models around, I had a bucket load of parts and wanted to put something together and here it is at long last.

I started with a stock 1970 KO frame that had been sitting for many years in the back yard with 15 other CB750 Honda’s that I had acquired from an old guy out in the desert some years ago.

Then I started to get a few parts together and the light bulb came on and that was it, lets build a great looking Caff bike with a 1000cc Russ Collins Motor, what a Hot Rod that would be.

Motor was really good and came out of a running bike, compression was 185 all the way through so no point on a full rebuild, just a freshen up on gaskets and get her running.

New Chrome rims and used stainless spokes to Polished hubs I did, along with the frame being powder coated, the swing arm was too, New bridgestone Spitfires give the bike a more traditional look and really hold the road well.

Original 1970’s finned speed equip covers adorn this motorcycle and gives it the unique richness that shines from afar, I chromed the cases this time andwent throught the Whole bike with Allen headed stainless bolts.

I machined a Custom Finned Engine Bracket up to flow with the rest of the finned speed equipment that is on this bike..

This has an Original never used and out of the BOX, Paul Dunstall header set up from 1974 and this is the genuine article too. I have the trick Tri-Bar set up at the front to show you which way you are heading. Brand New OEM Fender, and I polished the fork lowers, fitted new uppers and resealed, also added the old school OEM Ribbed Gators too.

CI made my own seat, of which I made a mold from an old steel seat and then fitted the steel plates to allow for the stock Hinges to be used, then refoamed and Diamond stitched the seat for the old cafe racer look with the proverbial hump on the back, but also I made a Bobbed rear fender and fitted a old style Lucas Tail light, all of which I sell on my website www.carpyscaferacers.com and have sold many too.

I hammered and painted the tank- New side covers and new paint and has the 1000 logo on the side covers to show them what she really is. I loved the whole concept and with New petcock and Gas cap, this really looks factory to many, until they see the numbers on the side cover.

I used a set of TEC rear piggy back shocks that are 14 inches eye to eye and the rear tire is a Bridgestone Spitfire 130/90 to give it that beefy look and handles so well.

Oh yes, it has a Brand New Guilerri style diamond stitched seat base and that is a new base and foam too and I believe enhances the look of this machine.

Also- Lots of polished Aluminum, like the valve cover and caps, the clutch cover and stator and gear shift cover too. With Braided oil hoses as well. I even chromed the kick stand, but look at the front Rotor, I drilled that, rebuilt the Caliper and polished that to a Chrome look and the front rim is new with stainless spokes and a bigger front tire to fill that fender out nicely.

Brand New Non maintenance battery, Solid state rectifier, makes sure this fires up and of course with the original RC Magneto, this has so much spark, I fitted iridium spark plugs too. You will also notice that I made New oil Lines from Braided steel hose and Drilled and chromed Kick starter for a Custom look.

You want detail? Well she has loads of it, just check out the kick starter I drilled and re-chromed and the clutch cover set up. As well as the Italian Tarrozi rear sets added for a real comfortable ride as these set your feet back about 7 inches from the stock position and perfect for the Clubman handlebars up front.

New cables help this puppy along and I rebuilt the Carbs, bench synchronized them and then once running synchronized with a Mercury stick and it purrs now.

I have hours and hours and hours into this machine, I even chromed the kick stand as it looked to dull before.

Oh yeah- Do you like my Oil tank Dip stick? I machined this from a solid piece of 6061 T6 Aluminum to dress the cap up as thats always missed on builds so wanted to cover all the bases.

This is a really cool head turning machine, as where ever you loom there is cool stuff. like polished rear brake hub, with new brake shoes and actuator. Yes new brake shoes as well.

Yes, these New tires, on the back there is what I use most of the time, the Bridgestone 130x90x16 and at the front I use a 110x90x19. Custom RED X-Ring Chain, flows with the red on the gas tank and side covers etc and this bike sits so well, them Original Dunstall exhausts are a real piece of History as they were still in the original box when I had them as they were sat in my loft for many years.

Such a period looking Caff from back home and I remember as a kid, and I am glad that I went this route, its truly a fun machine and with 1000cc it does not hang about and is really Torquey.

I love the way the bike sits, it is a good, tough looking machine and with Brand new wire harness and handlebar switches, this is reliable as hell, I am very proud of this machine and it styling.

It has a New rear brake rod, spring and adjuster to make sure this thing stops at the rear, and a New 530 Chain and new sprockets 48 rear,17 tooth front.

The RC Special is a one off and I loved doing the build, I also made up stainless braided Brake hoses for the front brake and added a 14mm Master cylinder too.

The front brake caliper is rebuilt and polished to a chrome finish and I fitted a Brand New $400 genuine HONDA front fender.

To help this bad boy stop at the front end, I fitted a New BREMBO master cylinder to the Clubman bars.

Other col parts that you will notice, unlike many others out there is that I have used genuine NOS handlebar controls, over $220 each side.

The carbs are all rebuilt with new throttle cables and custom air filters.

The New headlight has a New bucket and insides too. And a 65 watt halogen Bulb to make sure you are seen on the road at night.

This has a cool display set up with the ignition relocated at the top of the tree, I wanted to move the ignition switch away from the motor as these get hot.

Also I polished the top triple tree to look like chrome, the steering has all new bearings and brand new chrome Honda steering Nut and washer.

All the bolts are Stainless Allen heads and this has had so many hours of work done to it. A new Clutch cable and Custom Adjuster.

This is clean and under the seat will be a brand new battery, the frame is powder coated and you can see how great she looks from these photo’s.

This has a new solid State rectifier and a battery tender too.

Also the shocks are brand new TEC models and I made custom lowers to lift the rear end a little higher by 50mm.

The bike just is cool to look at and with a RC1000 Motor it really does turn heads FAST!

This has Original New Old stock Superior Waffle GT grips from 1974 and were still in Original packaging on the shelf for years and years.

I may put some more little touches to her before someone buys her but I do hope it does get a great home.

Thanks for looking at this machine, it has now gone to a New owner and sure hope they ride the hell out of it,

I doubt I will locate another Russ Collins Built Motor any more and so glad I happened across the engine over 10 years ago,

2 of my Classic machines that I have built from just old bits and pieces that were literally in the garage and all in boxes or on shelves, love what I do and hope you do too, thanks so much for looking. If you want a bike built, serviced or just parts, drop me a line carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or you can call or even text me on 714-598-8392 as I am always happy to help, been building over 17 years here in California.

Girls who Ride- A superb machine

Posted on November 24, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

24 Nov

Often I tell people that it is so refreshing to see many Girls- Women that are taking a very Healthy interest into the Two Wheeled fraternity, I have always had an admiration for female riders, as for me personally, I would think it would be quite boring sat on the back of a Motorcycle, whilst your partner is having all the fun.

My Girlfriend Jennifer Sun has her Own T100 I bought for her and she rides all over the place and love seeing her ride, and when I heard about Jennifer bailey having a really cool Honda CB550, well, I just had to share, as I really hope to see many more women on Motorcycles.

The past few events I have witnessed has been phenomenal when it comes to seeing more women riders, there are so many out there now that people are taking notice and Jennifer Bailey who I am featuring here is just one of so many that have as much as a passion for this hobby as anyone. Good on you Girl, love the bike.

Jennifer and her husband Blake Bailey run the Motobailey Shoe Co. – known for their classically styled, Kevlar-lined leather motorcycle boots. Both Jennifer and Blake are avid motorcyclists, Jennifer started our a few years ago on a Kawasaki Ninja 250 but after becoming friends with Karly Kothmann and seeing her beautifully rebuilt Honda CB550 she knew it was time for her own upgrade.

Jenns choice for this CB550 was quite easy really, compared to its bigger Brother, the CB750 is way more heavier, and more cumbersome to maneuver , also the 550 isnt much slower, probably about the same take off to 60 foot speed, it will lose out after that through the Torque and Horse Power of the Larger 750 but, that can be another bike further down the road.

Road and riding experience is key in this area and the Honda CB550 is the perfect candidate to learn and hone new skills to give not just a safer over all perception of Motorcycling, but also the lighter weight will give you a little more confidence as this is a nimble and well balanced machine.

The CB550 was the perfect Platform to create a new ride, something that you can custom build to your taste and budget, the sky is the limit as with a few modifications such as Smoothbore Carbs, a street race cam and Drive sprocket change can turn this smooth linear power inline four, into a Tarmac eating Mean machine.

Just time, Money, patience and experience will engulf you and then your hooked.

CB750 Bikes are not as plenty ful as they were when I first started to create Cafe and Brat bikes, the 550 is slowly becoming that way now, as the wonders of the internet, Instagram, twitter and the like have made it so much easier and harder at the same time to find a really good deal on these Classic Honda’s.

JENNIFER’S CB550 BUILD

Blake wasted no time in finding a 1974 Honda CB550 for Jennifer, it was a little worse for wear, running on two cylinders and needing a comprehensive rebuild. Work started immediately with a teardown, the rear subframe was chopped and a new one fabricated, with a new seat pan, seat, and low profile running lights.

It took time, but once the engine had been sorted and was running properly, with the carburetors synced and re-jetted, the attention shifted to the aesthetics. The goal was to create a clean, minimalist cafe racer that wasn’t flashy – just functional and fun.

New triple trees were sourced from Dime City Cycles, as well as clip-on handle bars, a new (smaller) headlight, and the tank and wheels were powder-coated in Black Chrome by Overland By Design. A Carpy 4-into-1 exhaust was fitted, with pod filters installed on the carburetors in place of the original airbox.

A new wiring loom was put together with significant input from friends Tyson Carver and Tanner Kothmann, powered by an Anti-Gravity lithium-ion battery, with all the important electrical gear stashed up under the seat in a tray supplied by Cognito Moto.

So come on Girls, get into the Garage and finish off your creations as I love seeing you all out on the road, we all ride as one, we are a family, bonded by our 2 wheeled fascination.

Thanks for reading my Blog today, Busy weekend ahead but life is good in the fast lane and I feel I am still to young at heart to pull over and get in the slower lane.