The KC Special CB750 Honda inline Four

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.

 

Time and Tide wait for no Man or Woman

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.

 

 

 

New Parts and New projects this year

Hey Everyone

Hope that you are all well and trying to continue doing what you enjoy- This Pandemic is a royal Pain in the proverbial arse, but we have to stay strong and continue masking up, keeping your distance and soon after we all get the Jab, hopefully we can get to some sort of even Keel and enjoy the freedoms that we once all took for granted.

Things will be changing a little with me as I shall be having a steel barn built to keep me close to home, I can make prototype parts and start to create some more motorcycles for Customers and of course my own, I have a few ideas for many things and here I can do all that and much more.  I shall be offering more exhaust systems, that are all made right here in California, none of the China crap will be here and hope that you can pass the word so we can keep our money in the USA as so much money goes to China, but none from me- I tell ya that for free.

 

I love what I do, I really enjoy making new parts, I also enjoy the many emails and texts that i receive every day, if I can help someone out of their dilemma, even if it does not involve using my parts etc, I am still happy as someone now has got their machine on the tarmac.

Have fun with what you do, its an awesome hobby of ours and everybody wants to help each other out, I get a lot of calls right now as people are of course at home locked down in some cases, so, as to not get bored, people are creating their own style machines and there are some great creative minds working overtime as I type this Blog today.

So get into them Garages, Sheds or back rooms and have fun wrenching, I am here to help anytime, be it phone, Email or text, sure look forward to hearing from you, stay safe and get wrenching.

 

Exhausts are going out the door pretty quick these days

Well, a day off at last, albeit I will be catching up on things at home etc, but- I am in my office and for once, it has started to rain.  Something that we do not get much of in Southern California, so I will engulf this as it reminds me of back home in the UK and, it also gives me a little time whilst I have a cup of splosh, to tell you that I have been selling quite a lot of 4 into 1 exhaust systems as of late.

I have not added up the amount of systems I have sold over the years but its a few thousand now and I am so stoked that Customers still like them and, they are made right here in California and not China, I get many emails from customers, letting me know they love the look, fit and of course the sound and performance that these systems make, a very unique and smooth breathing system that I am very proud of and cannot thank you all enough for purchasing.

It is unreal the places that my systems have ventured out to, Russia, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, etc as well as Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding Islands, from Hawaii to London too, I am amazed when I get the order to see where it is going. So thank you all for that and I shall be looking into some more designs when the New workshop is built, something that will always be enjoyable.

These will fit the CB500 the CB550 and the SOHC CB750 K F models from 69-78 and you will see a big difference from stock, weight for a start, sound and of course the response is way faster and smoother, rev that girl out and watch the RPMs enjoy the free flowing system and the bark as you shift gears.

These come in a variety of finishes, for the Tough look, there is Raw steel, its bare bones and will rust of you dont wither wrap it or clear coat it but it looks killer when fitted and the industrial look in really popular right now.

Also there are Color options for the systems, we get them Professionally Coated with Cerakote.   High temp ceramic coatings act as a ceramic insulation in that they protect your exhaust system from rust and corrosion. Ceramic coating will protect your exhaust from things like road salts, oil and gas, heat from your engine, and exhaust gases that flow through your pipes. Also can improve the performance of your engine’s horsepower. It helps increase the speed and maintain the quality of exhaust gas flow while keeping the temperature of the engine low. When you apply the coating to the exterior, it can make the exhaust flow faster, allowing for a reduced loss of power and temperatures. 

Above is the Burnt Bronze which has a Texture to it and helps dissipate the heat fast. You aren’t going to want to replace the items in your exhaust system very often, and you won’t have to when you use a high temp ceramic coating. The coating reduces the thermal cycle surface temperatures, reducing the exposure to a constant hot-cool cycle. This all means that the coating reduces the risk of the metal arts in your exhaust system weakening.

A stealthy 1978HONDA CB750  SOHC looks Tough as Nails sat outside the owners garage, he loved the fit and sound of his machine and rides it as much as he can, it looks great eh?

The Sidewinder is a good system too and hugs the frame tightly, it also allows for a Main stand to be used if you wanted to.

The Yoshi is my Best Seller and as you can see, it sets this machine of nicely a great Motorcycle and it gets a lot of attention where ever it is ridden to.

Above is the Titanium Color that some people order, its great to be able to offer a few colors as the bike they are building can have a matching system that suits the styling.

We try our best to come up with a great exhaust and I think that we have made many people happy that this is available not just in Raw steel, but in a variety of colors and stainless steel too.

The good thing is that this 2 piece set up comes with a Removable Baffle and you can either pack it with fiberglass to quieten it or leave as supplied for that Velvet tone, as 99% do keep the baffle in with No packing at all.

Which ever way to go, I am here to help, I look after all my customers and over seas I adjust the customs forms so you dont get hammered with Duty fee’s etc, and as the system is a 2 piece, I can get it in a smaller box, which means cheaper shipping as well.

Sunday and many an hour getting this CB550F Dialled in.

A Super Hot Weekend, why do I attempt such crazy work when the weather is like this? I guess we all do right?

A long day but managed to get the old carbs out as the idle was not functioning, but a complete redo was needed and boy what a pain in the arse the 550 carbs are top get out of the frame.

I dont know what Honda was thinking and if you are like me, you dont have time to look for a service manual and then read through all the jargon as to the correct way to remove the carbs.

Honda never want to share photos to make it easier, so no quick way there, I looked at the bike and just went ahead and took it on as a Customers machine and went from there.

Sure, I have worked on over 100 of these bikes but they all had the air box missing and now I know why, as they are a fecking Royal pain in the rear thats why, but I did manage to figure it out and as it was 100 degree’s in the Garage, I had to be as quick as I could muster, but that plan went right out of the crappers window and I struggled for quite some time to be honest.

But now I can look back and laugh, well maybe now LOL, it required a lot of patience and I had run out after 20 minutes and the swear jar is filled to the brim now, but much better for it.

The Carbs are on tight and I had to undo the air filter box and move it back about half an inch as thats all it would go and no matter how fecking hard I tried, I could not get the whole air filter box out, probably because the breather hose was catching but I did not want to remove it if I didn’t have to. I then managed to remove the rubber hoses from the air box and that gave me a little wiggle room to get the carbs off but not much.

I managed to pull the carbs out from the Left, but many people told me they will only go in and out from the right, so no idea how I managed that but, they came out and undamaged too.

The carbs needed a complete overhaul and I checked the rest of the bike over, the throttle cables are OK but I could do with new ones, I didn’t have a pair on hand, so lubed up the originals and they function great. but, putting the carbs back in is not as easy as 760’s, especially if you are using the stock air box.  I basically did the same thing but this time I headed from others and went in from the right.  And after much swearing, sweating and a lot of grunting, I got the carbs to get to their position, and- to help the carbs fit back into the intake manifolds, I put a smearing of axle bearing grease around each opening.

Plop, they went in, I did up the hose clamps on the manifolds and then I covered the air box rubbers in WD40 and then slipped them back into their positions, rotating until sat flush in the box.

After reconnecting the clutch cable and throttle cables and more hoses than a bloody fire truck, I emptied gas tank of the old fuel and bunged that in my van, as that will run on anything.

Bought some higher octane gas and poured her in and the bike fired up right on the first go and idles lovely now, pumped tires up and took her for a little blast up to about 60 mph around the houses and it runs great now.

So, any of you attempting to put carbs on or off and still use the stock factory air box, take heed, use WD40 and grease as it really helps and get those rubber hoses off the air box first to give you a little wiggle room.

A nice all together machine, Genuine 11K miles and now she fires right up and rides quite well to be honest, I do think I will replace the tires as these are original ones and I will feel happier with new rubber on this machine as this is now my Girlfriends bike and I want to make sure all is good for her to take out anytime she wishes.

What amazes me is how damn quiet the bike is with that big old chrome Cannon perched at the rear of the bike, but, its staying on there as the bike is too original to mess with to be honest and would like to keep a stocker around anyway.

I will do a few more things to the bike as we go along, I would like to powder coat the main stand and kick stand at some point, so may buy another set and do it when I feel like I have some coating to do, that way Jennifer can still use the bike and no real down time needed.

I am happy that the bike now fires up right away and purrs away to its hearts content, this will be a keeper and I am sure will only get miles on it around the countryside where it will reside in an old style barn.

Hope that you like the Blog today? As I am sure that many of you can relate to the trials and tribulations that we have to go through sometimes, just to keep these machines running?

Have fun with your machine and I am here to help or advise if I can, this is a big family when it comes to 2 wheeled machines and thank you for taking your own time to read my exploits and hope that it made you smile at least once?

 

Thursday and almost the weekend.

As we approach the weekend, I am sure there are many of you that will be sweating your arses off in the garage, shed or back yard, trying to put your long term project together and give you something to do while many places have forced you to stay at home.

Be it a Tracker, Brat, Cafe Racer or restoring it to stock, I am always here to help with questions and as I have built so many of these inline fours over the 20 years here in California, I am always happy to give advice as to help you repair your big 4 machine and get it back on the tarmac once more. Below was an Old 70’s bike I found and got running in just 2 hours.

Spending time in your work area with your machine has never been more exciting to be honest in these times, as you can focus and continue to build a machine to your style and color and the only thing stopping you is your imagination.

I always have things to do or finish or even for that matter, make a brand new part for the SOHC and this month is no different, I have a massive undertaking for a lot of exhaust systems and Hoop conversions right now but I will succeed and get this all done.

I love what I do and thank you all for your emails, phone calls and texts about building or supplying parts to you, and I strive to push the envelope all the while.

Have fun and remember I am just a text away if you need help or direction, Motorcycle Building and riding should be fun, we all stress when we get stuck, but I am here to at least try and help you from pulling your hair out. Thanks for reading my little Blog today and hope I can help you with your Motorcycle.

Something to watch whilst you are at home.

Friday at last, the weekend begins

Its that time at last, Friday evening, its nice to know that the weekend is now here, I have many orders to try and get out the door and tomorrow I shall be up early so i can pack a bunch more orders to send to my Customers.  It’s my Birthday Monday and although i have to work, I am blessed to have another year of doing what I love and I shall be churning more parts out this week for sure.

Have a Great weekend all of you and hope you get some time to work on your steed or even get to ride it.

Exhaust Systems update

The time is flying her in Southern California, I am so busy right now, mostly with exhausts and making other parts for our beloved Machines, etc and I really appreciate you supporting me in these times that we are in right now.Volume is a little quiet but just wanted to say hello to ALL you out there.

A CB500 Honda with a Tough Attitude

I sometimes have to kick myself to remind me that I have created all these Custom Motorcycles sometimes, its amazing that I still have a fluid creativity when it comes to two wheeled powered machines and the next bike i want to show you is a great stealthy bike that I sometimes wish I had kept.

I dont have the best pics of this machine as I had a shitty camera, but at least I got some pics that you can make out what I did to this old 1972 CB500 Machine. It needed a lot of work and was a non runner and missing a lot of parts but I was sure I could build something fun and affordable with what I had as spare bits and bobs scattered around the garage.

The old girl needed some help and I used what I could with parts I had around my garage, this was many years ago now and I had a few 750 parts in the rafters, so thought I may as well use some of them and see how this goes, but nothing ventured, nothing gained is my saying and it was fun to piece this little 4 banger back together, of course in bigger clothes than it had stock, but thats what I liked about this challenge.

The Motor kicked over, so I cleaned up the carbs and she ran quite well, so I thought that I may as well have some fun on a budget and see what I can create in a short amount of time. The engine was really responsive to be honest and as I had a 48 Tooth CB750 sprocket on the back, I knew she would boogie along as soon as the flag dropped.

I had an old beaten up 1982 CB750F Gas tank that had seen better days, so I cut out the flap and gas tank lock and welded it closed, drilled a 2 inch hole and fitted a Monza Style Aluminum Gas cap and then set about and hand hammered the tank for that old Manx look, I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of this big old tank.

I Polished the forks and rebuilt the internals, then laced some 750 rims up and drilled the front brake rotor as well as rebuilding and polishing the front brake caliper too.

Braided hoses on the brake made sure this puppy would stop when you grabbed a handful of Anchor, I pressed out the Curved license plate as I wanted the old school British look.

Like I said, a mish mash of parts but cost nothing to put together to be honest and this was almost 20 years ago now too, time sure does fly when you are having some fun with Motorcycle parts.

I used a Harley 16 New rim for the rear and Shod both rims with Bridgestone tires as I like the handling of those boots. The rear seat tail piece is off an old Kawazaki Z1 race bike.

I used the stock shocks and swing arm to save some money and had an old Mac system that I never used and was sat up in the rafters, so I threw that on and it sounded ok with a shortened baffle and rejetted Carbs.

The clubman handle bars and the long tank, gave for a fun lay down cafe feel to it and was a blast to ride, it had a taller rear sprocket, so it got out of the gate real quick.

Even all them years ago, I was using Oil pressure gauges as its a quick way to make sure your heart beat is pumping in the motor, had to make an extension pipe to be able to connect under finned cover.

She sits nice and high for a 500 and boy was it snappy off the line, the first three gears and you were almost at 80 mph, what a fun machine to blap about town on.

Hazy pic but glad I still had some images left of this old 500 Honda and hope you like it too?

I sold it to a guy in Pasadena who then phones me to say a car ran over it and dragged down the road for a few blocks, it no longer exists, big shame as it was a great little Bar hopper Cafe Machine.

 

 

One of my Old Dunstall 750 Honda machines

Wow! Where does the time go these days?  I literally forgot about building this bike and found some tiny photos someone took of me, so thought I would try and show them on here, so you can see this Classic machine once again.

Fun times when I lived in the City Of Orange, where I crated so many Motorcycles in my garage and worked everyday from Dusk til Dawn, creating cool crates out of Original old CB750 bikes that had been stored away for years or simply left outside to let the elements tear them up.

As you can see, I managed to rebuild an old Cafe Bike, it had Paul Dunstall 5 gallon Tank and a TT syle Manx Seat assembly, and was such a blast to ride around when I got it to fire up.

I had a set of Borrani rims on it too with Paul Dunstall rear sets, a rare find these days thats for sure, but this was a great little set up that I wanted to blap around town on for a while.

I have owned quite a few Dunstall Machines over these past 20 years or so and never tire of stretching their necks out on the back roads, just pure Nostalgia.

It had Dunstall Clip on’s and an Old Yoshimura 4 into 1 system too, I found it in boxes at a Garage sale in Los Angeles and dragged it all home with me with a big smile on my face.

The old girl ran pretty good once I had sorted out the carb issue, 3 blocked idles jets and a dirty needle base, then she wanted to fly, but- the Tires were rock hard, so decided it was time to revamp this old bike as I had a Customer wanted something on these lines but with more color.

The rear tire got wore out pretty quick and lucky for me, I get on with my neighbors as they got used to my daily shenanigans with Motorcycles etc.

Laying down more smoke than a Beginners BBQ lesson, I wanted to make sure that I had a little fun with this machine before I did some changes to it for a new customer.

I really didnt have any photos of this machine as I was so busy building multiple bikes, but wish I had taken a bunch back then to show others all these years later.

As you can see, I fitted one of my New 5 Gallon Dunstall style TT Tanks and one of my Custom seats too, this Motorcycle with its Candy Tangerine was a head turner in the Sun.

Hope that the Owner still has it and is racing about having a Blast as much as I did with this Classic cafe bike, it was fun to put together and maybe I will see it again one day?