Tag Archives: lights

25 Years in Business- Time sure does fly by.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
17 Feb

Where has the time gone? I mean, it seemed like only a couple of years that I took the big Silver bird across the Ocean to land in Southern California, but- There it is, a Milestone for me of course and a quarter of a Century has simply blown by, although I have accomplished many tasks over the year and now, I have my own Barn/workshop with no worries of Landlords breathing down your neck and building parts at my pace rather than other companies.

I love what I do and working at Home is something I have always enjoyed, I have plenty of projects to get on with, bikes to build and of course make parts and offer to you all around the globe, I am drawing up a few ideas’ as I celebrate Presidents day and am enjoying the sunny day here at the Barn in Southern California.

I will be designing some New exhaust systems, my old tube bender has retired but located a closer company that will help me with the mandrel bending to create more unique exhausts for many different models, its an exciting time here at the shop.

It certainly has been a tough year with the fires getting so close, the air had so much ash in it but now all seems to have settled down and I can spend more time in the Barn, as I need to concentrate on a few projects I need to finish and after all that can begin some new products that I have been quite excited about over the last 12 months.

So feel free to keep checking back or drop me a line at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com as I always reply and if you are in need of a quicker response, fee free to text me on 714-598-8392 and I will help you out.

Have a great presidents day and hope you have fun with your machine as much as I do?

Thanks and again and here is to another 25 years.

 

Well, 2025 is well and truly here.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
15 Jan

Happy 2025 to everybody that I know and of course to all my customers that have purchased from me, I am so stoked that you love what I do, next month is my 25th year, so more things to come for the Motorcycle builder from me.

We have had pretty bad fires around here as you may have seen on the tv etc, my buddy lost his house and recording studio, its frightening what fire can do when there is high wind behind it, we have been clearing the yard as we have a lot of leaves here at the Ranch house, last weekend, Jenn and I bagged up 81 bags of leaves, so glad we got that done, have to watch out for Hot embers etc, but the winds have dies down now, although they say next Sunday the Santa Ana winds will pick up again and still a few weeks away until we get rain here.

So, at home I am working on the Barn as I have a few projects I need to get out of the way, I also have 2 Vintage yamaha Dirt bikes I need to get running, clean up and sell, a 1977 YZ250 and a 1978 YZ400, bit great machines, so hope to work on them next, fun machines that the Vintage Motocrosser will love, I have noth titles and original handbooks too, so I shall post these on the website when I have them running, of course, I will give them a bit of a blast down the road and clear them out, cant beat the smell of a 2 stroke.

We went to Anaheim 1 Supercross on the weekend and had a ball, the first race of the year is always good to go to and this year we had no rain, usually it rains hard this time of the year, hence the fires are so bad as we have had a dry run, but- it was good to get out and shoot down the road to watch some racing.

I love all Motorcycles and grew up with old dirt bikes, and love watching the new series as bikes are so fast these days, its a fun event and is nice to get out of the workshop and watch some bike racing.

So, what is to offer for the New year? I will be offering More parts for your two wheeled machines as well as some Original parts for the Restorer of their CB750 Honda in line fours.

I shall also try and build a machine that showcases my 25 years here in the great United States of America, cannot believe that a quarter of a century has flown by so fast, but it sure has, so hope to have a bike out later on in the year and offer it up for sale with all cool new parts and a few bells and whistles too.

I shall be making more exhausts and different styles with options of stainless steel, Ceramic coated or wrapped etc and dabbling into some other stuff too, so keep your eyes peeled on the website, the site was down for a bit to do maintenance over the Christmas holiday and back up again now, but am contemplating a new site as I have had this many years and need a freshen up.

Thank you all for all your orders and patience, I try and answer emails and texts as fast as I can and I am looking forward to more fun parts this year and offering you more cool designs and apparel too.

So, I had better get a few things cleaned up around the ranch house and Barn then get organised for a busy year of manufacturing and creating some fun 2 wheeled machines.  Keep building and riding Y’all.

 

Fun times ahead at the workshop.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
10 Jan

Well, a New year and New projects, I have a bunch of bikes that need to get running and then decide which way to go in the way of building and creating something cool from the shop but many different platforms are sat in the Barn, just awaiting some wrench time, but I do enjoy creating New rides.

I get many questions on how do I put in the Knee inserts on gas tanks, well, first off, I find a damaged tank, I don’t want to use a good solid undented gas tank, seem a shame to bash the crap out of it to be honest, so I usually have something about the shop or in storage that I can use and love to repurpose something that has been discarded, but I do use ear defenders as I have already got  Tinnitus from years of grinding metal, riding motorcycles with No ear plugs and going to many gigs and standing up front by the speakers.

I really enjoy making parts for the machines I build and of course offering it to customers too, its a noisy job but if it was easy, then everyone would do it right?

I have a few ideas for New parts this year, so keep checking back with me, also I hope to offer parts for different models and brands of Motorcycle, so I should be able to help you all, my Customer Service really is hard to beat compared to the many shops that have sprouted up recently, this is my career and my passion not just a business.

If its engine parts you need, drop me a Dime or Text on 714-598-8392 and I am more than happy to help you lot out with your project, this year should be a fun one and maybe I will meet some of you at an event?  I have built many Motorcycle over the almost 23 years I have lived here in Southern California and look forward to building many more.

 

The Hot Rod and Razor exhausts Now in stock, this is how they sounds too.

Weekend is here but its going to be damn Hot In Southern California

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
14 May

I know, I know- I should not complain about the weather, but- I left the shores of Blighty back in 1997, this weekend it will be in the 90’s and I am lucky that I now have the Barn to work in, albeit no A/C.  Its surprising how much you can get done when there is a big ball of fire trying to make you evaporate.

Today I shall be packing up quite a few New exhaust systems, with more on the way, busy time of the year for me as people are wrenching on their machines and of course, with warmer temperatures, then riding season is at its most fruitful, I too love riding early in the morning as the warmth of the Sun begins to make the tarmac steam and for me, there is nothing better to clear your head than a crisp morning.

But parts have to be re-stocked and I am trying to get the New Place in some sort of order, so I can pick and pack my parts a little easier and then ship right out to my Customers, I am lucky as the Main Post Office is just down the road, so that means I can take them directly to the Loading dock to scan and load the packages and boxes onto the truck that is going out to deliver.

I am coming up with a few different parts too and this all takes time, but I am enjoying what I do and when you work from your own Workshop with no landlord hassling you, a lot of stress simply disappears.

Happy Sunday everyone and hope you get a little bit of time to be able to do some wrenching on your machine, let me know if I can help by phone or text, 714-598-8392.  keep building and keep riding.

A HONDA CB750K I Aptly Named The NUT BASHER

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
10 Dec

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
05 Dec

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

Sunday and plenty to do in the Garage

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
09 Aug

Hey you lot, hope things are OK with everyone?  And you are trying to get on with your Motorcycle Project in this Pandemic. I am still flat out playing catch up and thats a good thing to be busy.

With the weekend crashing by so fast, its hard to sometimes catch up on a daily Blog, but I try as I know many people read what I am up to etc and like to hear from readers of the things they are doing to their 2 wheeled machines in this strange times that we are in right now.

I have a multitude of things I have to try and get sorted, over 50 more exhausts to build, more Tee shirts to design and I have a 550 Honda to Rebuild Carbs, a Triumph Scrambler that needs a service and a bunch of Customer orders I need to pack and get ready to ship for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be my 58th Birthday, hard to believe that I am approaching that bloody Golden age in 2 years, but I feel like I am in my 30’s and thats because I have a great girlfriend that helps me in what I do and achieve, and having a strong support system is paramount when it comes to a business.  And with Jennifer at my side, we can accomplish much more than if i was trying to do it all on my own. She rides her Own Motorcycle and I am so fortunate that she has the same passions and interest as I do, we make a great team.

 

Well, I am going to get a few things done but I was thinking of things I may like to do some day and I thought about Hill Climbing on two wheels, its a fantastic sport for spectators too, maybe one day I will have a go, id prefer a Vintage bike but hey if the opportunity arises, I’d give these bikes a shot. Have a great Sunday everyone.

 

My Old Thruxton was a Fun Machine

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
14 Jun

Having a day to remember this afternoon, remembering my 2013 Triumph Thruxton that I bought as stock as the Proverbial Rock in Brea and then set about changing a few things as I went along and get it to the style and menacing Gnarly Growl of the mufflers as I hit the apex of a curve somewhere in Southern California. Below, even after a couple of weeks of owning this Thruxton, I hadmade some Monarch Megaphons out of stainless steel and changed the Shocks to a set of TEC piggy backs.

Although the stock Thruxton is so much fun to ride, I just cannot leave stuff alone, I have always tinkered with anything I have owned to try and make it look different and this Thruxton was going to get some sort of make over, but, I didnt want it off the road for long as I use it all the time. Thus a long timed transformation begun and boy what a Fun time I had with this little 900 machine.

Well, by the time came for me to enter the DGR, the bikes Livery had already changed and many modifications had gone by, but this was a great look that I came up with that reminded me of the old JPS formula 1 days and I rode the heck out of the twinline in this guise.

Now this was still ongoing and was not happy until I had changed a few more things but, I still kept this girl on the road, she loved to be ridden and ridden hard, and I got all the moneys worth out of this Thruxton and it was just a fun motorcycle to jump on and go.

I rode this machine in all sorts of conditions and Triumph did a superb job designing this 900 engine as it took what ever I threw at it and more.

It would be nice to keep every bike you owned but I am no Jay Leno, but at least I have some photos that I took to remember some of the fun machines I was lucky enough to own and ride a lot.

I have ridden this to many places and in the Boiling Sun or pouring Rain, the bike only ever failed a couple of times and that was a Puncture and a set of Blown Shocks, other than that, this just ran and ran.

Many a time I took the back Canyon twisty roads out to the Chino Air Museum, as I love ww2 Aircraft, its always fun riding out here and gets the cobwebs of the week blown cleanly out as you hit the curves on Carbon Canyon Road.

But a fun machine and something i wanted to share with you lot today as I sit at home ans catch up on orders for people bikes that they are completing in this Pandemic time we are all in.

I made a rear Cowl from Aluminum and set a Lincoln Zephyr style tear drop LED tail Light in the back, as this Cowl would also store my gloves, Goggles and documents inside.

I loved this set up and was finally happy at the final guise, it did turn many heads I must admit and never got pulled by Mr Plod either funnily enough.

This time Soft Tanned and aged leather was used with 2 inches of High Density Memory Foam to make sure my Arse did not get numb on our long rides that Jennifer and I took.

This bike sat well now, big 5.5 rear tire made sure that this stuck to the tarmac and a set of Berringer brakes up front on a wave rotor made sure I stopped in time.

The Full Stainless Steel Italian Zards Barked well and I wrapped the front in Space EX sleeves that kept my legs from burning and it really worked well to be honest.

I needed that Fog light on many occasions and it gave my Trumpy that European look, I sell the fog light kit still today to people all over the globe, as well as the headlight with internal LED signals, I hand made the fender from an old BSA model.

Another one of My Products that I designed and manufactured, was the Knuckle Duster Heel guard, I had sold many of these and they really do add some cool detail to the bike, many of which people forget about. I also drilled and welded tubes in the swing arm and chromed for that Custom look.

This was a nice ride height for me and took some time to dial in to how I wanted it but now in this guise it would whip into the corners like a Go kart.

I hoped you liked a little insight into my Triumph Thruxton EFi 900 Cafe Racer machine? I sure had a Blast getting this to how it is now.

Hope that you lot get some time in the saddle this Summer and enjoy what we are so lucky to have and share the commeraderie of the road with other like minded people.

Sure be nice to see some of you when we are out on our travels, we have made so many friends in this industry and always glad to meet other enthusiasts such as your selves.

It is always good to get out and when I get back, my mind is clear and I am ready to design and make new parts once again, this has been a fun 20 years doing what I do.

If there is anything I can do to help you along with your machine, just drop us a line at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or text on 714-598-8392 as I am here to help.

Thanks for reading my Blog today, its fun to do, takes a bit of time but always worth it if I cheer your day up a little bit.

Peace N Grease to Each and Every one of You!

 

 

 

 

 

Summer is here and time to get back on 2 wheels

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
09 Jul

We are so lucky here in Southern California, we are blessed with Sunny days most of the year round, albeit the price we pay is we get Earthquakes and we got a couple of big buggers on July 4th and 5th, with a few aftershocks on their way.

But other than that, we are fortunate to have year round riding weather, but thats not the case for most of the other parts of the USA and the world etc, especially places like Canada etr.  They have a very short riding season and its this time of year that many riders are slinging their legs over the two wheeled creations and pounding the tarmac.

If you need parts, well I am here for you all, as well as any enquiries as to how to hopefully come up with an answer to a frustrating system on the bike, maybe Carburettor issue ? Bad coils? or what oil and plugs do you recommend etc.

 

My job is to help you get your machione on the road for the first time or, for the millionth time again, its all good and this really is the best time of year for the two wheeled industry.

I love what I do and if I can help you get you back on the road, then I am a happy Bloke, I can help you with many parts, I have been doing these cool Vintage Stke Tuck n Roll seat assemblys for the K series Honda’s for many years and they turn our great, fit well and are comfortable, but more than anything, made by me right here in California USA!

So, have a great Tuesday and if you need help you can email me at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or even Text me on the same number for a faster response. I ship out the same day if I have the part in stock too.

I make parts for Triumphs too, so stay tuned to the website if you have a Twinline Motorcycle and need help with that as well, this seat style I make for the HONDA and the TRIUMPH and was the first to do this style many years ago and continue to push the enevelope in making new parts for the bikes out there .

Thanks for reading my Blog today, I try and keep you up to date with whats going on, if you have a 350 to a 1000 I can usually accomidate you and get you back on the road fast, but i also have a passion for Motorcycles, been into these bkes for decades and thats where I get a lot of experience from as I have ridden them for so long.

Have a fun Tuesday and hopefully you get some time to wrench or ride on your favorite machine out there.

 

Have a Great weekend everyone

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
22 Feb

Well, the end of the week is here and the weather is surprisingly cold here in Southern California, but this weekend I need to work on parts for the Vesco bike that i an trying to rebuild for a show in March in La for the OG Show, so I am flat out right now but enjoy the challenge.

Hope that you may time to wrench on your machine or even get lucky enough to take it out of the weather is not too bad, but- this time of year, many people are in their Shed, garage, Workshop, tinkering with their 2 wheeled machine and if you need help on parts or even advise, this is why I am here as we are all a big family.  I will also try hard to get you on the road as soon as possible.

I need to get another Master Cylinder for the Brat bike that I am creating and the one you see here on the Revolver Caff I built will be what I need, these work so well and are brand new, affordable and can run up to 2 Rotors too as it has a good size piston in the chamber.

I will be busy all weekend working on revamping parts and polishing parts and maybe some welding too, I get more done on the weekend than I do during the week, I think because I have so many emails and phone calls and texts to reply too and I do that all week.

Have a great weekend everyone, you can order 24-7 on my website and you can email, call or even text me still and I will reply, have fun and hope to see some of your creations soon.

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