25th Anniversary Edition Ton UP Machine CB750K
Well, next year will be my 25th Anniversary of creating machines over on this side of the pond, many people have asked would I replicate the infamous K5 with Cafe on the tank to celebrate a quarter of a Century building Motorcycles, and I thought, I may go along the similar lines to that very Bike that kind of put me on the map so to speak.
But what should I do? On reflection I think it is indeed a cool idea to do something like that very machine but, with some extra cool parts and exhaust system etc but I do have a NOS Paul Dunstall 5 Gallon Manx Tank in my Barn and will probably use that, so, I have a few old parts laying about and have been to and throw in coming up with that popular concept bike I created all them years back.
I have an empty Motor that I will use as a mock up for the time being. Then build something that will have a bit of oomph, but we shall see how things go, but the amount of messages I get about the old Cafe Bike I created all them years ago, still causes a stir and I think it will be fitting to do something in that style, maybe different color etc and wheels too.
So I will use old snotty spare parts to mock it up, as well as some New stuff to see if it will fit and as you see, I think I may go with my Infamous Sidewinder Exhaust system as it hugs the frame and, you can still use a main stand. I am putting my Vortex Baffle in for that crisp response and crackle when you open and shut the throttle.
Simply slide the baffle in all the way and the endcap finishes the system off just like the old days and I like ceramic Black end to give a good contrast to the system.
Please remember, this is all a Mock up, I will strip the frame and then either paint or Chrome it, not decided what yet but will add info as and when I do more to the bike, I am just getting a feel right now but love the way it will sit and of course will use shorter fork tubes in the steering.
See how close the Sidewinder is to the frame, but, not touching it, and- If you look, you can see that if you wanted, you can still use the Main stand, even if you were changing a rear tire or fitting a new chain, it makes it easier to slip the main stand on and not have to remove the exhaust system.
Still so Much to do and see where I am going, but I do like my Sidewinder Exhaust system as on the 75K I created a quarter a century ago I went with a different 4 into 1 system, plus this system allows for super easy access to the Oil filter Housing too.
I love the look of the tromboning headers and they flow so well, a crisp note that will get you noticed every time you twist the throttle, the bike will get a complete strip down and then I shall bead blast the paint down to bare metal, grind any welds off that are ugly and add some brackets for New tank and seat combo etc, this will take time but don’t want to rush either.
This is my own design and I like to Ceramic coat these , this time I chose the Brushed Aluminum look and I think it will set the bike off great once everything is tied together and have that Cohesiveness that will draw a crowd.
Of course stopping power is paramount on these machines and with a little extra Horsepower, these inline fours need some good surface area to be able for the brake pads to grab onto and bring you to a safe stop, so I chose to go with Beringer and have the floating Rotor and Custom Caliper set up to give me that punchy braking that many lack on their builds.
Of course, you need a good strong Master Cylinder to push all that brake fluid down to the Caliper as quick as possible and I thought I may as well go for the trifecta and get a Bringer Master Cylinder set up and very cool it looks too.
As you can see, this is a rough mock up, no painting will be going on until I have completed the whole build up and then once I am happy I shall do the tear down, rebuild a Motor and then slowly assemble the machine, but right now I am trying all sorts of concepts, I had an old set of 1977 Lester Rims that came off an old Chopper bike that was parted out many moons ago. It is a 19″ front and a 16′ rear, the shock absorbers that I have fitted are not tall enough for what I want, these are about 13 inches from center to center, I want at least 14 inch centers to raise the rear end for a more level stance.
I have had this old frame for years and its weather beaten, but that makes it for an interesting build as I love resurrecting 50 years old Motorcycles from parts, I believe this will be a fun bike to ride, I shall incorporate rear sets and maybe a Custom swing arm with adjustable shock mounts for changing rear Geometry etc.
So, although the frame is Rusty and some corrosion, I have always started with frames like this, I am media blasting it anyway so it will be all fresh metal again when I start the build up after I am happy with the overall look when I am done fitting parts.
I have other things to do like all my orders today, so I had better get the exhaust orders done and ready for the UPS driver as exhausts always sell well and weather will be warming up all over the globe soon and that means- Riding weather.
So, with that I had better get these orders packed and labeled for exhausts and get them done as light will be fading soon, but thanks for follwing me on the 25th Anniversary build and of course, I shall keep you all posted via here.
