Looking forward to a more positive Healthy year

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

29 Dec

A couple of days left in this terrible Pandemic year, good riddens to it and sure hope that 2021 will be great for us all, of course it will take probably half of that year for all of us to get back on an even keel so to speak, but we shall get there and life will change for the better. Where we can go out and eat, enjoy meeting folk again, even attend shows and Motorcycle meets etc, life is so short and precious and I think that everybody’s attitude will be a tad different now too.

I love making parts or just building bikes, I am no Pro at this, and didn’t go to school to learn how to either but I grew up with 2 wheeled machines and still to this day do not own a Snap On tool, just the old Sears Craftsmen’s lol. The photo above is me about 20 years ago with my Rocket 4 seat base I created and, still sell today. And Below, was when I helped Dennis Roth create a tribute trike to his dad who passed away Ed Roth, and of course, it had to be CB750 Powered. How much fun did we have with this, hope to find photos of the finished product one day when it was on display at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Sunday and many an hour getting this CB550F Dialled in.

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

23 Aug

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?

Exhaust Systems update

Posted on August 5, 2020August 5, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

05 Aug

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.

Little bit of work on Customers CB750F today

Posted on February 7, 2018January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

07 Feb

Had a customer come in with an old 1975 Super sport, just wants a few little things changed so he can ride for a while and then sell it, these jobs sometimes can get out of hand as you are dealing with unknown history and previous issues. Knackered exhaust, no side covers JB Weld on things, ugh! Some of these things do become a big task and would of been better if they left it alone, but, we all have to start somewhere and I know I can help this fella out and get this bike running and looking to how he wants it. Working on a small income is hard, I have been there but this will be a fun machine and he will get miles of smiles once I have completed the tasks at hand on this Super Sport.

Above is the before and after as you can see the bike had an old Chromed Kerker Muffler on the unit but, it had no Baffle at all and was so loud, it would let off peoples car alarms every time you fired the thing up, so I made a smaller custom one from steel and added a kick up and baffle, it now resonates nicely and looks a whole lot better I think.

Above, you can see that I also changed out the rear shocks, as his ones were rock solid and rusty, so now he has some comfort on his machine that will soak any bumps up from the tarmac.

Removed the rear Master Cylinder bracket and Polished it to at least clean the area up a bit as well as polishing the reservoir cap too, makes a difference I think.

Above is before and below is how it is now but still more to do as I need to make a steel seat base and then cut some high density foam and upholster it, not sure what color material he wants but will call him once I get to that part of the work that is needed to be completed. I also have to figure out his tail light and turn signal situation as well.

Next up was to remove the stock headlight and fit one of my LED versions that has the internal turn signals, this, not need the old bog ugly stock ones. be seen, be safe, thats the most important thing on a Motorcycle and with the halogen bulb and super bright Amber LED internals signals will make sure people know your intentions on the road.

So there ya go, just a few little things I did, am now going to re-route the throttle cables as they said when they fitted them they tended to bind, so will address that next, I made some side covers and they are now on, just need to be painted to match tank when he repaints the stock tank later but so far I have got a lot of the issues out of the way.

Seat next so hopefully I can do that soon and will keep you posted as to how that looks, if you need any parts, just drop me a dime or text us on 714-598-8392 and we hope to get you fixed up and back on the tarmac as fast as possible. I am here to help and love what I do its been a passion of mine since I was a Kid in Great Britain.

Have a Great Wednesday everyone and thanks for reading my Blog.

Bikes not over here in the States!

Posted on January 10, 2014January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

10 Jan

The Most Desirable Motorcycles Not Sold In America

Lists – January 7, 2014

By Wes Siler

Oh, America. Our predilection for fat cruisers and absurd sportbikes ensures that we miss out on some seriously wonderful motorcycles. Sometimes because they’re smaller than our overcompensation would bear, sometimes because we can justify spending over $20,000 on a boat anchor made in Milwaukee, but not half that on an 1980s style superbike fitted with modern components. This is what we’re missing out on; the most desirable motorcycles not sold in America.

2014 Honda VFR800

So Shamu turned out to be a white elephant; too much money, too much weight and too little substance. Meanwhile, Europe and Japan are getting a refreshed VFR800. A reasonably priced, super-capable sport tourer, this is the one bike that’s equally at home crossing continents, commuting to work or tearing up a twisty back road. The smaller capacity and lighter weight mean it’s both easier and faster to ride and that it won’t chew through expensive tires halfway through your big summer trip. Honda managed to make this bike genuinely comfortable too.

2014 Honda CB1300

Who would want to ride a big, torquey, inline-four muscle bike made with peerless build quality, high quality components and an engine so smooth it makes 100 mph feel like you’re sitting still. Not us, it turns out, but Honda execs in Japan ensured that their dream bike was green lit, regardless of cost. It even comes in a faired version, turning it into a practical, all-day comfortable muscle tourer. Seriously, the CB1300 is an epic ride.

2014 Honda CB400 Super Four

Many of those same traits are present in the CB400 Super Four — classic styling, double cradle frame, inline-four, quality suspension and brakes — just in a smaller, more accessible package. Japan’s license and insurance tiers make premium small bikes like this one possible; it’s very difficult to access larger machines, so a market exists for nice, smaller bikes. Here, large men on Harleys would just scoff at it and waddle back to their be-tassled exercises in chrome excess. That’s a shame, this thing’s spot on the money for the youth and female markets here.

2014 Honda FTR

If Americans actually used bikes for transportation, then the light, accessible, stylish FTR would sell like Big Gulps. It houses a simple, bulletproof 223cc single-cylinder in a flat track-style package that’s ideal for getting around a city in speedy ease.

2014 Suzuki GS1200SS

Just look at this thing. Basically a modernized version of the original GSX-R1100 from the 1980s, the GS1200SS was made because that original bike was actually illegal to sell in Japan, where max capacity used to be capped at 750cc. This bike allowed riders there to re-live the company’s glory days, just with brakes capable of genuine stopping power and suspension enabling the 462 lbs bus to make it around corners. Here punched out to 1,156cc, the air/oil-cooled inline-four makes just 100 bhp and 70 lb.-ft. of torque, but all the original GSX-R tuning parts will fit, so it’s easy to get it making silly amounts of power. Of all the bikes on the list, this is the one that keeps me up at night.

2014 Suzuki e-Let’s

Practical transportation for one person around a city. That’s what motorcycles do better than their four-wheeled counterparts and it’s what the e-Let’s does better than most motorcycles. What you see is what you get: a little electric scooter with a dorky basket out front. But just think how great this thing would be for shopping trips and errands; it’d cost basically zero dollars to run and you’d have no problem fitting groceries, packages or puppies up front. But why would we want to use one of these to go shopping when we could instead take a 5,000 lbs Escalade replete with chrome rims?

2014 Yamaha SR400

If you follow the custom café racer scene, then you’ll notice that approximately 99.9999% of all foreign builds are based on this bike. Why? Shorn of its…humble bodywork, that air-cooled single is a real looker and the steel tube frame enables easy customization. You can bob it, you can chop it, you can café it or even street track it; basically any modification that involves pipe wrap, gum grips and flat black paint. As a bonus, it already comes with the round headlight, stock. But why would Americans want an affordable, good-looking, classic-style bike? I mean, it only has a single ‘R’ in it’s entire name!

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