One Hot Chopper!
This beauty we found was featured in Iron Horse magazine. I’m told she was a centerfold. I haven’t been able to find the story or the issue. If anyone knows, email me at cultclassiccycles@yahoo.com, I’d love to know!
UPDATE: On Billy’s Bike
Forgive me if my posts have been few and far between, we’ve been having trouble with our internet. So this is my first attempt at blogging from my phone.
Anyway, Billy’s bike is starting to look pretty sweet with the all the brass accents! This project is so close to done that my next post on it will be of the finished product.
1975 CL360
Here in lovely Spokane winter has set in; the rain, snow and wind has the bikes parked and all tucked in for the season. With that said winter projects has started! Nate’s digger has a final progress post coming up and introducing a new project for our friend Billy. A 1975 CL360 that Tony and Mike found way up north from and old lady. This bike is all orginal and very clean, when Billy stopped by one day it was love at first sight! He rode it around for awhile then decided for the boys to “cafe it.”
Tear down day.
No motor.
Down to the frame, ready to shave all that factory steel off.
Frame mods.
Engine soaking in alcasol.
Engine clean and ready for paint.
Billy went tire shopping and picked up a set of Coker Firestone repops for that old school vintage look.
Mike started piecing the tail and seat pan together.
UPDATE: Tail and tank mock up.
Nate’s Drag Cafe
A few weeks ago I posted my first motorcycle, a Kikker 5150, on craigslist. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that blue CB500 from our progress posts…. yeah, that’s going to be my upgrade! Going from a 110cc to a 500 is some upgrade huh? 😉 Anyway, we first met Nate Doggett when he responded to our ad on the cycle. Tony and Nate got to talking… next thing you know a new project has started. A raked cafe digger! I saw this work-in-progress for the first time today and I have to say, I am super excited about this project! So enough talking, lets get to the progress photos!
Honda CB650, ready, set, lets build!
All clean and ready for Mike to start shaving/cutting/welding the frame.
Modified and painted.
Engine clean and ready for paint
Benelli 360 tank
Beer box tail mocked up. Nate said, “Drop that bitch!”
So we did!
Carbs on, custom rear shocks, 4″ lowered tubes, 4 into 1 wrapped and on, emblems filled, gators on, custom aluminum tail, molded and riveted. She’s starting to look custom!
Honda CB500 – Progress Post Part 2
I know it seems like we’ve been working on this Honda forever. This is an off and on project because it will most likely NOT be for sale. I say most likely because… well in the end cash always talks! 😉
Tony really wants to keep this bike as my everyday rider and I keep telling him I want to see it finished first!
Honda CB500 – Progress Post
This is my husband’s “baby” at the moment. We originally bought this 1972 CB500 around April of last year, this is a project the boys have been working on in between the cafes and other restorations. This bike has custom everything even the rear frame mounts are custom designed (by myself). The following photos are a series over the past year:
The bike before the frame was cut up.
Something’s missing right? Like the whole back of the bike?
Fitting the frame.
The new rear end.
Note the custom rear brackets!
Does it look like a bike yet?
Mock up. Apes or drag bars? That is the question.
Tank and fender back from paint!
Now it’s starting to look good! Fresh black paint on the frame. Looks like the inverted clubmans won!
1973 Honda CB350f *UPDATE: SOLD*
This is our second Cafe Racer. It is now for sale! See the bottom of this post for the link to the listing. This bike is very similar to our green cafe.
This Cafe had a lot done to it. A complete custom cycle! The original bike was completely taken down and rebuilt from the ground up.
The Details:
The frame was taken down to bare metal, shaved, ground then reinforced.
Custom rear shock mounts, 3-way height adjustable.
Custom battery mounted underneath tail section with new deep cycle battery.
Custom built and polished front motor mounts and rear brake anchor
Shaved swing arm.
Control wire ran through the clubman bars.
Rebuilt petcock.
Timing set and valves adjusted and de-carbonized
All cables lubed
Carbs completely rebuilt (and rejetted) with all new parts (also soaked, cleaned and soda blasted inside and out)
Carb brackets, tops and bowls polished.
Rear sprocket cover eliminated and sprocket was painted black.
Chrome headlight and headlight ears.
Chrome turn signals.
Polished controls, triple tree, brake fittings, front break caliper, exhaust, and rear break anchor.
Sprocket guard on motor drilled and polished.
New x-ring gold chain
New pro-grips
New tires
New points
New top end gaskets
New fuel lines
New pod filters
New tires
Seat is being refinished in black leather
Paint: PPG silver with House of Color metal flake, covered in candy blue and buried in clear coated.
The Finished Cafe Photos:
I think we should start giving our bikes names. Does anyone have any suggestions?
http://spokane.craigslist.org/mcy/2380669893.html
UPDATE!
The seat was finished and installed today! Saturday May 21st, 2011
*UPDATE* NO LONGER FOR SALE
1972 Honda CB350f
This is our first official Cafe Racer. This was a fun little bike! It was a great project, I really liked watching it come to life. The owner of this bike is really enjoying it! Since this photo and before we shipped it to Seattle we had a black leather seat made for it.
The CB350f when it first came out in 1972 was a four cylinder motorcycle and was considered to “one up” larger bikes at the time. The four cylinder is a faster and smother ride than the 350 twin.
This is what the bike looked like during the build.
Here are some more photos of the completed bike:
Vintage Cycle 