So I have done a bit of work on the Honda since last we spoke. I mounted a half fairing. I’m pretty excited, and I think it came out radical. Here are the pics of the mounting and whatnot.

I bent these with a torch and a pair of plyers.

Mounted the headlight. Its 4″.

Here’s the top view.

Mounted the Tach

I went back and forth on the number plate color. I finished it in black, but I think I’m going to go back to yellow.

Here it is. I had the cut the headlight hole, and glass in the tunnel for the headlight. I’m real happy with the results.

I love this bike. I hope you enjoi it too.

So i have totally rebuilt it , with exception to the gearbox. It’s working well so I didn’t see the need to get that deep into the motor. I also need to replace the cam. The bearing is shot. Well pretty bad anyway. I’m gonna run it that way for a couple of months or until the motor quits. Then I’m gonna bore it out to a 450cc, from 356cc. I’ll put a bigger lobed cam in at that time. Here’s a photo of the cam now.

It's looks pretty bad, but it still feels pretty smooth. Am I lying to you or myself?

So besides the cam, that I think can wait until I free up some money, I need to replace the rings. I need to do that right away. They are so bad that they’re getting blow-by. So bad in fact that it’s fouling the plugs. It wont stay running. I’m gonna get the rings .5 over. That way if they don’t fit properly I can file them down a bit.

I did a test paint job because I wasn’t sure about the the paint scheme. I knew I wanted to do something race style, but to my knowledge Honda didn’t have race bikes in the mid seventies. Mike says it’s because Honda pulled out of racing to focus on the Civic. I can neither confirm nor deny this, but it sounded reasonable enough to me. So anyway I wanted to do something red white and blue. I think that paint scheme looks rad, but I wanted to get the colors right. Here’s the first run.

CL360 Profile

CL360 Front Angle

CL360 Rear

CL360 Rear Angle

The last one is my favorite picture so far. So I got the paint mocked up, and I’m happy with the red, but Sander suggested I go a  bit darker on the blue. I agree, so I reshoot with a darker blue. I couldn’t be happier with the suggestion. I slapped on the wings, and cleared it up. It looks good from far but…..

Oh, before I show you those,  I made a # plate mount for it as well. I confirmed what I already knew about welding… I suck at it.

It not the best but here it is.

Ok, here’s the finished paint. I have to french in a head light and make a tach mount, but other than that I couldn’t be happier.

That's nice

That blue is so much better

So I got a little tipsy the other night, and Mike talked me into doing an artsy night photo shoot. I am no Ansel Adams, but here they are. A couple of them turned out pretty cool.

Oooohh!

I can't wait to ride the wheels off this little fucker

43 I'm hoping that will be my AHRMA #

Well that’s it for tonight gang. My back is starting to smart from bending over this fucking computer. I hope you like it.  McCarron out!

So if you have never been to a race school/track day, I would highly recommend it. Riding on a track is the most fun you can have on a motorcycle. I went on friday and I still feel high from going that fast. Now I’m not the best rider, but I’m certainly not the worst. For the bikes I ride I feel pretty fast.

For my birthday, my wife asked me what I wanted. I told her I wanted a Race/Track school. She said Ok, and I instantly called my buddy Sander to see if he wanted to go. He was pumped, as he had never ridden on a track either. I was reading Keith Codes book “A Twist of the Wrist” so I thought his school would be rad. Sander said a few people he knows suggested the Reg Pridmore school. An old AMA/FIM guy that is fast as shit. We decided on that one, as Keith Code seems a bit over analytical and we both felt like we would be lost at his school. Plus Reg (I feel like I can call him Reg after taking his class) has raced just about every machine under the sun, so he would be familiar with the style of bikes we would be bringing to the track. The track we went to is Willows Springs “Big Track”.

There was a fair amount of prep on the bike before we went, and new tires were a must. I won’t go into the full details, but I would highly suggest getting new tires if your tires are less than 90%. Don’t lie to yourself. It doesn’t seem worth it. Oh and don’t forget the extra gas. Did I say get new tires yet? Get ‘em! The Avon Road Riders are bad ass. I love these tires. Here’s a couple pics before we left.

I wish I could ride it everyday with no lights or license plate.

Rad!

 So with the bikes all loaded we drive up the night before.

This is the first time my bike has been in the back of a truck.

The day starts at 7am, and we didn’t want to wake up at 3 in the morning to drive there. I’m nervous and excited about the day to come. I’m not sure what to expect. Am I gonna be the slow guy? Maybe I should have opted for the intermediate class instead of the beginners class. Is my bike going to be fast enough? 

It’s a long drive. 3 1/2 hours from Whales Vagina. Anywho, we finally get to our Motel. This place is nice and cheap. Good security, a pool, and breakfast in the morning. I would recommend this place, and it’s only 15 minutes to the track.

Finally I can get some sleep. Not that I can sleep, more that I am stoked to be out of the truck.

We driving and I can see the track.  It’s intimidating as all hell.

Willow!

Pit Lane

I’d like to take a minute to talk about Reg. He’s fuckin’ rad. He’s an older ticker, that has seen more tracks, more races, more crashes, more anything to do with motorbike racing than anyone I have ever met. And he is really an approachable dude. Good disposition. The school is run by him and his wife GiGi. As a married dude myself, I can say they are truly inspirational together. They seem genuinely happy.

Cheers Mate!

If you want to learn how to ride better on the track or the street, this is your guy. At any level, he can teach you something. He’s patient, and isn’t worried about pointing out flaws. He main thing is safety. I could go on and on, but I don’t want to seem like a brown-noser.

I dont want to talk about the class really, other than I went there with a plan. To become a more efficient rider. By the end of the day I felt safer, smarter, more confident, and rode faster than I have ever ridden before. I went on Friday. It’s Tuesday, and I still have a smile on my face! Thanks Reg, GiGi, all the Phils (I think there were 3 or 4 there) Instructor Ted and FNG for helping me become a better rider. I will never forget my experience. Oh yeah. One last thing. I went in the dirt once, and because of the things I learned in this class, I was able to keep it on 2 wheels at about 90 mph or so and bring her back on the pavement.

These are some random pics from the day, as well as a couple of track pics. I hope you enjoi!

First thing in the morning.

Reg is big on reading your tires. I never really thought about that before. Mine are saying "No chicken strips bitches!"

Go Ted, go!

Sander’s pics are awesome.

Gettin it!

Dude! Your bike is bitchen.

The only thing missing from the day was Mike and the rest of the “Dudes”.

After the day was over we loaded up the truck and waited around for the traffic to die down. Reg and GiGi were hanging out by their rig, so Sander and I hung out with them for about an hour. Reflecting on the day, and excited about days to come.

Thank you Baby, for making my birthday kick more ass than a donkey farm! You are my life.

Anywho, I got really excited about riding with the wife, as she told me she wanted a bike. Yeay!  I wanted her to get a new bike, so I would never have to work on it. She was insistant on a modern classic, which also made me happy. Atleast it would look old. I showed her a total of 4 bikes to look at, which included – Ducati Monster, Ducati Sport Classic 1000, Motto Guzzi V7 and Triumph Thruxton.  I sent her to 2 different local bike shops to check them out and see which one she would like the most. I was hoping for the Ducati 1000. GP downtown San Diego for the Ducatis and Guzzi, and Rocket Motorcycles, Marina Blvd, San Diego for the Thruxton. She wound up going for the Thruxton. I wanted to get it from a Mom & Pop shop, because I believe in supporting local business. Plus these guys know Triumphs, and have been riding them sice the late 60′s.  I’m not sure why, but as it turns out I never took a picture of the bike when we got it.

This is what she looked like new. Good Looking enough.

She rode it a few times, and as it turns out became my daily driver. She actually wants something a bit smaller. Something more like the scrambler.

The first thing I did to it was new pipes. This thing was so quiet, when I would ride with my friends I couldn’t even hear it. I purchased a pair of Norman Hyde Pipes from NewBonneville.com. Kinda quiet at lower RPMs, but when you crack the throttle she really growls. Nice. Next to go were the shitty bar end mirrors. It was a chore to split lanes with those things. I just put on a cheap round bar end on one side. Nice. The Next thing were the bars. I’m not 50 yet, so I opted for some clip ons. I’ll never understand why the changed from the clipons to M bars, but in any case, they had to go. I thought about putting the the stock Thruxton clipons, but I like the Woodcrafts on the honda, so I went with those. Plus, they were just about half as much, for a much better clipon.

Not a fan.

That's better. Oh yeah, and I painted it gold, but we'll get to that.

I also chopped the back fender off and made a bracket for the light, license plate and turn signals. It looked pretty good, and at least I was happy with the way it turned out.

Sorry about the photo, but it's the best one I have.

 So I end up going to rallys and whatnot for vintage bike nights, and is would seem the the Thuxton gets lost in a see of black Thruxtons, so I decided to paint it. I settled on Gold.

First I did the Fender.

Then the cowl

Then the tank. I had to do it in stages because its my daily driver.

All the while, I’ve really started to dig the Thruxton Cup Racers I’m seeing on the internet. I really like the European ones best. So I ask my buddy Sander at Airtech  if he could make me a seat. He seems excited enough about to talk with Kent, and 8 weeks later I have this bitchen seat. Those guys are awesome. He also made me a seat pan so I could upholster it. I know, I know, not true racer, but I gotta ride this thing to and fro work every day. So this is how it came out. I couldn’t be more pumped.

I decide to do # plates even though I won't be likely to put #s on it.

I had to cut out the rear fender mount, to make everything fit properly, but Dutch said he would help me build a new rear hoop for it. Dutch is the man!  He’s my go to guy when I get stuck. A really patient dude, that has helped me debug my carbs, eletrical and now the rear hoop. But really I’m just trying to make my bike as cool as his.

I had to cut this brace/inner fender mount to make the seat sit on the frame rails. Because of the tank the seat sits further back.

All cut out, and can work on the rear hoop.

Here are pictures of the seat and tank inplace, but no mount points. I still have to weld those in.

I'm excited about the paint. I think gold black and red.

I'm a big fan of the seat shape.

Profile of the tank.

From a higher vantage point.

I have to cut some tuff off of the frame I missed the first time. I’ll post all of that as I do it. I also have to weld a rear hoop, so I can mount the seat and the battery under the seat. Plus it will make the back end of the frame more rigid.

The first thing on my plate is venting the rear brake. I like the way it looks plus it will help keep it cool.

Here are the pictures…..

Here is the brake plate before I got a hold of it.

And the backside, with the shoes removed.

No plasma cutter, so I have to drill it out.

And the backside.

I'm telling you, my Dremel is my best friend.

I think it turned out pretty good.

And a close up. I got all the materials at Marshalls. The Screen and the aluminum plate. I just have to fix it to the brake plate. I think some allen screws will look nice.

Anyway, check out the pictures. It looks pretty bitchen….

That's nice.

He sanded the muffler too. Looks boss Michael.

Oooh artsy!

He hasn’t had time to clearcoat it yet. I’ll post some better ones tonight, with the Airtech flyscreen, and a better profile of the tank. Ride on Michael.

Anyway, I decided to upholster the seat on the Scarmbler. I use to have a  stick on foam seat, which I liked the race bike look it gave it, but I wanted something a bit more vintage looking.

So went to the fabric store and bought some inexpensive vinyl. As this is my first upholstery job, I didn’t want to waste alot of money. I dusted off the Singer and went to work.

I got this machine from the wife for Christmas a couple of years ago. It does 4 layers of leather, or I so I have been told.

I put the foam on the seat pan and trimmed it with a brand new razor blade. This is very important, because if the blade is dull it will tear the foam instead of a perfect slice.  

Then I did the cross stitches. I did 30mm apart. And yes I did millimeters to keep the bike metric. I used a ruler and a leather pencil to measure it out.

30mm apart. enough to cover the seat pan and meet in the middle of the bottom. It seem like alot, but there will be trimming later.

I did the piping and tacked it into place.

I actually used a thicker chord in the piping, but I didn't take any pictures. You will see in the final picture that it's considerably thicker.

I drilled holes throught the seat pan and the base and put screws through the seat pan/ foam side. Then I hot glued the screws onto the pan so they don’t slip while tightening the nuts on the underside. Spray the seat foam with some 3M spray glue, so the vinyl doesnt slip around. I trimmed the fat of the vinyl and hot glued it to the underside of the seatpan. Then I mounted the seat pan to the seat. 

Not bad for my first seat. I left it short, because eventually I wanna put a Hansen or Drixton tank on her.

So that’s the seat. Next on the list for the scrambler is new spokes and polished hubs. Let me know what you think.

1974 R75/6

Mangold's racer.

MANGOLD!

Nothing new to post on the CB175. Still sourcing parts. I hope to have something for this weekend.

It’s Sunday, and instead of going for a ride with my sweet baby, I decide to assess the CB and do a quick stripping of unwanted parts. Upon further inspection, it seems the bike isn’t as bad as it looks. I’m gonna toss most of the stock parts, and the frame and motor appear to be solid. Assuming of course the motor does actually turn over. This is the bike before the strip.

Front View Day 1

Side View

Right Side Motor

Left Side Motor

I’m not familiar with the CB175 motor, but that doesn’t look right.

It was pretty easy. No broke bolts. Here are the pictures of the bike with everything gone that I don’t plan on using. There’s not much left of her, but my goal is getting it as light as possible.

It took about 1/2 an hour to get her to this

Front View

Left side Stripped

Rear View

Overall I’m pretty pleased with how it went. I am starting to research parts. This is a bit discouraging, as I am finding it hard to find parts for a ’78. I need a few motor bits, and I haven’t seen the pieces I need on eBay. Nothing major, but non the less. My buddy Dutch works for a company called Airtech. His bike is the nicest of anyone I know. He built a solid, beautiful ’74 Z1 pictured above. He would argue that it still needs work, but don’t we all think that when it comes to our own bikes? I will be getting the fairing, tank and seat from him. They are a San Diego based company, and they really know their shit. They don’t just take orders, and they do all the work in-house.

That’s it for tonight. I’m gonna leave you with the pictures of me and my roommate Mike clowning, and dreaming of being on the track. Enjoy!

I think it might be a bit small for me.

With one knee down, Mike's got Valentino in his sights going into turn 7. Dream on Michael. You'll never catch him.