Honda

UPDATE: An Exquisite Reader CB550 Gulf Racing Tthemed Cafe Racer

Update: Chris had actually sent me links to a a pair of photo albums and he actually pointed me to the better of the two… which I promptly forgot about and posted the lesser quality of the finished pics. So I thought I’d update this oversight by sorting it out now. These are much better and more representative shots of the finished product. Someone really does has a nice touch with the lens Chris. Thanks and orry for any confusion..

Chris Trotter send in this very special build. I absolutely love the Gulf Racing colors. Oh and these are just a very small taste. Be sure to check out the slideshow folks. SLIDESHOw OF THE FULL BUILD

Hey Steve,
So I bought the original bike a 1975 Honda CB550K in October of 2010, which was stock except for the exhaust. With the exception of the engine, which was in great shape, everything on the bike was replaced, refurbished or built anew. The subframe was built to match up to the tail, which was built to echo the tank. Both tank and seat/tail are constructed from a mix of fiberglass and Kevlar. That was an eye-opener for me; due to Kevlar’s uncooperative nature, I have to say the next build will exclude it entirely! All of the 36 year old bearings and bushings were replaced for peace of mind. Many members of the forum Do The Ton contributed to this build whether by encouragement or hooking me up with parts. For instance, the rear sets and top triple clamp were machined by a forum member, and the logos were airbrushed on by a friend and fellow forum member, with the stencils being made by another! The paint scheme and name are in honor of Gulf Racing’s efforts at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Thanks Steve! Let me know if you need anything more.

Really special bike. Well done.

Here’s a progress pic…

And the before pic…

All original and flawless 1985 VFR 1000R.

Wow! They were a bit “piggish” but I’d still love to have one. And it’s for sale! No I do not know the owner.

Another pair of local Honda Cafe’s

Saw these parked outside a local watering hole. A friend of mine told me that the owners are in their early 20’s. Warms my heart to know that the next generation might be keeping these going for a while!

Reader Ride! 1979 CX500 Cafe Racer.

Don Shores sends in his latest:
Steve,
Just finished the Cafe project, 1979 CX500, epoxy primer, 2 into one exhaust, a few billet pieces, equaled a fun winter project.

Had to clean up the garage a little, while they were out I took a picture of the “BOYS” all together Have a great evening, I check out your site daily and enjoy all of the different rides.
Thx Don

Nice bike and great stable. Thanks Don!

UPDATE: Reader Submittal. A “Carbon Fiber CBX…

Redbird posted a good link to more pics in the comments section over on Do The Ton.  Check it out.  And Thanks Redbird!

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=19681.msg201815#msg201815

 

 

Kurt sends in this stunner from a local bike night of his:

Steve, I love your blog, please keep up the great work! This is a insane carbon-fiber CBX I took pics of at our local bike night at Pinellas Park , Fl Quaker Steak on 2-23-11. This spot draws 1000’s of bikes on a good night. sorry I don’t have more info for you. I’ve got more pics of various nights if you’d like some.
Thanks again,Kurt

There’s a lot of love in that bike.  That swingarm is a nice touch too.  I’m curious about the tank. Is that solid Carbon fiber or is it an overlay? Looks trick either way but a real CF tank would be quite a build.
Thanks Kurt.

Beautiful Honda 450.

Back when they still had vintage events and races at Daytona you’d see bike like these all over the place…  I do love those pipes.

Update: CL77 Hybrid.

Just got this info from Sam Simmons who sent me the pic:
The picture came to me via another Hoosier-Ellis Holman(a huge
vintage Honda enthusiast with many restorations to his credit) following
my request for a pic of a re-powered Honda CL77 scrambler(this bike’s a
CB77).
Background info is that there are in fact a number of these CB/CL’s ‘out
there’,as there’s at least one fellow(in TX,I believe) doing them for
others…..
I’d requested the pic because I’m interested in building similar,but
basing it on a CL77 with 4:4 high pipes(no baffles,only Snuff-R-Nots for
that ‘right’ sound).
And,there are other variations of this theme,using the CB350F and 400F
chassis as the basis.

That’s all I know,Steve…..

Thanks Sam!

This excellent bike was sent to me a while back and the e-mail got lost in a bit of an onslaught of messages that I received at that time. I can’t find the original message so if it was you please let me know so I can give proper credit. Thanks

A tasty Honda cafe…

that’s also for sale…

There’s a LOT of nice bikes out there being let go of.  Wish I had some coin to spend 😦