Topic: My cafe racer was finished in 2006... Update 2023.

[DarkRider]

Awesome bike man!

[74cb750]

Looks as good as Carpy's bikes.

I never used to like cafes much, but this definitely changes my mind.

Just curious, how many mile/kilometers have you ridden since completion?
peace,
michel

[Honda CBer]

5 pages later.................

it is gorgeous!

[SuperVel]

Gotta tell ya'
That is so...so...WOW!!!

Take care

Marty

[DME]

published?? in what?

details, man...details...

I´m so glad you guys like it! It really means a lot to me 

The bike (and me, unfortunally... ) was photographed for a swedish magazine called MC-Nytt (MC-News) earlier this summer.

Here´s a link to the mag: http://www.mcnytt.se/content/index.php?id=1

The reporter sent me the text for a readthrough a couple of weeks after, but after that I didn´t hear anything..... until this friday.

Got an email from the editor saying that the article is due in issue #10.

Looks as good as Carpy's bikes.

I never used to like cafes much, but this definitely changes my mind.

Just curious, how many mile/kilometers have you ridden since completion?
peace,
michel

Just had to go and check the odometer.

I´ve ridden it just over 2500 kilometers this summer.

I was a bit afraid the paint on the engine wouldn´t hold up to the heat but it´s not affected at all.

The black exhausts has been on for the last 700 kilometers and the black paint is still on there, unmarked.


Cheers
Daniel

[retrorocket]

WOW!
What a nice build.
Lots of elbow grease in that one.
What method & polish did you use to shine the aluminum parts on the engine?
Your cafe 750 ROCKS! Props to you, BOTM is well deserved for your efforts.

[snickram]

Nice bike...  I have a 78 honda super sport that I'm currently working on and if it turns out half that nice I'll be pleased...  It sure makes you feel proud once it's all done, I bet you had some hours invested in that beauty..  nice job....

[DME]

WOW!
What a nice build.
Lots of elbow grease in that one.
What method & polish did you use to shine the aluminum parts on the engine?
Your cafe 750 ROCKS! Props to you, BOTM is well deserved for your efforts.

Thanks man 
The aluminium parts on the engine were polished by hand in front of the TV. Very therapeutic.... Only used Autosol and rags.
I will give them a once over on a polishing machine this winter.

Daniel

[DME]

Oboy, time sure flies...

This bike hasn´t turned a wheel since 2006, bought a house in 2007 and life has not been the same since. The renovation of the house has taken most of my time and energy for four years, but it is almost finished now, restored from top to bottom 
Meanwhile my FZR1000 streetfighter has been rolling (and rolling good!) but now it's time for the Café to get back out on the streets.
Heading over to Isle of Man for the TT on wednesday, will be gone for ten days. But after that I will start working on getting the Honda ready for this...



The latest reincarnation:





Over and out
/Dan

[scunny]

good to see you back at it

[SteveD CB500F]

That's still one of the best looking bikes on this site Dan.

[greenjeans]

That's still one of the best looking bikes on this site Dan.

Agreed.  Always loved that bike.    Have fun at the TT - that's on my list of things to do, and has been for a while.

[DME]

Back from the Isle of Man TT (and 7 days touring in Scotland...), and what an experience 

Got 3 full days on the island, arrived thursday morning and spent the day in Douglas after "checking in" at my cousins place. Watched the parctice at Quarter bridge, but the session was unfortunately cut short due to an outfit leaking oil all over the track up on the mountain.


Friday was spent diving around the Mountain Course (all 37.733 miles of it) with some nice stops along the way.
Found these two  in Peel, lovely machines:




Had dinner at the hotel at Glen Helen before we headed down to Gorse Lea to watch the friday night practice, great weather, great people and awesome racing made it the perfect day for me!
Behing the wall at Gorse Lea:


Me and my lady sitting on the wall waiting for the session to start:


Here´s a short video from Gorse Lea, shot in 2009. Great vantage point!
Isle Of Man TT 2009 From Gorse Lea (Offical)

Saturday we caught the first race, the Dainese Superbike race, and we got to see John McGuinness win his 16th TT. Fantastic!
Watched it from just below the grandstand up on Bray Hill:


All in all, if you´ve been there you know what I´m talking about, and if you haven´t you need to go!


Okay, back to topic.

The last thing that happened with the Honda in 2006 was that I had all the carb steel hardware replated in yellow zink. Put it together but never ran it or even poured gas in it after that. So considereing, it has stood for five years I figured it could be wise to see if any of the o-rings or gaskets leaked with the carbs off the bike instead of having it drip all over the engine.
Ripped off the tank and carbs and stuck it all on the bench with the carbs in an old oven tray. Connected the hoses, filled some gas in the tank and turned the lever.... All the gasket were still tight but the o-rings at the fuel inlets leaked a quite a bit. Let it sit a few hours to let the fuel make the dry o-rings swell a little and the leaking stopped.


Stuck the carbs back and a new battery. Fired right up 

Did a sync with my Morgan Carbtuner:


Close enough:


Still need to replace the black 4-4 open exhaust with the crome 4-2 Sito, replace the seat, tank and rear fender with stock parts, and stick the passenger pegs back on all in order to pass the almighty MoT...
But thats another two weeks away so I have all the time in the world!


 

[wannabridin]

looks GREAT!!  very nicely done and great IoM pics!!  def. on my bucket list!

[bill440cars]

  Hey Daniel, good to see that you've still got that "Black Beauty" and she's still perking. Always like the look you accomplished with THAT one! I also wondered if you still had the "Street Fighter" and it seems you do. Great posts you've made here. I just went back through the entire thread, to refresh myself on your bike. Fantastic.  Lateron, Bill

[DME]

Glad to say the Caféracer is now officially back on the road after 5 years of hibernation

Had to get it slighty "stockified" to make it through the MoT today.
Over here a bike registered to take a passenger HAS to have passenger footpegs and passenger seat so the stock seat and passenger pegs went back on. Notice the ducktail seat, not stock for a K2 but it sure looks good. Came with the bike when I bought it back in 1995.

Had to swap to the stock tank to accommodate the seat, and the stock rear fender went back on to get a rear light that works with the seat.
The small turn signals also had to go in favor of the stockers as they don´t stick out far enough.
 
Finally I had to stick the 4-2 Sito exhaust back on to get the sound down to an acceptable level.
All in all it took just over an hour to replace all the parts.
Looked like this when I left for the inspection:







The inspection took 15 minutes and it passed with flying colors, so now it´s roadworthy for another two years as bikes only has to be inspected every two years over here

Then straight back home and reverse the procedure....

Spent the evening riding around and man does it feel good to be back!!


/Daniel

[DME]

So happy to be back in the saddle on the Honda after the 5 years of hibernation 
Been out riding as much as I've could and so far it has performed flawlessly.

As some of you may remember I was fighting a losing battle in a dragrace against a hopped up Norton Commando 750 back in 2006. Decided to get my head ported and bought a mild Webcam 41a to get a little more top end power without losing much of its wonderful lowdown grunt.

This never got done back then due to other factors in life but it will hopefully get done this winter.

In order to know what the changes I hopefully will get around to make will yeild, I stuck the Honda on the dyno this monday.

Engine is rebuilt to stock specs except for a rebore to 2nd OD (0,5 mm). New stock valves and guides, new bearings and chains throughout, etc. Podfilters and jetting to suit (pretty much spot on according to the A/F-sniffer used on the dyno) and modified stock 4-4 exhaust.

Strapped in and waiting to get flogged on the MC Xpress MJP2000 dyno:


Erik giving it a handful:


The result was pretty much what one would expect from a stocker, 55 rwhp and 58 Nm (43 ft-lbs) with a nice straight curve. Could have probably netted one or two more hp as the curve was still rising when Erik stopped at the 8000 rpm redline but thats just academical:


Nothing too exciting but at least now I have a baseline 

[seanbarney41]

Just beautiful man...and a legit dyno run to back up the cosmetics ...I really appreciate the fact that your motor looks as it should and you didn't muck up all that gorgeous aluminum with all colors of hideous engine paint, as so many cafe guys around here do...

[bwaller]

That's the way to go about it, now you'll know what your winter work provides.

Nice bike, glad it's out from under wraps.

[bill440cars]

  Daniel, like has been said, that is one Awesome looking bike you have built and it STILL gets MY attention. 

[scottly]

Daniel, a thread has been started recently on the High Performance forum, expressly for posting dyno charts. Please provide any jetting/tuning data you might have.

[Sam Green Racing]

Well said Scottly and welcome back Dan, it still looks stunning

Sam.

[DME]

Daniel, a thread has been started recently on the High Performance forum, expressly for posting dyno charts. Please provide any jetting/tuning data you might have.

Well, I saw that thread about dynoruns but figured that a bone stock engine didn´t fit in under "High Performance and Racing"-forum.
There´s simply nothing high performance about it right now (as seen in the current graph)

I´ll post the graphs from both before and after once I get the head ported and the Webcam 41a in there.

/Dan

[SteveD CB500F]

A webcam inside your engine!

Wow - that'll be some viewing. Make sure you publish the URL so that we can all watch.

Oh.

You mean it's not a camera?

[DME]