Topic: 1967 Black Bomber Update - A Slice of History Soon Returns Her Music

[RRRToolSolutions]

Guys, when I see an old bike sitting out and rusting away - it hurts. I also hate seeing them cut-up and changed, but I know we all have that "creative desire" that must be fed. Here is the progress made in 7 months of my favorite evening ritual. This has been a dream of mine for years. It started off a lot rougher than I would have liked, but a friend sold this to me for $250 and I enjoy the wrenching and parts hunting more than riding. This project started in late May/early June.

I'm having my seat done a 2nd time. The "custom" shop I took it to failed to copy my original foam, so I've borrowed an original seat and am sending it out for exact copy.

Don't cut them up or let them die out in the rain - bring them back!

Regards,
Gordon

[dustyc]

I'm inspired each time I see this bike coming together.  It looks great.  Better than great.

I almost hate to ask how much you've spent, but I'm curious.  What has it set you back?

[upperlake04]

Fabulous job on a great bike Ilbikes.  I'm sincerely jealous. 

[Bob Wessner]

Fabulous job on a great bike Ilbikes.  I'm sincerely jealous. 

Ditto. Great bit of work there.

[sparty]

Gordon,

That is Concours d'Elegance quality work there buddy.  Will you sell it?  I maybe interested.

Sparty

[RRRToolSolutions]

Sparty, to all - thanks for the compliments. No, this is not for sale. It will go into my collection with the 21 others. The price tag of services and parts is over $13,000 and my 300+ hours brings the cost to the $20,000 mark. This is as close as I could get to a new bike with 80% of it being nos. I've wanted to do one of these for a long time. I did my 1975 H2 the same way - never to be started or ridden.

Regards,
Gordon

[Raul CB750K1]

Never to be started or ridden? 


Let me ask you something. How much of the restoration work have you farmed out? I'm asking this because, as you know, I have restored a CB350 twin that I bought two years ago. I took a sabbatical last year, and most of this year I have used my time to work on the bikes. I have done everything -but the paint and head work- myself, from tearing down to cleaning, servicing, chasing parts etc, and I know how much time consuming it is. I just can't believe you can make such an awesome job in just seven months, even if you have done nothing but work on the bike.


I just hope that, once the bike is finished, you will share with us some high res pictures of the bike. I would love to have it in my computer desktop. That picture of the bike from behind, even without the seat, is amazing, I love the black bomber, specially because it is the forefather of the CB750, it has such an "low tech", crude appearance in the design, but with high quality in the detail.

Comparing the Black Bomber with the CB750 is like comparing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" with his previous works. I read the other day that "Thriller" is the most sold album ever, 50-or-so million copies. It has no merit to discover Honda with the CB750; the merit is to discover Honda with the Black Bomber and be able to know that they will make it soon, if you see my point as compared with Michael Jackson -or any other artist that succeeds later in his career.

[RRRToolSolutions]

Raul, there are some things I just have to leave to others. I send the chrome out to be done of course, this bike suffered rust pitting in it's intake valve seats, so a simple valve lapping procedure would not cure it. I had to buy new 4 speed intake valves (they are unique and different from the 68+ 5 speeds) and get a good friend of mine to do a complicated multi-angle valve job with his Serdi machine, he also did the pressing of new cylinder sleeves and the honing. I have a good friend in the powdercoating business so he gets all of that, but I do all of the filling, smoothing, and prep work. All dents and scratches are filled-in using JB Weld (it conducts electricity and takes powder perfectly). This tank took me several evenings to get perfectly smoothed and dent/scratch free using nothing but JB Weld and a hand/block sander - yes - it's powdercoated as are all of the black pieces on the forks and headlight. The paint work is done by a local rod shop using Dupont Chromabase urethane system - not something I can do at home. I do however take him blasted, cleaned parts only. Now I do 100% of the teardown, the cleaning, the beadblasting, the wiring, the spoking, truing, and 100% of the assembly, tuning, and of course the research and locating of parts (my favorite part of it).

Over the years, I've done about 2 per year. This has been the slowest because of parts availability. The K4 750 was the easiest, but even the 8 Kawasaki triples I've done were easier than this 450. EBay is a great indicator of what you're going to be able to find or not -

Go to CB750 search on Ebay and there are 25 pages of parts. 80% of the little parts are still available for the 750 K4 from Honda and aftermarket stuff is everywhere.
Go to Ebay on the true Bomber stuff and you'll find 4-5 real items. Honda has 10% or less of original parts. You've got to make friends with the vintage dealers. These nos pipes came from a vintage dealer that had told me earlier "we don't have anything like that" and were not on the inventory for anyone to sell. After several months of shipping parts and discussions about the hobby - he calls me and says he's going to sell me the pair that's been in private stock for a personal project. I had just lost an Ebay auction for used ones at the $1,301 that I'd bidded on two weeks earlier - Friends are key and I've met a lot of them in the 10 years I've been doing this.

Here is that head after the Serdi machine performed it's magic to the valve area.
 

[fuzzybutt]

had the black bomber been sitting out in the weather gordon? and if so any idea for how long?

[Tim.]

Gordon's the man.  No question.

So when do we get to see a pic of the collection?  I vote for a pilgrimage to Gordon's place 

[Raul CB750K1]

I'm bowing in awe while writing this, but there is something itching inside that takes over my admiration for those masterpieces.

What the heck does "never to be ridden or started" means? Bikes are to be ridden, aren't they? If you have spent your money and have restored the bikes, they are not original anymore. Ride them like you stole them, and then, spend the same amount and restore them again.


Otherwise, please modify the subject title and remove the "soon returns her music", as we will never listen to that Black Bomber engine screaming -well, I have my "Tansha" vinyl record..... 

[Tim.]

I always say never say never, and one would assume at some point, either these bikes will indeed be ridden and enjoyed in that regard by subsequent generations that should be thankful for their current idle state, or, they will continue to be preserved as-is for that many more to enjoy from a different perspective, that being wonderful examples of an era of global expansion and modernization of the motorcycle industry.

[RRRToolSolutions]

Guys, ease up on me. The little Bomber will get fired-up and ridden occassionally. I poorly placed the words never to be ridden near the Bomber. That is true of the 1975 Mach IV. I went through hell getting that one done, finding the parts, and expense. I even used original bore cylinders on it and a new transmission. I have 2 Mach III's and 3 of the Mach IV's so I don't need to ride the jewel as I call it. I do have a few bikes that I don't want to ride much since replacing them will be near to impossible. The Bomber, a S90, an A7 Avenger, a 2,000 mile DT3, a 3,000 mile R5C, and the purple H2. I'll save those for the next generation. I want to add a 1973 Z1 to that list soon.

Is it wrong? I don't think so. I've got modern bikes I can ride and do. I have friends come over and we have what we call "swap meets" where we all ride different bikes - some theirs some mine. We do enjoy them. I'm active in the VJMC and several times a year we get the old bikes out and ride them - but those 4-5 won't be included.

For the record, I'd be glad to have you guys come to our next VJMC barbeque and swap meet - as long as you are willing to give others a chance to ride your bike. I plan to host two of those at my home in 2008. This year's event went very well and we had 3 whole butts smoked, 6 pies/cakes, 4 lbs of potato salad, 2 gallons of baked beans, 3 gallons of tea, 20 soft drinks, and several bags of chips gone through.

This is some of what's hanging around. I've got them in 3 places due to space limitations.

Gordon


 

[bill440cars]

           Gordon, I too, am totally awed by your collection! It is great that you can do that to those bikes. Beautiful bunch of bikes!

                                       Later on, Bill

[Tim.]

Looks great Gordon - would love to wake up to that every morning.  With all those mirrors you could build your own solar array.

[Raul CB750K1]

Gordon, I recall having read in "Classic Motorcycle Mechanics" an article about a statesman's collection, and I perfectly remember the checkered floor. Was that you?

[RRRToolSolutions]

Raul, I'm not sure what a statesman is but no -not me. Mine have been in the VJMC in the past, but that's the extent.

I grew up dirt poor and remember well finding my first minibike in a dump and dragging it home at age 9. A few ignition swaps from scrap mowers at the same junk yard gave me a running machine. We were on a farm so I had access to a welder and bandsaw. I'd given new life to dead go-carts using a 2-man chainsaw, built a sand rail when I was 11. Taking old junk bikes and parts to make things go is the only way I could have something back then. At 11, a neighbor had his worn 1966 Red S90 for sale at $100 - I had saved enough from "extra jobs" to buy it. At age 13, my dad got an old 1968 CL175 with some cattle equipment he'd bought - I had to raise my own calves and feed the entire lot as "chores" to repay my Dad for that one. He did teach me to earn and appreciate every little thing with his practice - not something I've done a good job with on my kids. They are disposable minded - "things are for consumption, use it and throw it away". My hobby began about 10 years ago when my kids were grown and suddenly I had no ball games to go to, no stranded cars to fetch, and no taxi services to operate I set out to find a correct color/example of each bike I'd owned or had a significant affinity for while growing up. Most every one I have today is a copy of the bike I had like it 35 years ago. They are old friends and they truely do hold a special place in my heart....they took me places that a kid could not otherwise go. We lived in the back-woods of south Alabama. 14 miles from the nearest post office, nearest hamburger place, girls, danger, intrigue, exploration of substances, civilization itself  - all lived 14 miles away from my Dad's farm. Those simple pieces of metal gave me something only I can remember and appreciate - few others share the same reverence.

Sorry - for me some things can't be consumed, used, and thrown away.

Gordon

[bill440cars]

         Gordon, that explains a lot about what you do and how you do it! Sounds as if you were taught quite well! Not always easy to pass lessons like that, onto our children though. All you can do is "Do Your Best" and (sometimes it takes a little while for education of that kind, to surface but quite often it does). You have quite a background and I'm sure lots of memories too!

                                Later on, Bill  

[grumburg]

Raul, I'm not sure what a statesman is but no -not me. Mine have been in the VJMC in the past, but that's the extent.

I grew up dirt poor and remember well finding my first minibike in a dump and dragging it home at age 9. A few ignition swaps from scrap mowers at the same junk yard gave me a running machine. We were on a farm so I had access to a welder and bandsaw. I'd given new life to dead go-carts using a 2-man chainsaw, built a sand rail when I was 11. Taking old junk bikes and parts to make things go is the only way I could have something back then. At 11, a neighbor had his worn 1966 Red S90 for sale at $100 - I had saved enough from "extra jobs" to buy it. At age 13, my dad got an old 1968 CL175 with some cattle equipment he'd bought - I had to raise my own calves and feed the entire lot as "chores" to repay my Dad for that one. He did teach me to earn and appreciate every little thing with his practice - not something I've done a good job with on my kids. They are disposable minded - "things are for consumption, use it and throw it away". My hobby began about 10 years ago when my kids were grown and suddenly I had no ball games to go to, no stranded cars to fetch, and no taxi services to operate I set out to find a correct color/example of each bike I'd owned or had a significant affinity for while growing up. Most every one I have today is a copy of the bike I had like it 35 years ago. They are old friends and they truely do hold a special place in my heart....they took me places that a kid could not otherwise go. We lived in the back-woods of south Alabama. 14 miles from the nearest post office, nearest hamburger place, girls, danger, intrigue, exploration of substances, civilization itself  - all lived 14 miles away from my Dad's farm. Those simple pieces of metal gave me something only I can remember and appreciate - few others share the same reverence.

Sorry - for me some things can't be consumed, used, and thrown away.

Gordon

Gordon: Wow, sounds like my childhood to a tee! How I resented the "town kids" that could play sports and go places, and I had to go home after school milk those f++king cows! A 365 day a year job. But the farm shop was my haven for tinkering. Gathered up every old junk bicycle in the neighborhood and fixed them up. Built one with one frame grafted on top of another that the seat was about 6-7 ft in the air and you had to lean against the machinery shed to get on it! My brother and I built a go cart from old lead pipe, plywood, and a Cushman engine. Weighted about 400 lbs, but sure was stable! My parents grew up during the Depression, and never took anything for granted. I guess the older I get, the more I come to believe they were right. Never relized what a mechanical genius my father was, could make anything work and he taught me to appreciate machinery and not abuse or neglect it. When my mother died 2 yrs ago, we found some old albums with pictures of me at about 10 with my bicycle fleet. My wife looked at me and said dryly, "Boy, some things never change. Only now they have motors."

[Raul CB750K1]

Gordon, you don't have to give no explanations. The bikes are yours and you decide what you do with them. In fact, your explanation just makes good another of my theories of why people like to restore bikes: to make time stand still, to some extent. Your kids are grown, and you want to have every bike you ever had. If you don't use them they won't wear, but we do. Time passes by us faster than by the motorcycles. I just hope your offsprings really understand what those bikes mean to you, but believe me, when you are gone your collection will be so big to be correctly kept that they will get rid of all of them but maybe one or two. It happens all the time, I'm playing the fortuneteller now but this is what normally happens. My mom keeps in a small tin boxes all the teeth that the tooth fairy got from me and my siblings. Sure they mean a lot to her, but what are we suppoused to do with the teeth when my mom is gone?

I just had a look at my scan folder. It was not you, it was some Phil something. Sorry I wrote by memory, it was "stateside scene" and not "statesman collection", for some reason I associated statesman like a brit word for american (the magazine is edited in UK)

[tortelvis]

My first ever bike was a '65 Bomber that my Dad owned. I rode it until we traded it for a brand new '70 CB450 in gold. You're getting me nostalgic now! I have a friend that has a salvage yard and he told me he had enough 450's to make at least one good bike. I'm getting tempted...He sold me a 350F for $150, non running but with loads of really good parts on it. I have another friend who started collecting years ago, he has just about everything in one of his many sheds. His place looks like a junkyard, but it's full of treasures! How about a water buffalo with ZERO miles? He has BSA's, Triumphs, Hondas, you name it. He has offered me a deal once or twice. He also collects cars and recently offered me a '67 Daimler needing a cable for the hood and a couple of small items for $3500. Just what I need in the mountains, a right hand drive car! If I wanted that I would have imported my MR2 Turbo from England when I moved back 3 years ago! Thanks for sharing.

[RRRToolSolutions]

I'll give him $3,500 for that 0 mile GT750 Suzi...Where do I send the payment?

Those are nice bikes and really differ from every other 2-stroke I've ever ridden. Almost "Honda like" in the way they pull an deliver power. There is no rush or peak anywhere in it's delivery and stone reliable.

Gordon

[bill440cars]

        Yeah, Gordon's story takes me back to mine, but his has a more elaborate ending (the later part, actually, not end).

        Mine starts with me being born and raised around my Grandfather's Motorcycle Shop (started out with Indian's in 1932 9and picked up the franchises for Norton,AJS,Matchless,Vincent & Royal Enfield later on, went to Royal Enfields w/ Indian name in 55', Went to Jawa/CZ/ESO, BSA, and Parilla around 57' or 58') up until I went in the U.S. Air Force in 66'. During that time, I was doing something with them from tearing bikes down for parts (when I was barely old enough to walk, maintaining a modified Jawa 50 (from about 12 yrs old- 14), helping to put new bikes together (after uncrating them) during that time also. Building a 58' 125 Jawa street bike from parts at the age of 14 yrs old (the only things I didn't put together were the wheels and the crankshaft) I mean nothing else was together and the only new parts I could use were the head gasket, piston rings and seals. I was taught how to cut gaskets from gasket paper using a small ball peen hammer. Only time I used scissors might have been to cut out the basic size and then using the hammer to do the rest (if any one wants to know how this was done, I'll be glad to try to explain it. That's how I got started.

          Gordon, I apologize for taking up so much space in your thread. I kinda get carried away, on this subject.

                               Later on, Bill
   

[RRRToolSolutions]

Bill my friend, you are quite alright there taking up all the space you want. I don't think we'll ever fill cyberspace up.

I think most of us will have a similar background. We grew up remembering these bikes and we don't need or want the flashy plastic 200 mph stuff, we don't want the leather wallet or 100 patches on our vest, and we aren't affraid to be seen wearing a helmet and we don't have to belong to the V-Twin circle of riders "live to ride/ride to live" brotherhood. It's a fun hobby and no one gets hurt. I will also say this is the most civilized and considerate group of people I've ever seen on the net.

Happy Holidays to all!

Gordon

[DarkRider]

I may be younger but as gordon said..like most of us i have a simular background. Only most of my early education came out of the depths of a welding shop watching my father take raw steel and create different things out of it. I never did get a chance to learn how to weld sadly. However that along with working with fiberglass and carbon fiber is something i plan to rectify. My roomate is a welder and is about to start on his final year journeyman training as of january. He has said he will show me how to weld once we can get ahold of a decent mig welder. Even if its only enough to tack an assembly together and have him finish weld it im better off then i am now. However..i digress....I may be part of the younger generation that prefers those plastic covered death traps yet i prefer the older machinery..sure speed is nice and all...but i would rather have fun and enjoy the ride. Im not old enough to remember the CBs in their day but i do wish to have a hand in preserving some of that history with rebuilding my CB. Sure its being done as a one off..however the spirit of the CR is what im attempting to capture in the process.