Dang, Tweakin comes out swingin' with a nice write-up! Well, here goes...
After about 8 years without a motorcycle, I got the approval to do a bike project. I knew I wanted to do a Cafe style, but I didn't know where to start. My internet research led me to the Inspiration Gallery on this forum, and I instantly knew what I needed to do. Instead of looking for "a bike", I started looking for a SOHC4. I started doing all sorts of research on them and bought several books on them before even owning one. I even have a spreadsheet created that lists the years each CB model was available that was color coded by twin vs. 4 and SOHC vs. DOHC and K vs. F to help me decide which years/models to look for.
In the end, I found this pretty nice 1976 CB550K about an hour away on Craigslist. The same day we went to get the bike, we picked up a new pet dog from the animal shelter in the town where the bike was located. Not having been on a bike in 8 years, I wanted to ride the back roads home. I actually had to stop at a cycle shop to buy a helmet before going back for the bike. However, the new dog started throwing-up in the backseat of my wife's car and she insisted on taking the freeway home since it was shorter. Needless to say, I was more than a bit intimiated by hopping back on a bike and doing an hour on the freeway first thing. To top it off, I ran out of gas on the way home.
Here's what I had, once I did get home.
I had the color scheme, look, and wheels figured out before I had the bike. I knew I wanted comstars on both ends but with dual disks up front and the large diameter comstar in the back. So I bought a junkyard '81 CB650C front-end and '82 CB450T rear wheel.
Then I started mocking-up the build with a couple of different tank options and seat configurations.
Then, construction of the seat in metal began plus shortening the fork tubes, mounting the XS750 tank and installing the Benjie's headlight bucket. The new seat was built on the base of a scrap CB550k seat and the hinges still function. The plastic document holder under the seat is now a door that opens up into the cavity in the top of the seat, and I store my documents, gloves, tools, and rags in the seat.
This is actually the saddest part of my build. My friend who helped me do the seat was my son's elementary school teacher's husband. He welded for a living, and had a CB350 sitting in his office. Last Thanksgiving (Nov.'09), what he thought was a sore back was diagnosed as kidney cancer. This April I attended his funeral. He was only 28. That's Mike in this photo. Great guy...R.I.P.
Finished metal work.
Next, total deconstruction.
Meanwhile, a big bore kit installed by BoreTech. Once the cylinders were back, the engine was assembled and painted,
the frame, swingarm and license plate holder were powdercoated,
and everything that could be polished, was polished.
The body parts were sent to another buddy who did painting in his garage at home. He's since started up his own company and uses my car and bike parts on his website as promotion.
Finally, reconstruciton.
Yoga mat material was layered up and glued together to build the seat cushion.
CB650 calipers were rebuilt & painted
CB450T rear wheel was bored out for 20mm axle and 20MM ID bearings were pressed in
My own Rollie Free getting ready for another high-speed pass...
And finally, after the exhaust was installed.
A skull theme was carried across the bike. They are on the grips, in the headlight and the taillight.
And, that's it. It fired up on the first push of the button. I about fell over with shock.
During this build, I went from no motorcycles, to one motorcycle, to getting my wife to pass her cycle test, to a peak of 9 bikes for the family in the spring of this year.
I feel pretty proud to have my first build considered worthy of competing for this, and I can really say that it wouldn't have happened without the knowledge and inspiration I've found here. Thanks.
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