April 2016 BOTM Voting

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Well here's my story, I'll try to keep it short and not clatter the thread.

I purchased my 81 Honda CB650 back in August, its my first bike. It had 9700 miles on it. The story behind it was that an older couple had owned it since new but had left it sit after riding it. Then the PO got it and had hopes to make it roadworthy again but ended up moving and needed to sell it. So I picked it up. The original plan was to strip it down into a cafe racer, clip ons, 4-1, wire wheels, minimalist style, carbs, pods, powder, the whole 9 yards. I started the tear down, labeling all the electrical and taking pictures. Once I got it down to the frame, I had to figure out how to get a flat seat pan. So I welded some DOM tube to the frame. I started to get rid of the things I wouldn't be using, tabs, extra bits, oem lighting, etc. During this process I started stockpiling parts. Fresh oil and filter, new plugs, fork seals, carbs, rear hoop, exhaust, tank, handlebars, wheels, etc. I got busy and didn't have the time to work on it but so I thought about it. Since this was my first bike, and I wasn't 100% sure about the motor or trans, I decided that instead of dumping a ton of money into cosmetics, powder, aftermarket parts and what not, I would put it all back together with the parts I had and make it a rider. I wanted to get some skills down and really feel out the bike before I sunk a ton of money into cosmetics. So the rebuild commenced. It went rather quickly, even for running into some issues with the carbs, throttle cables, clutch and some wiring issues. Got new wire wheels with good tires, new lights, rebuilt the forks, and make a seat. First time firing her, she started right up and after warming up, idled very well. Realized my clutch pack was sticking so I couldn't ride it yet. After getting that sorted, took her out and she runs surprisingly well for the mods. Pulls throughout the whole band. So I've been riding around until it left me sit, figured out it's something in the charging system. I still have yet to fix that. She's also running slightly rich. Overall, I am very happy with the results. Being my first bike and having done everything in my garage, I'm happy how it turned out. Some people may not like it, some may say I made mistakes, which I have. It's not perfect, its not a show stopper. But she's my bike, and she makes me happy.






 
Wow, sharing the story of the bike in a few sentences would be tough, but I guess I'll give a go at the highlights:

Was living in India from 2011-2013, hadn't ever owned a motorcycle or ridden one beyond going around the block or a parking lot. Always wanted one since riding on the tank of my dad's CB750, so when I saw that old women in India were negotiating the chaos on a scooter with 5 kids hanging off it, I figured I could man up and just get one, especially since they're so cheap. Foreigners in India always get Royal Enfields, and first I got a newer unit-constructed one and learned to ride India-style. But gradually I fell more into like (wouldn't say "love" but maybe obsession would figure in given the amount I've stuck with this shitpile) with the older bikes and picked up a 1977 Army bike from a salvage yard. Goal was to make it into something with the ergos I wanted in my own bike for rough roads and blasting through traffic posted up on the pegs, not the staid Enfield chair-like riding position.

I planned, plotted, and paid an Indian mechanic to rebuild and refinish the bike to my specs, since I figured I wanted it on the road faster than I wanted to learn the complete ins and outs of the bike, and work there is cheap. (Amateur bicycle mechanic for a long time, but internal combustion was a mystery to me.) Turns out mechanics are cheap for a reason, and after months of frustration, I got a bike that was pretty much a non-shifting, barely-running POS that looked kinda nice. So I ended up swapping out a transmission, putting in a new engine barrel, cutting out the wiring harness and learning to design and rebuild the electrics, swapping out the fork for a disc model, putting in cartridge valve emulators, slightly longer rear shocks to tighten up the geometry a bit, etc. etc. But it was always a little jacked up.

Once I got the bike back to the US, in transit to another assignment, I tore it down to the frame and got some real quality work done by my friends Tom McVay in Rhode Island, a fabricator, and Ace Engineering (Tom and Chumma), the US's Enfield experts. Negotiating an international move and dealing with the bike were a handful, but thanks to these guys and some hustling of my own, I ended up in Africa with an engine in a rolling chassis and proceeded to risk malaria rebuilding it to a running bike, now a 535cc, flowed/ported engine with hotter cams and performance valves and springs, breathing through a flatslide 32mm Mikuni. Gone from Fred Flintstone to Fonzie...

Got it moving and worked through various problems, fit a rear disc working through my bad French in a Malian machine shop, managed to fab up an exhaust at the welding shop at work, etc.

In the end, it's taken me around to some unlikely places in Mali, and it's always better to learn a country on two wheels and without a cage than it is by driving through in the (armored) land cruiser. It'll be heading back with me for a long assignment Stateside, but I'll be deployed a lot--it'll serve as a decompression mechanism for me in my break time, I think, especially now that I can just ride the damned thing without so much worrying. Few more mods are due, like some new high-lift rockers Ace is cooking up, and may end up going more street-oriented in the US and putting on some clip-ons.

blah blah blah.

DTT build thread is here: http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=54115.msg609720#msg609720

Enfield forum thread, starting way back in like 2011, is here: https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php/topic,12334.msg136886.html#msg136886

Will post some more pics once I've put the daughter to bed. (The bike's biggest fan...she graduated to riding pillon on this, from her initial seat smushed between me and the tank....)

Edit: OK, pics etc:

Original bike as salvaged; I needed something more than 25 years old so I could import to the US and this was the only one I found...almost too bad I wasn't looking for something to simply restore...I know. But there are a million like this one in India, and nothing else like what it has become, for better or worse.

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Original work being done streetside:

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Because this was what the "inside" of the shop looked like:

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First time home:

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Out and about local:

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Tried clip-ons; as a 350 with a 6.5-1 compression ratio it didn't really suit:

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I designed the seat and Ken Hosford on the board here built it; had an Indian fabricator make a mounting that literally could have served as a boat anchor.

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Back Stateside and getting ready to be re-born. Tom McVay in east Providence worked on some better peg mounts and a much better seat mount/under-tray for my electrics.

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Working on the tear-down in a New England condo while between India, Pakistan, and Africa:

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Unnecessary internal and external bling. Belt drive setup with Newby racing clutch, and alloy rims on cheap Enfield hubs which now have ceramic bearings:

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Heart of the matter; the Indian-made main bearings just don't cut it, especially when the engine starts making triple the horsepower of stock. (Impressive work by Ace Engineering...yet still a heavy old single...)

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Lump assembled by Chumma of Ace Engineering while i was overseas:

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And graciously installed for me. (Thx to Chumma and Kai.) It pained me to not be part of some of this, but I was in Africa and the bike needed to be a roller to be included in my household shipment to meet me.

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Got to me in Africa!

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Various working-on-it in my carport there, and or local junkyards, machine shops, etc:

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And finally running:

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Well, IMO, the coolest thing about this '77 kz1000 is that it's a "one owner' machine. Yup, I bought it new in September 1977. I have tons of pics of the build, but I'll keep this simple and only post a couple along with a short story. ;) I will include a link to the 'build thread' as well of course. ;D

As a Kawi Fanatic, this was the ultimate score!! I had the bike of my dreams and I was stoked beyond measure. I rode it as my pride and joy until 1985 when 'family' complicated things a little. :D By then we had 2 and 4 year old sons. You family guys will know how wonderfully complicated kids make your life! Finances were beyond tight and the kz1000 had to be mothballed for a little while. It looked like this:





The 'build' had already begun, of course. Frame mods were done, headers and pods, custom tail light conversion, cut-down seat, bars, Dyna ignition, Accel coils and wires, oil cooler, Kawasaki dual front disc kit, etc. :) I was after my dream Superbike when everything ground to a halt.

Fast forward 20+ years and the kids are grown, schooled up and on their own. What do I do with all this spare time on my hands and a little free spending money? Time to drag the kz out of the back of the garage and explore new ideas about what my dream Superbike might look like. 8)

Of to a friends shop it goes for some 'attention' from skilled hands:





I'd never undertaken anything like this before, of course. I didn't (still don't? ;) ) have the experience and great skills to pull this kind of thing off, but I knew what I wanted and my buddy followed my ideas to a 'T'. I wanted something special after waiting all these years so I broke open the piggy bank and went after some special parts like the JMC swing arm, zx10r wheels, brakes and suspension, Ohlins shocks and springs, Motogadget speedo/tach, Corbin seat, etc. My buddy helped with advice and making it all fit together.














I've been riding it and enjoying it beyond what words can say. It's better than I even dreamed! 8)

Even a trip to the track. :D











I had fun! ::)

So a few more subtle mods including a paint job and here's what we have. 8)








No glamour shots, we're still working out some 'bugs', with the carbs. :D



http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=2735.0
 
Well done dmable44 and Agentx! :D Great bikes and you know I love great stories. There's 2 more right here! 8)
 
Vote is cast. So many varied and interesting builds on here!

Hey Drewski - Do I recognize that track paddock? Is that Calabogie?

I get up there a half dozen times each year too (it's about an hour from my house)----if you're ever up there look for the red CBR600RR with the "Help me rHonda Racing" decals on the fairing lowers.
 
tattoo said:
Vote is cast. So many varied and interesting builds on here!

Hey Drewski - Do I recognize that track paddock? Is that Calabogie?

I get up there a half dozen times each year too (it's about an hour from my house)----if you're ever up there look for the red CBR600RR with the "Help me rHonda Racing" decals on the fairing lowers.


Hey Tattoo! Good eyes there! Calabogie it is! :D What a beautiful track! Smooth, fast and a challenge to learn. :)

I don't get up there much, but if I do, I'll certainly look for you! 8)

Drew :)
 
Drewski how big a difference is it going from DOT's to slicks ? I have ridden on the DOT's but always wanted to try slicks..
 
1fasgsxr said:
Drewski how big a difference is it going from DOT's to slicks ? I have ridden on the DOT's but always wanted to try slicks..

1fasgsxr, I don't know! :D The pic with race tire is an early one before the bike was finished. Those tires were worn out and only on there as 'rim protectors' til the bike was finished and ready for street Pirelli's. ;) Sorry bud...

If I had a track bike with enough horsepower I'd go for race rubber, but good street rubber is more than adequate for me. ;D
 
RE the "slicks" question....and not that I'm an expert or anything, but "they" say that unless you and I can get slicks up to the operating temperatures that they are designed to be run at, then there's no benefit to having them.....and it's perhaps even putting yourself somewhat at risk cuz' you're running them at less than optimal temps. Again---just what I've heard.

I run Pirelli Super Corsa SC's on my track bike and am at a "somewhere in the middle of the intermediate group" pace..... I know that means little as riding style comes into play too, but I've never been tempted to try slicks. The Pirelli's take me around as fast I care to and can go.
 
Totally agree Tattoo! My sources recommendations are the same. :D
 
tattoo said:
RE the "slicks" question....and not that I'm an expert or anything, but "they" say that unless you and I can get slicks up to the operating temperatures that they are designed to be run at, then there's no benefit to having them.....and it's perhaps even putting yourself somewhat at risk cuz' you're running them at less than optimal temps. Again---just what I've heard.

I run Pirelli Super Corsa SC's on my track bike and am at a "somewhere in the middle of the intermediate group" pace..... I know that means little as riding style comes into play too, but I've never been tempted to try slicks. The Pirelli's take me around as fast I care to and can go.
I went down at Putnam Park on DOT's(Dunlop 207 GP) yrs ago and think if I had been on slicks I would have made the corner I was too hot in...lol I would never ride on the street with slicks. A few years ago I would not have had any problems getting them up to temp,or so I would like to think.. ;D but I have kids now and much older so I dont know if I would even attempt it. I came a cats ass from hi-siding once on the track too but that may be my riding style..or was my riding style.
 
Redbird said:
Congrats Drew!

Thank you Sir! :)



I truly appreciate the nomination from Justin, the 'second' from Stroker, and all the support. This is a tough honour to win. I think it took the 'Mongrel' 4 tries (brad wouldn't give up!) to finally capture the prize. ;D Once again 2 very worthy bikes have to wait for another day. :)

With all the amazing bike builds here at DTT, all I can say is... thank you. Thank you very much! 8)
 
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