jimboburgess
it's a hondamatic
I signed up a while ago when I first learned of the site. A friend started making a cafe racer out of a cb750 and I wanted to get into it. I had worked on hondas for a while and was a dedicated member of Hondaswap.com, a site dedicated to engine swaps in those sweet little sport compacts. I even did a nice write up about assembling a working turbo system from junkyard parts. Building up an old honda bike was right up my alley.
During college like most folks, i was living of off what money i could scrap together from work-study and side gigs. so everything "going-fast" related was put on hold. I even had to sell a nice jap b16 swapped CRX after it started fouling plugs and I had nothing to get it running.
Fast forward two or three years, I'm living in Astoria, Queens and winter is coming up. After a rough 2010-11 season I sign the title of my civic hybrid back to my parents. I was just moving it twice weekly for street cleaning and maybe using it to leave the city once maybe twice a month. I think, hmm it'd be good to get a motorcycle, i've had my license for years but haven't ridden since the safety course. I postpone it taking the train home a trip that takes just under six hours, it would only be 3 taking the highways.
Spring rolls along and a friend is sleeping on my couch while he performs (for little or no pay) in an opera downtown. he mentions his bro just bought a harley. Knowing it's not going to be his first bike i ask what he rode before and was he getting rid of it. He mentioned it was an old bike. I get more curious. I say if the price is right i'll buy it. after some messaging back and forth i find out it a 1980 hondamatic. err a hondamatic, good city bike with no clutch and a good first bike. His wants $500 for it, screw it being a "wife" bike the price is right. it's already been slightly modded as a cafe too, so that's even better!
So a got it and started up a build thread, love keeping track of the progress. love that the parts are cheap and I have a real life job so i can get parts. I try to limit it to one thing per paycheck. it's so tempting to get this and that but $20 parts add up.
I'm hope in time i can contribute to to community. And thanks for the help ahead of time.
During college like most folks, i was living of off what money i could scrap together from work-study and side gigs. so everything "going-fast" related was put on hold. I even had to sell a nice jap b16 swapped CRX after it started fouling plugs and I had nothing to get it running.
Fast forward two or three years, I'm living in Astoria, Queens and winter is coming up. After a rough 2010-11 season I sign the title of my civic hybrid back to my parents. I was just moving it twice weekly for street cleaning and maybe using it to leave the city once maybe twice a month. I think, hmm it'd be good to get a motorcycle, i've had my license for years but haven't ridden since the safety course. I postpone it taking the train home a trip that takes just under six hours, it would only be 3 taking the highways.
Spring rolls along and a friend is sleeping on my couch while he performs (for little or no pay) in an opera downtown. he mentions his bro just bought a harley. Knowing it's not going to be his first bike i ask what he rode before and was he getting rid of it. He mentioned it was an old bike. I get more curious. I say if the price is right i'll buy it. after some messaging back and forth i find out it a 1980 hondamatic. err a hondamatic, good city bike with no clutch and a good first bike. His wants $500 for it, screw it being a "wife" bike the price is right. it's already been slightly modded as a cafe too, so that's even better!
So a got it and started up a build thread, love keeping track of the progress. love that the parts are cheap and I have a real life job so i can get parts. I try to limit it to one thing per paycheck. it's so tempting to get this and that but $20 parts add up.
I'm hope in time i can contribute to to community. And thanks for the help ahead of time.
