I'm flattered, excited, and happy to accept and be considered among the other standout builds also nominated. Thank you Sonreir for the nomination and VonYinzer for the second.
The last 3.5-years working on this 360 cafe has been fun (and at times frustrating.) But the best part for me has...
Thanks Steve! I really like the look and comfort of the Renthals. Yes, they are thick aluminum and very easy to drill out. They are normally used for MX where you'd never want to drill them. I was a little worried about loss of strength, but I just kept the holes as small as possible and...
27 June 2016 I rolled her out into the sun for a few glamour shots and to take some rides and do the usual adjustments and tuning. She runs very well and made her debut at the bike night two days later (we got rained on, but still had fun) and was well received which was very gratifying.
Finally assembly in process...
Monday 27 June 2016 could it be? Am I really done ? With two whole days to spare for shake-out before the bike night on Wednesday -- woot!
26 June 2016 at the very last minute I realized the rusty original gas cap that I had sprayed VHT satin black many months before looks like shit compared to the rest of somewhat spiffy paint job. So just when I thought I was done painting, I had to paint one more part, but it was well worth it
My Dad told me the best way to handle the tire-side of the fender with to spray on some rubberized undercoating. He was even nice enough to send me a rattle can of Eastwood brand that works beautifully
24 June 2016 tackling the battery box I again decide to pretend I have any business holding an air-brush and try to paint on a CB450 badge
Hey! Not too bad so far
Oops! Got a little shakey and carried away with trying to free-hand highlights, but I'm hoping it will look OK from 5 + feet away
Also mid-June 2016 I've rigged up the battery on blocks of wood since the battery box is yet to be painted and fired up the engine for the first time in 9 months
14 June 2016 a little wet-sanding with 400 ...
... then time to lay down the charcoal metallic and mask off for some silver metallic stripes
If you look closely you can see where I ran the charcoal metallic -- shit!
By 12 June 2016 bodywork is done and I'm laying on House of Kolor KD3000 primer/sealer. This stuff is amazing! You can use it as high-build, medium-build, or as a sealer and it lays down like silk -- highly recommended!
I had a beat-up 3/4 helmet that I decided I would paint to compliment...
So 9 months went by during which time I was setting up the new shop. I used a french cleat system to make it easy to hang stuff on the walls and that took a while to set up (and lots of 1x4s) but it was well worth it. Nothing is bolted to the wall except the cleats. Then you just use scrap...
So the engine was back together and back in the frame and nothing much happened for a couple of months. All that was left was the painting of the tank, fenders and a few other parts and bike would be done. Below is a pic of the bike on 28 August 2015 (my 55th birthday.) She is out in the sun...
Late June 2015 and a major setback This was the third engine I'd completely rebuilt since 2012 and all had fired right up and ran great which was nice. But this one now had a major transmission issue -- it was very hard to shift and could easily get to a point where the transmission was all...
June 2015 and I'm working on the seat. I cut some foam from HF floor mats and an old pool float used DAP Weldwood contact cement to glue them to the aluminum seat pan
Then I made a sandwich of marine vinyl, 1/2-inch foam, and cotton stuck together with temporary fabric adhesive. I marked...
Thank you! You and I have corresponded before about CB360 carbs way back when. It definitely ran like garbage initially with the well-known mid-range richness. I had just rebuilt the carbs on my 1965 CB160 with a couple of Keyster kits and had a couple of 160 needles laying around. I'm sure...
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