Projects and Old Bikes
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Introduction
IntroductionOld bikes, like old cars, fascinate me!! I admire restorations, I respect modifications and updates, and a custom will always turn my head even if it is a style that I don’t care for myself. I don’t get into the chopper craze that is going on these days, but I think my web site is testimony of maybe why I don’t. I guess if I had $30,000 or more just sitting under the mattress, another stall on the garage, and more time (e.g., I didn’t have to work for a living) then maybe I would have a wild custom. But knowing me, I would take my second 1976 Wing and chop it. I mean, I can’t be like everyone else, can I? What I do like about them is the craftsmanship. There are folks out there that can do amazing things with metal and I do admire that special talent. I sometimes wonder if this is one of those talents that will be lost some day if not preserved at the home made chopper cultural center similar to what Silver Dollar City does for Appalachian and Ozark artisans today. Oh well, guess I will stop ranting and start talking about the purpose of this page. First, I am no master mechanic, but I have taken lessons from good friends and the more time that goes by, the more I learn. Plus, I do believe there is a mechanic gene in our family. My brother is a professional, sis worked on aircraft engines for a while in the Air Force, and of course I play with my bikes and the cars over the years that I have owned. I have found the bikes have taught me a lot and I have done more with them due to their size. I mean, they fit in the garage when the cars I want to work on don’t. That makes a big difference when you have a large multi-day or multi-month project. Of course, my first true love is the first bike I ever owned in 1994. I bought it from my friend Scott in Ohio on a whim. But it has got me to where I am today. The bike was a 1976 Honda CB 750 Super Sport. After having it for a year, Scott bought it back and still owns it today. He was also the original owner of this beauty. Although I didn’t do a lot of work on the bike, he and I did get it back on the road and that took a bit given it had sat for a few years without attention. The reason I sold it back to him was that I wanted a newer Wing which I found used in Ohio. I bought it, took the 750 back to Scott, and Blue was part of the family. But that 750 gave me a deep and everlasting love of 1970s vintage Hondas. Before I get to specific projects, I do want to thank a supplier that I stumbled onto through the web: Cycle Salvage in West Haven, CT (www.cycle-salvage.com). And they supplied several parts for my 1981 CB750K at what I thought was an unbelievable price. But that is not the half of it, the entertainment value of calling them was priceless. One of the guys was teaching their dog how to howl. It is a long story, but one of my best friends howls with his dog and the sight is hilarious. Well, I thought of the friend immediately, we joked about the situation, and I am not sure who was howling better, the dog or the “instructor,” but I am a customer for life!!! Thanks guys, the CB400 Super Sport project will be started sometime in the summer of 2005 and I will be on-line and on the phone with you again. 1976 GL1000This is my first classic. Unfortunately, the circumstances that I was able to obtain this bike are sad and troubling. The bike was bought new in 1976 by a very deer friend of my riding buddies (Ric and Paul) and me, but we lost Frank to a heart attack some years ago. The bike was in his garage and I bought it from Mary, his wife, and have worked hard to put it back on the road. During the process of working on it, Ric found me another 76 identical to Frank’s. This bike is actually the rolling chassis now, but the two bikes are sharing a lot of parts. The first major project, while I lived back in VA, was to remove the Vetter fairing. Since I have Blue, I figured I didn’t need a second bike with a fairing. Essentially, I wanted to go “naked” and return the Wing to its original hot rod status. Yes, I said Hot Rod. Come on now, the year was 1975 and Mr. Honda introduced a 4 cylinder, 1000cc, water-cooled, boxer engine when there wasn’t much else out there besides the venerable 750s. And look at what it created: a touring craze that today defines motorcycling to me (on any bike if you strap luggage to it). A few years ago, I bought Cycle Innovations single carburetor conversion kit, but due to time and other constraints, I just have not had the time to really get the bike sorted. Now that I do have some time, I am going back to the 4 carb setup. I found a great web site, http://www.randakks.com/, with all types of information. Thanks Randall Washington for sharing your knowledge, having great parts, sharing same, and listing my web site on yours. That is a first for me!!! So, now I have my projects in front of me for May and June of 2005. I will keep folks posted on the progress. Interesting enough, I have a friend here in Colorado Springs with a 1975 Wing that is pretty well torn apart. He doesn’t know it, but I am in a race with him to see who is riding theirs first. 1979 Gold WingThis is a bike that I actually arranged the purchase of for my sister back in Arkansas. 1981 CB750K
Took this bike in on trade for the 1979 Wing.
1971 CB750 K1
This bike just came to me via a friend |
