MY CB750 CAFE RACER SUPERCHARGED.

Hey Cafe Racer fans
Well it seems that the cafe racer bug has gone Global once more and now people are starting to understand the fun building or creating a ride of their own can be.
For three decades i have built these machines and I never get bored of it.
I have made many friends along the way and now, at 46 years old, I still feel like a teenager as soon as I sling my legs over a Cafe racer and tear down the tarmac on it.

Here is my latest creation.

This was Just completed before Christmas 2008 and I have taken it to the International Motorcycle shows held by CYCLEWORLD magazine.



It took some working out but it sure did turn out well.




I put many hours of thought into this as I had actually built the bike in my head 30 years ago after george Barris KOPPA KART in HOT ROD magazine.
This time I wanted to try and capture that feel and add my twist to it.



But what Could I possibly do to make another of my Creations stand out?
Well, for a start I stretched the frame and added an extra 3 degree rake to the headstock, then to sustain alot of power torque from the motor, I gusseted the frame in 4 places by the engine cradle and also I extended the rear of the frame and built a loop for the rear seat to sit snug ontop of.



2 pounds of Copper flake were added to the paint and she glistens like a new pair of dentures.


The Gas tank was an issue having to use 3 stock ones in order to get the curvater to how I wanted it with a 4 inch stretch, but to have the gas tank still have the stock petcock location and gas cap.


But it came out pretty good I must admit.



There is so many modifications on this ride, you have to really look at it. The Super charger, the ARD Magneto.
The Yoshimura exhaust are all rare items too.
I had to run a double chain and sprocket in order to have a safe drive train.


Looks the part too though.
The Motor is a K0 model and completly Blue-Printed and then ported and polished as well.
The frame is a K3 model.

I even Machined the front of the forks.



I am so stoked with the Supercharged Cafe Racer and will keep it as a show piece, but would love for it to go to a shop or Museum to be honest.
Hope you liked the pics?
I made my own speedo guage face too.


This has been a fun build and everyone seems to want to comment on it.


Thanks for looking, remember, keep it fun.



My main website WWW.CB750CAFE.COM shows you what I do all the time.
I will try and get to shows this year and meet some of you cool people. This year Parts Guru " Bear" from the infamous OLD BIKE BARN - is going to commision me to build a cafe Racer using his and my parts combined, we have been around this motorcycle industry about the same time and he is a great guy, too many wankers wanting to grab all the atention, but Bear is like me and enjoys all motorcycling and this year we shall have a Cafe Racer Machine with all the cool stuff on it that you can purchase from him at www.oldbikebarn.com


Thanks for checking the Blog, it's all kinda new to me this stuff but fun learning, especially as I only type with two fingers.

Peace and Grease
carpy

MY CB750 CAFE RACER SUPERCHARGED.

MY CB750 CAFE RACER SUPERCHARGED.

Another day in the Garage building Cafe Racer Motorcycles.

Howdy Cafe Racer fan's
Where has time gone? October already and soon it will be time for old Fatty in the ill fitting Red suit to come bombing down the flu pipe.

I have been busy as uasual, more than 20 bikes in the garage right now, but its all good.

I have also out grown the Garage at home, and now have a Workshop about 3 miles from the house.

I can bang and crash and do pretty much as much as like and when I like, as it has a security gate, so late nights are always on the cards.

Thanks for all the cool emails from you lot who check out my www.cb750cafe.com website, I try and update as much as possible, as well as email people and of course, when I can, I bung some scribble on a blog.

Today is Sunday and I headed off to the workshop as I had a 1978K series to sort out for a customers, he also dropped off a K3 that is going to be a Ful rebuild and cafe creation, but this 78 just needed abit of work to get her running.

He arrived on the bike, Broken down on the side of the road, not far from my place, I hapened to be cruisng down there and spotted the inline four sat by the side of the kerb, looking as happy as treading in Cow crap.

I pulled over and managed to start it for him, I had my shop not 2 minutes from where he was and he made it to mine.

The Motor was reving higher than the vocal chords of a choir boy.

It was running as even as a hundred Meter hurdler with a wooden leg.

He asked if I could Semi- Cafe the bike for him, and of course I said that thats no worries.

The 77 and 78 Models on a K series have them flat top carbs with the accelerator pump attached. When working correctly, they are a good set up, but right now, it was as useful as Hangman with a stuck trap door.

I pulled the tank and seat off, that 78 tank is bigger than our deficit, and I will have to sort that out too.

The seat is equipped with more padding than a teenage girls prom night.

The Carbs were nasty and I took them off and put them to one side, hoping they would run off and jump in the nearest dumpster.

I removed the intake manifolds and then I got some earlier 1969-1976 CB750K series ones, they were old ones and even though had no crack, seem to be stiffer than Grandad on Viagera.

To help get these onto the cylinder head, I used a heat gun, this softens the rubber up and easily went on the head with no issues, I slung new stainless hose clamps on and then I picked up a 1976 CB750K set of Carbs.

I had completly stripped them down to the carcass, slung the bodies and bowls wtc, into the Ultra Sonic cleaner and gave them a good cookin for about 15 minutes.

These came out hotter than a stolen car, but got all the crud off and looked great.

I fitted New main jets, and new pilots, and New O-Rings in the by passes.

Polished the float bowls and lubed up the adjusters. I bench sincronised the slides and set the floats to 24mm.

I put just a TAD of grease on the inside lip of the warm intake manifolds and the carbs literally pushed on, they plopped in easier than a small foot in a big shoe.

Now these puppies are on, I tightened the Stainless hose clamps up and then I took the old stock handlebars off, the 78K cables for the throttles are way too long, so used 1975 CB750 cables and they were perfect.

Adjusted the cables so the slides snap back nicely. Attaching the nipples to the Carbs can be a real pig, unless you have small hands, this can be a fun time for you.

After struggling, swearing and muttering stuff I did not even know I knew about, I got these to be really nice.

I fitted my Clubman bars, bunged on the switches and of course the master cylinder and, I moved the clutch cable, as it was snagging in the stock position, but now all sorted.

I fitted New fuel line too, I always use Clear line to start with, that way you can check fuel flow and make sure the air bubbles have gone, then later after a few miles I change them and add fuel filters too.

Some Gas stations pumps have more crap in them than a Stuffed Colon, so always use a filter people.

The battery was about as powerful as an Army of poofters, so that was changed for one of the new NON maintenance varieties, and this will give that motor a real kick in the guts when I hit the button.

I fitted the gas tank back on and threw the seat on the frame and kicked her in the belly, and she fired right up.

This runs good and strong right out of the gate, i was stoked.

The idle was 1500 and ran well, no popping at all, so, the bench sinc did the trick.

I shall be adding my New Yoshimura exhaust soon and will have to up jet it and then I will put it on the Dyno, just to make sure it all goes smoothly.

But, if you have a 77 or a 78K or F model and your carbs are goosed, fit earlier manifolds, cables and carbs and this will end your woes.

Also, I shall be fitting CR 29MM smooth Bores to a 1971 CB750K and will tell you how that goes.

You can change your carbs using minimal tools, its a load of bollocks when a bike company tell you it takes so many hours to fit.

You can use a 8 mm for the jets. A 10 MM for the cables and a screw driver for the clamps.

12mm will take the handlebars off too.

Snips for the fuel line, and a screw driver for the switches and a 10mm for the master cylinder.

All in all, about an hours work. If you have to alter the jets, the early carbs are so easy, just flick the snap brace and then use an 8mm wrench and out she comes, easy as that.

Remember though Gas stinks worse than grandads farts, so make sure you put rags or an old towel under the carbs when you are removing them or taking the bowls off.

Have fun with your CB750 and I will help where ever I can.

OK I am going to take that COBALT 836 out for a spin, you will like that bike, as it tured out great.

Peace and Grease

Carpy

CAFE RACER MOTORCYCLES

Welcome to the World of intrigue, fun and fear, al mixed up with grease, Oil, blood and tears.

I am talking about a lifestyle and passion that has always been around but now has become more popular in the Globe, yes- The good old Cafe Racer Motorcycle.

Be it a BSA to a Zundapp, Cafe Racer motorcycles are something special, all unique to their own yet share the same interest, SPEED and MANOUVERABILITY.

I grew up with Cafe Racer Motorcycles in the UK, My Dad rode his 500 Matchless in 1959 around London via the infamous ACE Cafe and the lesser known Busy Bee Cafe.

Motorcycles were and still are one of the cheapest modes of transport and I just absorbed all these cool fast styles of days gone by, in my own style and today, some 3 decades after my first Cafe Motorcycle, I am creating my own Signature style of Cafe racer and people are liking what I do.

I was a Motorcycle dispatch ride for 20 years, based in the City Of London, a dangerous yet exciting job, taking me all over the city, sometimes at breakneck speeds to get Documents to court houses and every now and again I would have to go to Buckingham Palace.

Sometimes I would be given a Green flashing light and would have to plop a frozen Heart in a box of ice and rush it to the Hospital, as I could get there faster than an Ambulance or even a helicopter.

All my Motorcycles had the Cafe Racer treatment, not just for cool looks, I cut the bars down and banged the knee inserts in because it got me close to the bike.

London Cabi's (Taxi drivers) Never care about Motorcycles and often drive unaware that you are there, so, the tighter I could get in between traffic for me, the better.

But, for me, the biggest Acalade is to get emails from people, informing me that I have not only got them off the couch, but I have inspired them to create their dream ride and have fun doing it.

The Cafe Racer is and always will be such a huge part of my life and I hope to continue to make many friends from all corners of the globe in this great style and unique-ness, that has now become pretty well recognised as of late.

Here is my rendition of what the Terminolgy of CAFE RACER is.

A Cafe racer, originally pronounced " caff " ( as in Kaff ) racer, is a type of motorcycle as well as a type of motorcyclist and have their roots in the 1960s British counterculture group the Rockers or Ton-up Boys; although were also common in Italy, amongst Italian motorcycle manufacturers and other European countries.Rockers were a young and rebellious Rock'n'Roll counterculture that wanted a fast, personalised and distinctive bike to travel between transport cafés along the newly built arterial motorways in and around British towns and cities. The goal of many was to be able to reach 100 miles per hour (called by them "the ton") along such a route.They rejected the large transportation oriented motorcyles of the time and taking these motorcycles they removed unnecessary parts off them. The bikes then looked like circuit racing motorcycles and the engines were tuned for maximum speed. Many cafe racer bikes have distinctive small low-cut fairings.Whilst the cafe racers of the 1950s and 1960s are mostly gone now, the term is still used to describe motorcycles of a certain style and some motorcyclists still use this term in self-description. The motorcycles are modified for speed rather than comfort; single seats, low handle bars such as ace bars or even one sided clip-ons mounted directly onto the front forks for control and to escape the wind, half or full race fairings, large racing petrol tanks often left unpainted, swept back exhausts and rearset footpegs in order to give better clearance whilst cornering at speed.These motorcycles were lean, light and handle road surfaces well. The most defining machine of its heyday being the homemade Norton Featherbed framed and Triumph Bonneville engined machine called " The Triton ". it used the most common and fastest racing engine combined with the best handling frame of its day, The Featherbed frame by Norton Motorcycles.It must be remembered that it was also a style born largely out of the poverty of Post-War Europe and so not given to the excesses of later Harley-Davidson Billet-Barge style customisation.The cafe racer scene has a lot in common with the chopper or bobber scene in the USA. Both looked to make the standard factory motorcycles faster, lighter and better handling. The defining factor being the difference between the nature of the US and European road systems, the Americans favouring a low heavy cruiser style of motorcycle for straightline comfort; the Europeans preferring a higher, better handling motorcycle more suited to the narrow tight twisting medieval roads of their nations .