Tag Archives: cafe racer
1971 Honda CB350 Cafe Racer Project – Episode 7: Getting There…
First, let me say that I am almost there… Then, let me add that it is one thing after another! The bike is almost ready to hit the road. Until yesterday I had power to all systems and it was turning over and idling nicely. I had gas overflow running out of one of my carbs so I started the day by adjusting the float to limit the gas inflow. It all went downhill from there. Prior to messing with the float the bike would idle nicely and would rev, but not beyond about 2800 rpm. I thought this was a timing issue but wanted to stop the gas overflow prior to adjusting the timing. Once I adjusted the float I stopped the overflow, but then the bike was not getting enough gas to rev at all. Instead it would die every time I gave it gas. I checked the float bowl on the suspect carb and it was not getting gas at all so i readjusted the float and tried again. Same situation. I put it down and tackled the turn signal wiring to clear my head. I had power to all turn signals but they would not blink. They are on steady. I switched wiring around and around with no success. The headlight works perfectly bur no signal blink. The other problem is that the tail light is on but the brake light will not register. If I turn the key to position 2 then the brake light is on all the time. Something in the wiring is not right. Frustrated I turned back to the carb problem, I was just beginning to mess with the air gas mixture when all power to the bike was lost! The battery has juice but I get nothing anywhere. I checked the starter solenoid with my continuity tester and it is completely dead. I now have to swap out the solenoid from the parts bike to see if this is the culprit. Meanwhile here is what the bike looks like before I start beating on it with a hammer…
Swedish Motorcycle Posters
I came across a nice grouping of 1950’s Swedish motorcycle racing posters from a dealer in Europe. Nice graphics!
Too bad I can’t afford them…
Oregon Vintage Motorcyclists’ Show 2013
This past weekend was the annual Oregon Vintage Motorcyclists‘ Show & Swap Meet. As usual it was inspirational with some great bikes in all categories. The sun came out and it proved to be a beautiful day of vintage iron and oil!
The One Show
The One Show was everything we expected and then some. There were some great builds, some terrible builds, some vintage, some new-ish, some great surf rock, beer, food, swag… it was great!
Two Springers Motorcycle Club – Weekend Build-Off
The Two Springers Motorcycle Club has officially started a weekend build gathering that I have dubbed “Bikes ‘n Beer”. Fellow builders get together and discuss, drink, look, build, and inspire. Photos will follow… In the mean time I whipped up a little poster idea to promote the event.
Anyone in the Bend, Oregon area that builds bikes is encouraged to get ahold of us and join the build. I will be sharing ideas and asking for help with my Honda CB350 Cafe Racer project.
Rusty Is For Sale…
My friends over at Spin Cycle Industries are passing along their beautiful 1974 Honda CB450 Cafe Racer dubbed Rusty. Now is your chance to own a well-documented classic. The other good news is that the money from this project will go to the next build. We look forward to seeing what’s next. Until then you can see the details here.
1971 Honda CB350 Cafe Racer Project – Episode 3
A few photos of the bike pieces before taking the frame off to the powdercoaters…
CB350 Cafe Racer Inspiration
I found another nice bike to inspire the Cafe Racer Project. I would love to polish out the tank to raw metal…
This one was discovered over at jvoisrad with no additional details. It looks to be a Honda CB350 to me.
Here it is a little earlier in the process:
2012 Oregon Vintage Motorcyclists Show
An old vintage motorcyclist enthusiast I met in Casarama last week told me about the Oregon Vintage Motorcyclist show & swap meet that happens every May at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Corvallis, Oregon. The show was happening the following weekend (this past Saturday & Sunday) with the swap meet and bike rally on Sunday. Since I had little planned on Sunday, I made plans with The Missus to head over early Sunday morning in hopes of finding some parts and inspiration for my CB350 Cafe Racer Project. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was excited to go.
Sunday morning we were up early, and with a quick check of the Corvallis weather, which looked good, we were out the door for the 2.5 hour drive over the mountains. As soon as we hit the Corvallis city limits the rain started. It was one of those misty-drizzley rains that has you soaked before you realize you even need an umbrella. As we pulled up to the fairgrounds I was pleased to see that vintage motorcycle enthusiasts are like postmen, and won’t let a little rain, sleet, or snow hold them back from showing off their projects. The bikes were rolling in. The rain had thinned out the parts dealers but there were some amazing bikes to drool over. I didn’t find any parts for the CB350 Cafe Racer Project but I took alot of photos of amazing bikes. These were just a few…
BSA’s
Gitta was even excited about the size of this one for herself and had it been complete we might have gone home with it.
Royal Enfields
Harleys
Hondas
Several times during the day the words, “This one would be good for me!” were said, which gives me hope that I can continue my motorcycle obsession.
Indians
This one was a Royal Enfield Indian.
Italian Bikes
(An Italian Harley Davidson custom frame project from the 1950’s)
Jawa
Nortons
(This guy came flying in with the marshal chasing him down to tell him where to park.)
(This was a NorVin – A Norton frame with a Vincent HRD engine.)
An Ossa Wildfire from Isle of Mann
A Panther
Triumphs
A Velocette
A few Vespas
BMWs
& more… Too many to photograph in fact. I could have made a dozen trips around the field but we were getting soaked and The Missus had taken in her fill of vintage iron. Next year I will make a point of spending more time and taking more photos. Hopefully my Cafe Racer Project will be finished and I can roll it on over…
The rest of the afternoon was spent in antique shops. We found some treasures, so the day was a total success for both of us.
Vintage OCD 