The day I originally brought this Honda CM400 home it was sold and the new owner almost immediately asked me to rebuild it as a tribute to his days as an ordnance technician during the first gulf war. He wanted a rat bike simple and rough edged with his rank and an Ammo Corp logo on it. Olive drab paint was necessary, wrapped exhaust & low bars were part of his specification. He also did not want a side mount tail light, a rather unusual request on this type of bike. The rest was up to me
The hand painted logo is not necessarily authentic to his unit but is based on a generic amalgamation of such insignia as I found online.
The long exhaust pipes were made from small chain link fence posts bent & brazed to the stubs of the original head pipes. The exhaust wrap makes everything look cool and it has a mean sound, just listen to this video.
The rear fender started life as a brand new aftermarket front fender for a Harley Electraglide, that I cut down & installed backwards to make a fantastic custom rear fender. The voltage regulator was bolted to the side and a good old fashioned Sparto tail light was mounted on top.
A little while back I did a post on twin leading shoe brakes and here they are installed and working just fine on the front of this little Honda CM400
The factory carbs got a serious overhaul and were re-jetted to work with the 54 mm velocity stacks & open exhaust with a Six Sigma jet kit. The fine people at Six Sigma really know their stuff and can usually set you up with a jet kit custom matched to your application. The key switch is your basis auto parts store universal hot rod part but the alloy bracket and the ABS plastic battery box & side covers are my work.
The solo seat was a swap meet find that was reworked to fit and the covered in olive drab Cordura fabric.
Here’s a shot of my buddy trying to look all serious and tough when he really wants to smile
The bar end mirrors actually work very well on this bike.
That’s enough words from me, here’s a little 1 3/4 minute video showing various excerpts from the build and the proud owner taking it for his first spin around the parking lot, and a couple big pictures further down on this page.
It’s always great to hear from readers about the various things that I’ve written through the years, for example a little over three years ago I wrote a post underscoring the importance of always using a new cotter pin every time you need one. Just a few weeks ago I received an email from a reader who had a near tragic ending and these next few words will be his.
Comment: I just wanted to share a story about why you should always check those cotter pins.
I had just rebuilt a 200cc bike, and after riding 50 miles, the back wheel came off. I broke my clavicle, went to the ER in an ambulance, destroyed my helmet, broke my crankcase, and scraped up fairings and the frame. The towing & impound were expensive too. In the end, this cost me thousands, and I was out for 6 weeks w/ a hurt shoulder.
All this because I rode the bike without a cotter pin.
I’d torqued up the rear nut to spec, and it only took 50 miles for the nut to back out. I never thought it would happen…but it did.
Now you’ve heard from a man who really knows and yes he still rides motorcycles. He asked me to keep his identity completely private so I will, and thank you very much kind sir for sharing this with us. If the rest of you don’t already have one stop right now & get yourself a cotter pin assortment.
Another post that has generated a lot of comments & feedback was the one entitled Vintage Piston Valve Keihin Carburetor Overhaul. If you look at this post without reading the commentary you’re only getting half of the story. Check out the whole page, I learned as much from my readers as they learned from my meager do it yourself post. Of course this leads into my other series of posts Dirt Bike Carburetor 101.
Those of you with CV carbs don’t fret, I have several dozen detailed close up pictures of 2 different style of CV carburetors that I have worked on recently & will be getting a couple of detailed posts going for you about those.
Some of you may be wondering about the Project wAmmo bobber that I had started on. It’s probably the main reason that I have not posted as steadily this month as I should have because the darn thing needs to be finished. But it’s up on it’s wheels and actually went to it’s first show despite needing a few more details to finish it up. I hope to have it all wrapped up in the next 2 weeks for final pictures in the meantime give a listen to this video.
That’s about it for this post if you haven’t already signed up for email notifications please do so using the box below. There’s a lot of great stuff coming up & you don’t want to miss a thing.
Most of all thanks for the reader feedback on this blog.
Every year for the last 11 years during the Labor Day weekend holiday the club Ton Up North Carolina has been hosting a great multiday event for vintage motorcycle enthusiasts in Durham North Carolina. The main focus is on vintage café racer styled customs, restorations, competition bikes, and vintage scooters. Ever since I discovered this event three years ago the Saturday bike show has been permanently added to my calendar.
One of the great things I love about this event is the fact that every year at least one really oddball custom will show up. The top motor freak at this year’s show was a diamond plate covered Goldwing that had everyone scratching their heads.
This being a café racer club there was plenty of fine British & European iron on display including an original unrestored 1983 Triumph TSS with electric start.
Numerous Moto Guzzi motorcycles were on hand such as this T3 and this old Ambassador
I can’t tell you exactly which one of the two it was but one of these immaculate AJS machines that won best of show, both look so pristine I don’t think it matters
Fellow VJMC member Mike McSween was showing his terrific pair of restored vintage Kawasaki road racers with his 1971 H1R 500, number 56 in the picture taking home first place. The other green jewel in the picture is his 1972 H2 750 triple.
Anytime I get within a mile of a Vincent I have to take its picture. Even though I am normally a Japanese bike fanatic, Vincents like this 1952 model really are my ultimate dream machine. Perhaps one day…
The award for the best Japanese motorcycle went to this highly detailed & wonderfully conceived CX500 Honda.
No matter what angle it is viewed from the artistry & talent of the builder is just amazing.
Until 2014 there was no class for American motorcycles and while this was still the smallest class it did attract some high quality equipment including a 1950’s vintage Indian and this fine looking Harley Davidson J model.
I must confess that when the American class was first introduced that I and a couple of others had mixed feelings about it. We feared that an influx of the so called American bikers would destroy the character of this event and make it into yet another chrome, mullet, & tattoo show for us (and our fat wallets) to stay away from. Fortunately this has not happened so far. I was there for nine hours this year and only heard one person make a disparaging remark about the motorcycles with superior engineering, handling & reliability. Since she was blonde I’ll forgive her for not having the intellectual acumen to understand that some of us view our motorcycles as something more than just a two wheeled “Members Only” jacket.
It was great having Rommel Harley Davidson there as a sponsor and I really enjoyed checking out the new Street 750 demo trailer that they had set up. Check it out on the video below at the bottom of the page.
Other motorcycles at the show that I really liked included this very tasteful black Suzuki café racer. These late 70’s & early ‘80s Suzuki cycles don’t get nearly the love from restorers or customizers that they should, even though they were probably the best all-around motorcycles of that time period.
If you love vintage turbo bikes there were a Yamaha Seca & a Honda CX parked side by side on the street.
Everywhere you looked there was a good selection of vintage & retro machines, fine people, good eats, and plenty of excitement, and I am already planning to return next year. Check out the Ton Up NC website at http://tonup-nc.blogspot.com/ for more information.
I took so many pictures at the 2015 Bull City Rumble that I decided to put the best of the rest into a slide show.
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Here’s the youtube video that I made of the event. Watching this is probably the best way to get an idea of the scope of this event.
For the last 3 or 4 months a shoulder injury has severely curtailed my riding and blogging. In addition to this I’ve had problems with numbness & tingling in my hands seemingly forever but simply wrote it off as the cost of working on a computer all day every day for a living. Using a Cramp Buster on the throttle helped, but once I hurt my shoulder it just wasn’t enough anymore.
Although sitting at a desk drawing pictures and filling out spreadsheets on a computer all day often leaves my hands & fingers sore whether I ride or not, some of the things about my main daily driver motorcycle greatly exacerbate the problem. To start with as part of the whole vintage/rat/survivor look it still had the original 35 year old factory rubber grips on it. While they really looked the part, these grips were rock hard and slick, to the point that I might as well have been gripping the steel handlebar directly. The bar itself was robbed from a 71 Honda CL450 and is one of the most rigid & indestructible off road handlebars ever made, this combined with the fact that it is clamped directly to the top of the triple tree with no insulation of any kind, sent the high frequency vibration of the engine straight up into my arms. In all honesty it was nothing that I couldn’t live with until becoming afflicted with bursitis in my right shoulder. Faced with the reality of not being able to ride more than a few minutes at the time, I decide that it was time to do something about it.
So I decided to replace the grips and install a Vista-Cruise Throttle Lock. This universal motorcycle “cruise control” is a product that I have used before on 2 other motorcycles not for pain relief but mainly for long distance riding and for riding no handed and other fun stupid stuff. This like most universal products may or may not work with your particular motorcycle, and it’s highly unlikely that it will fit any motorcycle without some modification. These throttle locks were designed around a typical late ’60s through mid ’80s universal Japanese motorcycle with dual throttle cables. Even then the instructions warn that some cutting or filing may be necessary to make it work. As you see in the picture below it would not fit up against the switch housing as delivered.
So I had to file it to fit.
Remove the least amount of material possible, & check the fit often. This is how I had to modify it to fit my 1980 Honda CB650, your bike may require something totally different. If you’re not comfortable with cutting & modifying a brand new part to make it work then you probably should not install a Vista-Cruise throttle lock. I recommend that you use a Brakeaway custom fit cruise control instead.
It is not really necessary to remove the grip to install the throttle lock but since I was replacing the grips anyway it is much easier. If you are not changing the grips you can just pry it back from the switch housing a little bit and fit it around the throttle tube as directed in the Vista-Cuise instructions.
Once you have it fitted properly here’s the adjustment key that is supplied. Use it or a flat screwdriver to adjust the tension screw so that it holds the throttle in place when locked but allows it to return to idle as soon as you flip the switch up to unlock it.
Don’t forget the clear washer shown below that goes between the grip and the throttle lock to prevent the grip flange from hanging up on the side of the Vista-Cruise.
I decided to use new Oury grips for the vintage look and proven vibration dampening abilities. Oury Grip has been in business for decades and have always provided a good product at a decent price. Just be sure to clean your handlebar and throttle tube well, then use a good handlebar grip glue to make sure everything stays in place.
The new grips are nice and soft so the handlebar buzz is greatly reduced, plus I don’t have to squeeze the throttle so tight to move it. Once up to speed in a place where I don’t need to accelerate or slow down too often just push down on the lever & lock the throttle. Even with the throttle locked you should still be able to move the throttle to adjust your speed as needed. One caveat that is worth mentioning is that you will not get true seamless “cruise control” action. This is a throttle lock if you start downhill the bike will speed up, going uphill it may slow down. On bikes like mine with four old mechanical carburetors and / or strong throttle return springs, your adjustment to the lock may end up being a compromise. At low speed the leverage of the carb internals and return spring will gradually close the throttle. Once the throttle is opened far enough to negate this problem it will stay locked in place for miles of smiles. It could be adjusted tight enough to hold at all speeds but then it would not return to idle immediately upon released. This is the single most important thing to remember, for the sake of safety it must always be adjusted so that when the lock is released the engine will return to idle just the same as if you simply let go of the throttle.
After a nice 100 mile test ride I am very pleased to say that my arms & hands felt great & I can’t wait for the next road trip!
It’s still the same old road running rat but with cruise control & nice new grips!
That’s why I’m calling it a puppy. I’ve been searching for a Honda ST or CT motorcycle to restore for a while now, so when this 77 Honda CT70 popped up on the local Craigslist for a bargain basement price I jumped on it asap. When searching for gems like this, if you find one going (relatively) cheap you should be prepared to go see it immediately.
It’s got a lot of neglect but still it should be a very cool project. The person I bought it from had started to restore it somewhat with some fresh Chevy engine orange spray paint & new decals. Then they painted all of the chrome black. Unfortunately, they could never get the engine to run so they just gave up & lost interest in it.
I have no clue how the left handlebar was broken, but that’s okay, it will replaced with a N.O.S. or authentic reproduction. The plans for this one are very simple, it will be as close to a concours quality restoration as I can get it. There will be some internal upgrades to the engine, steering, & suspension but the outward appearance will be 100% box stock.
Mini Trails Rule!
Thankfully there’s still plenty of new old stock parts left out there along with tons of reproduction stuff
If you drink a beer or two, and squint at this picture long enough you can almost see a restored 77 Honda CT70. Can’t wait to get started on it.
Peace Y’all
BTW, if you don’t have time money & space for the real thing, why don’t you try one of these little gems below.
Last weekend one of our local county council members & I took in a visit to the Darlington Dragway, our goal was to get an overview of the 2015 National Bikers Roundup and show all of the locals who were unnecessarily anxious about the presence of a large group of African-American bikers in our community. Folks, even at the Memorial Day Bikefest, the bikers are not the problem. The National Bikers Roundup organization, rented the venue, got all of the necessary permits, coordinated with local law enforcement, and had more than adequate event staff on hand to keep everything rolling smoothly. We had a blast check out the video & the pictures below!
I’m not going to write a lot in this post as I’d just be repeating a lot of what I’ve already said in the video.
Here’s some real motor archeology for you, a 1957 Zundapp. I am fairly certain that it is a Super Sabre, feel free to let me know if I’m wrong.
Zundapp Motorcycles were built in Germany beginning in 1919. The KS750 sidecar motorcycle produced for military use was probably their most well known product, but they also made sporting two stroke singles like this one and a wide variety of scooters as well. They had a reputation for being solid well built machines.
1957 Zundapp
Shame I couldn’t have gotten hold of it 20 or 30 years ago.
Got Rust?
The cylinder head doesn’t have any broken fins, wonder what it looks like on the inside?
It’s a shame to see such a fine piece of German engineering in this condition.
The original ID tag is still in place behind the headlamp.
At this point it is highly unlikely that I will attempt to restore this motorcycle. The plan is to carefully dissect the cadaver to see if there are still any parts that would be of any use to anyone who has one of these rare old motorcycles.
1957 Zundapp Super Sabre
If this were a typical Craigslist ad here is where it would say, “tires still have plenty of tread left.”
If you would like to find out more about these motorcycles, or if you are just curious to see what this pile of junk used to look like visit the Zundapp Fool website by clicking here.
It is the end of the second day of the 2015 VJMC National Rally, and a little rain is falling from a passing thunderstorm this evening but for most of the day the weather was beautiful and the group rides went off without a hitch.
We all had a great time on a various rides to various different places in the mountains. My wife and I actually followed the tiddler group up to the Sugarland visitors center, after a brief visit to the museum we proceeded to the Metcalfe Bottoms picnic area where we had a nice lunch.
In the meantime the convention center continues fill up with an ever increasing assortment of nice bikes as people rolled in.
It turns out I’m not the only one who brought a 185 Suzuki.
Above is an entire row of classic Kawasakis.
Here’s a nice original XS500
After a great BBQ supper we listened to a presentation from Pete Boody the owner of Pistol Pete’s services who is restoring the prototype Goldwing serial number 2. Pete gave us a good run down of the early history of the development of the Goldwing and the difference between the prototypes, the pre-production units and the final production units.
It has been a terrific day and I do have some video footage from the ride that is up on YouTube.
Today was the first day of the 2015 VJMC National Rally
Here are a few more pictures from the first day’s action .
I actually feel bad about loading the Suburban Assault Scrambler onto to a trailer for this short little trip, but I wanted to take both bikes.
This blue and white Suzuki water buffalo is terrific looking.
Another blue and white Suzuki.
A Honda Grom and a CB 1100 parked outside of the Convention Center.
A raffle bike from the Cincinnati group.
It just wouldn’t be a vintage motorcycle rally without a Honda ST90.
A beautiful Yamaha but check out the odometer below.
Before I sign off for the day, I just have to include a picture of my Suzuki TS185 sitting inside the convention center with all the pretty show bikes.
Well, I got it finished! The entire build is chronicled from start to finish in the 23 minute video. I started out with a little bit of step by step video, but quickly realized that with the time constraints, that would not be possible so I morphed it into an overview video. The last few minutes is me taking it out of the yard and down the road for it’s first test ride.
It ran and handled fairly well, but the stock suspension is too light for a big guy like me to do any serious off-roading with it. I just have a couple more little things to tweak, and then if I can’t find reasonably priced suspension upgrades, I’ll probably put it up for sale after I return from the VJMC National Rally.
Welcome to the Asylum 