1964 Harley Davidson XLCH Sportster Café Racer Could Be Yours

1964 Harley Davidson XLCH Sportster Café Racer

In the market for a freshly built cafe racer based on a 1964 Harley Ironhead heart beat? Look no further as this one is for sale and currently on ebay. What makes this bike so damn nice are the clean lines and the slick attention to detail. Cafe Racers all seem to function in a very similar style, but it is nice to see an old Ironhead being placed in this machine and not just as the core to a run of the mill chopper. The entire bike has been tastefully built and surely runs as smooth.

Motorcycle History Could Be Yours, Rare Honda Up For Sale

1969 Honda Sandcast CB750

Bid on this rare sandcast prototype machine on Ebay


THE CB750 SANDCAST PROTOTYPE!

THE HISTORY

Many know the story of the first Superbike: when Mr. Soichiro Honda started a 4 cylinder revolution back in 1969, with his “King of Motorcycles”. It was the bike that changed motorcycling.

That CB750 featured a transverse in-line 4 cylinder 736cc engine, that produced 67 horsepower, and a top speed of 125 miles per hour.  It also came with an electric starter and a disc brake!

The first 7000 or so CB750s that came off the factory assembly line in Japan back in 1969, had engine cases that were cast in sand.

Those scarce early sandcast CB750s now regularly command high prices amongst collectors around the world.

1969 Honda CB750, one of the first super bikes

Right side view of the rare CB750 from Honda

THE PROTOTYPE

What only some sandcast aficionados know, is that before the now rare sandcast CB750s were produced in 1969, Honda determined that they first needed to build a set of “preproduction” prototypes to market their “The King of Motorcycles” to the American public.  So in 1968 they decided to build samples of this new ground breaking CB750 to unveil at their annual Las Vegas Motorcycle Dealer Show, as well as to provide eye-candy for the various trade magazines, and for promotional photography, advertisements, etc.

What Honda sent over to the U.S. were 4 preproduction bikes:

A Candy Red prototype
A Candy Gold prototype
A Candy Dark Green Metallic prototype
And the feature of this special auction, the Candy Blue/Green prototype

These 4 special preproduction bikes were literally hand-built by Honda technicians, using many hundreds of unique one-off preproduction parts, to promote their new flagship line of motorcycles.

The unique character of these rare preproduction bikes is readily noticeable when examining each and every component part.  For example:

One-off sandcast engine covers, featuring an external “double step” on the Alternator cover
A wedge shaped transmission cover, fitting UNDER the Alternator cover
Very unusual clutch and valve covers (both appearing nothing like the street bike counterparts, and are very rough cast)
A one of a kind Billet Crankshaft (meaning it was turned and machined from one solid chunk of special steel bar)
Chrome fenders showing (under the chrome plating) engineer’s scribe marks to mark off where holes should be drilled
Hand hammered/welded exhaust pipes
One-off special cast by Keihin 26mm carb assemblies
Handmade white plastic parts throughout the motorcycle (while street version bikes have all black pieces)
Longer rear fender having brazed on turn signal stems
A 43 tooth rear sprocket (vs. 45 for production)
No handlebar kill switch
No provision for a tool tray under the seat
Sandcast “hollow” fuel tank emblems
Cast gas cap and latch
And literally hundreds more of distinctly different parts than standard, many of which are illustrated in the enclosed photos (Note: ALL vintage American Honda photos and flyers seen here are of the exact bike in this auction)

 

The Motorcyclist - April 1969 Featuring the Honda CB750

What ever happened to those rare first four hand built bikes?

The Red bike was taken to the crushers in Iowa back in the early 1990s (I know, as we got there literally days too late, coming away with only a small handful of parts from it).

The Gold bike made its way to Europe, only to be completely disassembled by its owner (who has no intention of selling) and it has remained in that state for the last 25 years or so.

The Dark Green bike has never been heard from, thus leaving this (Blue/Green) bike left of the four.

The Blue/Green prototype motorcycle featured in this auction just happens to also be the (only) one American Honda used for all of its initial promotional brochures, flyers, and sales literature. Example photos of these early promotional items can be seen here, and most easily identified by the bike's very unusual front brake caliper.

I located this Prototype motorcycle through a friend some years ago, and quickly decided that it in fact did not need “restoration”, but rather just needed to be cleaned up and put back together, as the original paint and overall condition was quite nice. It is a very strong running motorcycle.

Please view the attached photographs to see more about this extraordinary motorcycle. Note: Where you see similar components shown in the same photo, it is simply a comparison between the part from this prototype, vs. a stock CB750 part.

 

Up Front details abound and check out sexy 4 into 2 pipes

ABOUT THE SELLER:

Vic World has a passion for Honda CB750s; that revolutionary motorcycle that turned the industry on it’s ear back in the summer of ’69.  His particular area of expertise, is in the restoration of the rare early sandcast bikes, that were the first to roll off Honda’s Hamamatsu line back in early ’69.  His thirty plus years of relentless focus on this motorcycle, has earned him the moniker of “Mr. CB750.”  Vic is widely acknowledged as the premier restorer of these rare bikes and he has been written about in many trade publications, including a feature article by Mitch Boehm in Motorcyclist Retro.  His restorations are highly sought after and have been purchased by museums, including a featured exhibition in Honda’s own Collection Hall Museum in Japan.  American Honda owns a Vic World restoration, as does the Barber Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. World resides in San Francisco, where he operates World Motorcycles, a shop that specializes in the restoration of sandcast CB750s.


BIDDING:

Regarding current values of sandcast 750s:

As a point of reference, fully restored sandcasts (with a "normal" 4 digit frame number) are currently selling at just under 40,000 dollars, with 3 digit bikes (Frame numbers 999 and under) fetching a 20% premium on top of that, and 2 digit bikes fetching more.

As well, a couple years ago, I sold a very low number (under Frame #20) unrestored sandcast to a collector for $75,000. This bike still was from assembly line production, using mass produced parts.
This auction is a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of motorcycling history. The CB750 Honda had substantially more impact on motorcycling than any other motorcycle. And this Prototype is easily what would be referred to as the Holy Grail of CB750s...The center piece of any world class collection of motorcycles.

If you are the lucky winner of this auction, you will own something that nobody else in the world owns.  There has been some strong pre-auction buzz about this bike from collectors around the world.  So, if you really want to own this bike, please bid accordingly.

Throttle Roll 2013

Beautiful Harley Flathead from down uner

Throttle Roll 2013 - A celebration of custom motorcycles and kulture. Cafe racers, bobbers and classics.
Music By: The Snowdroppers
White Dress
From the album “Moving Out Of Eden” out now through FOUR | FOUR snowdroppers.com

Main Sponsors - Sydney Cafe Racers, The Projects/The Vic Enmore, Captain Morgan, Motorcycle Accessories Supermarket, tomwall.com & MY Media Sydney.
facebook.com/throttleroll

Throttle Roll 2013 from Australian Cafe Racers on Vimeo.

The One Motorcycle Show - Portland, Oregon

The 1 Motorcycle show - Portland, Oregon

Get all the info on their site

"5 years ago when we hosted the first One Motorcycle Show, we wanted to get people together for an event centered around the idea that the greatest bikes were the ones built, restored, re-worked, re-invented and re-imagined for a reason. We wanted to bring the builders and bikes together, give them a place to tell a story, and make some friends with other like-minded folks. A motorcycle show for motorcyclists by motorcyclists.

We’re particularly excited about this years show. It has been our simple and always challenging goal to make each show twice as good as the year before. With that in mind, we listened to the comments and suggestions from last year. The overwhelming consideration was that we had outgrown the space. Over 120 custom motorcycles + 6-8,000 attendees a day... we need a bigger space. We’re very excited to announce that we have a new location about a ½ mile away with twice the amount of space. It’s the building of One Show Dreams.

We are very pleased to announce once again that the show is FREE to exhibit and to attend. This show is the culmination of the hard work volunteered from everyone involved, and the sponsorship from brands and companies who see the value in an event like this."

Loaded Gun Customs: Bucephalus Build

LOADED GUN CUSTOMS: Bucephalus Build from Kyle Pahlow on Vimeo.

Kevin Dunworth of LOADED GUN CUSTOMS brings us up to speed on his current endeavors and prepares to build his most impressive custom motorcycle to date. Combining advanced frame design with a vintage motor, Kevin aims to build a light and gutsy cafe racer for the 2013 Michael Lichter display at Sturgis.

BMW Concept 90 With Design Cues By Roland Sands

There are so many great bikes being built, but the ones that are more purpose driven always seem to attract our attention. Choppers are great, but I dig speed and performance with great lines. Good design trumps bolt together assemblage from a catalog of parts. After seeing this new BMW styled street fighter mixed with a cafe racer styling cues, the ol' heart skipped a beat. Damn I would dig riding this bike.

Find out more info at Gizmag.com

Roland Sands going over styling cues on the new BMW Concept 90

New RSD parts going onto the BMW Concept 90

Rear view of the BMW Concept 90

Roland Sands working the BMW Concept 90 through its paces

BMW Concept 90 computer rendering

Missin' The Ol' 79' CB650 Cafe Racer

Decided to sell the 1979 Honda CB650 a while back, but damn am I missing that bike...

1975 Honda CB550 Custom That Ups The Ante

There is nothing quite like seeing a bike that just makes your jaw drop. Some builds feel dated as soon as they are coming off the bike lift and others reside in a nether region where era and craftsmanship come together to breathe new life into a ride that will surely turn heads wherever it may roam. This particular bike crafted by Kevin Dinsmoor of KDI Cycles proves that melding different time periods together can work quite well.

View original post on BikeExif.com



"For a one-man band, Kevin Dinsmoor has had remarkable success. Based in the small town of Colchester in Connecticut, USA, he’s carved out a reputation as a builder of finely crafted vintage customs—like this Honda CB550F.

“The concept was hatched a couple of years ago,” says Dinsmoor, who runs KDI Cycles. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could build a bike from swap meet junk.” With $450 in his pocket, Dinsmoor bought a tired 1975 Honda CB550F, a swing arm, two wheels and a tank—all from different vendors.



Despite the budget nature of the build, Dinsmoor decided to avoid the retro café route. (“I have so many old café racers that go way too fast for the tires and brakes—and I like to ride fast!”) Instead, he decided to take the resto-mod approach.

Work started on the engine. It now has a crankshaft lightened by six pounds and balanced by APE, allowing the revs to spin up much faster. Dynoman big bore pistons bump capacity up to 605cc. Dinsmoor also swapped out the stock CB550F cylinder head for a Mike Rieck special—complete with 1 mm oversize valves, titanium retainers, and heavy duty springs.



A Web Cam #358B ‘hot street’ cam was dropped in, and a Keihin CR29 carburetor bolted on. Gases now exit via a custom Yoshimura-style exhaust. Other uprated parts include a Pamco high performance electronic ignition, a Motogadget speedo, a Barnett clutch and a custom-made transmission output shaft. The starter motor has gone, saving a few more pounds, with the space now taken by a crankcase breather.

The stock CB550F suspension has been replaced by newer components better able to handle the extra power. The front end is now from a 2003 Honda CBR900RR, and the swing arm from the swap meet, a 1995 VFR, has been modified by Pro Kart.) The rear suspension, steering damper and brakes are all from a Suzuki GSX-R750. The wheels are Marchesini, now shod with Michelin Pilot Power sportbike tires.



Dinsmoor has excelled at the bodywork, with a keen eye for matching parts or creating his own. The tank is from a 1976 Kawasaki KZ400, but the seat unit is hand-made from aluminum. The fairing comes from Glass From The Past, and sports a Honda Accord fog light. The powdercoating was handled by Competitive Edge Coatings, and the paint by K&W Custom Auto. They’ve both done a magnificent job.



And if you detect a Ducati Paul Smart influence in the colors, you’re right. “That came from my visit to the Barber Vintage Festival, where I saw some amazing Ducks,” says Dinsmoor. The number 16 on the tail? “I raced WKA Karts for ten years, and my last number was 16. Kind of fell in line.”

For more on this lovely CB550F, head over to this build thread on the Do The Ton forum. And follow KDI Cycles’ news via Facebook."

Images courtesy of Ron Agnello, © Strongbox Photography Studios LLC. Shot at the New England Air Museum.

Tattoo Your Motorcycle With Custom Engraving

Ever since we saw the bike built by Bryan Fuller on Cafe Racer TV on Discovery channel, we have been hunting down good photos of the bike. Solid details is what we were after and finally those cool images have arrived in a large scale. Luckily we found them by chance over on Totem's site. If ya haven't seen his work with spray paint, we know you will be a fan for sure now.

Fuller Hot Rods and Customs

The devil is in the details

The bike as a great stance in the process of being built

Fork tubes are full of details

Really dig the bare metal finish

New swingarm and mono shock add a great touch

More detail on the left fork

Engraving on this bike is top notch in the style department.

Lowside Magazine And The Timonium Motorcycle Show

Magazines are a life blood to any scene. Whether it be a black and white photocopied punk zine, or a full color gloss edition, with excellent photography and writing. One of the main aspects we dig about Lowside Magazine is their continued approach to taking the high road. It never feels as if anything is forced or as if they are trying too hard. They just make it cool and keep it interesting. 

There is longevity in making something that is not dated to a certain era or style. Really hope to see the magazine grow in readership and page count. Get out to the Timonium Motorcycle show if you are in the area and say hello. Great bunch of folks up in Baltimore and wish we could have made it up north this year. 

Lowside Magazine hosts the The Dirty Hands, the better aspect of the Timonium Bike Show

The Lowside After Party is going down at Rocket To Venus, in Baltimore MD

Meltdown Vintage Motorcycle Show 2013

"Ton-Up North Carolina and the Southern Appalachian Brewery will again host the finest selection of vintage motorcycles in the region! Last year, nearly 200 vintage bikes, representing over a dozen marques, were gathered in historic Hendersonville, North Carolina. Enthusiasts from 4 states enjoyed the beauty and history of these remarkable machines.

Enjoy live music, good food, vendors, and, of course, the best beer around! All pre-1980 bikes will be eligible for trophies in a variety of classes."

Check out Meltdown Vintage

Meltdown Vintage Motorcycle Show, April 27th 2013

Norton bike that was at the Meltdown 2012

Vintage bikes galore at the Meltdown

Dime City Cycles Gives Away A 1979 CB750 Cafe Racer

Laziness is seen in all forms of life. Whether it be eight road crew guys staring at one pot hole or the postal workers who are slower than molasses or even my dog who would rather sleep than do anything else. The fellas over at Dime City Cycles are the antithesis of lazy. With their constantly updating store and ever evolving roster of bikes they continue to help define the notion of a modern day cafe racer. 

The write up below is from Iron & Air, which is one of the newer motorcycle magazines to explode out of the gates. Link over to all things Dime City Cycles to pick up more of their parts and even some of our merch.

The Dime City Cycles 1978 Honda CB 750 Cafe Racer that will be given away

"Unless you were some poor sob trying hard to get off the grid, you’ve probably heard all about it by now. Upstart moto heads, (that’d be us) Iron & Air Magazine, on some hair-brained, PBR induced trance, decided to convince the kings of all things speed and cafe racers, Dime City Cycles, to rebuild a Honda CB750 and then, get this – GIVE IT AWAY. And that’s just what is happening today, at the 8th Annual Barber Vintage Festival in Ace Corner as the keys are transferred to her new lucky owner.

The donor was a rusty old POS that Jason and Herm found, haggled for, and then hauled back to their shop to begin the ceremonial breakdown. Wasting no time, these guys demonstrated that they are raging beasts when it comes to reducing a classic ride down to a bucket of bolts. They also demonstrated that they’re bad ass builders of the highest order by bringing this girl back to life and have her looking hotter than ever.

The Dime City Cycles 1978 Honda CB 750 Cafe Racer

The Dime City Cycles ‘78 Honda CB-750K Cafe Racer glows with class. From its show stopping Legendary Motorcycles bodywork, the stainless steel Cone Engineering muffler with 4-into-1 exhaust, to the Progressive Suspension, the DCC 750K Cafe is the styling leader. With its powerful engine and sharp handling, you’re guaranteed to grab all the looks from the opposite sex at the local pub.

Its throaty engine sound has no equal. Power comes from four cylinders displacing 736cc’s with a Dyna ignition keeping things in pace. The eight valves are operated by a simple, single overhead cam. Fuel is metered through four synchronized Keihin carburetors, equipped with an accelerator pump for throttle response that even “Mike The Bike” would be proud of.

With five well-spaced gear ratios to select from, the 750k can split lanes through downtown traffic or stretch its legs on those long country rodes we all love. And when you encounter that one obnoxious squid on a GSX-R 600, you can merely slide back a tad in the saddle, down-shift a gear or two and leave him in the dust – completely taken aback by the fact that an old heavy lump of metal just ate his modern power range cycle for breakfast.

The Dime City Cycles 1978 Honda CB 750 Cafe Racer tail section

While the DCC CB-750K Cafe does sacrifice the ability to carry a passenger in exchange for performance and styling, you won’t care…women will follow you wherever you go anyway. Sleek and low-profile instrumentation, new Progressive front suspension with reduced static friction, and special dual-stage damping shock absorbers that can handle small as well as harsh bumps with equal efficiency will make heads turn eveywhere. As one of the world’s premier cafe racers, the DCC CB-750K Cafe has a reputation second to none. It has the performance, styling and heritage of a champion."

• 1978 Honda CB750 Engine w/ Dyna Electronic Ignition
• Customized 1978 Honda CB Frame w/ Full Rear Loop
• Keihin CR Racing Carbs
• Custom DCC/Cone Engineering Performance Tuned 4-into-1 Exhaust System
• DCC Original Rearsets w/ Cable Driven Rear Brake
• 7-way Adjustable Steering Damper
• Front and Rear Progressive Suspension w/ 2″ Shorter Front Tubes
• Legendary Motorcycles Manx Tank w/ Monza Cap
• Legendary Motorcycle Thruxton Seat w/ DCC Originals Cushion
• DCC Original “Speed” Bars
• Nissin Controls
• 2.5″ Mini Guages w/ Mounting Bracket
• All New Cables, Hoses, Et Cetera
• DCC Original British Headlight Bucket
• Stock Honda CB Wheels Powder-coated Black w/ Stainless Steel Spokes and Red Nipples
• Front and Rear Avon Road Rider Tires
• Paint work by Moe Colors
• Powder Coating by Pro-fab Customs
• And A Whole-Lotta Love from Herm and Jason @ DCC!

The Dime City Cycles 1978 Honda CB 750 Cafe Racer

Flat Tracker V-Rod Built For Speed And Style

Spotting a custom V-Rod might be a bit easier than finding Bigfoot, but in all reality, ya just don't see that many of them. This is especially true for the ones that are highly customized. Jason Wonder of Wonder Customs has gone above and beyond to create a unique bike with style and machismo. This ground and pound style is a hybrid mix of street fighter, cafe racer and flat tracker. With his design restraint and clean lines he made a V-Rod that is uncluttered and loses that chunky feeling that many tend to have. Fantastic looking bike and damn does it look fun to ride.

See more photos of this build on BikeExif

Check out more work by Jason Wonder

Original post by DubaiBiker.com

V-Rod custom built by Jason Wonder of Wonder Customs

At the age of 24, Jason Wonder is the creator of this truly amazing and beautiful Wonder Custom V-Rod…and he has only four years experience in building customs…

Jason started riding at the age of 8, and was introduced to this world by his father – pro flat track racer. That is where he draws all the inspiration, to create very unique and very rideable motorcycles. “I’m fascinated with Shinya Kimura’s work,” Jason says. “I love the raw and mechanical way he builds each bike.”

This V-Rod custom looks to be a track demon

What you see here is Jason’s second V-Rod build. Jason loves the Revolution engine from Harley, and those “other” engines, as you can sense with his choice of custom build Buells. The idea behind this bike it is to make rideable, almost track ready machine for 2009 AMD World Championship show in Sturgis, and the whole buildup took only 8 weeks!

Custom built frame with a rake of 28 degrees gives this bike almost sports-bike looks. This V-Rod features a full Brembo setup which make it easy and confidence-inspiring to ride. Rear set foot controls not only house the rear brake, but also a shift levers, so they add to the bikes flat track feel.

Wonder Customs V-Rod

 Jason molded the brake light, turn signals and license mount, and put them all under the tail to give it minimal looks. There is also custom made gas tank which have been slimmed down together with the seat. Jason molded the brake light - turn signals into the underside of the tail where there’s also a mount for the license plate. The seat/tank/semi-fender is a removable one piece which only weighs 12 pounds! Whole bike target was 350pounds or less! To finish it off, Jason did custom wire harness and put traditional Wonder Customs racer controls with a set of Vortex clip-on handlebars.

In the power department, there were some minor changes. Jason built new polished intake and breather, to supply more air to engine. There is also custom fuel pump and 2 in 2 custom exhaust with SuperTrapp disc only mufflers.

This V-Rod by Wonder Customs has the perfect stance and looks to be a damn great city bike

 Jason also added “I wanted a bike that would showcase something different and I could ride the hell out of it. I built it, took it to the AMD show in Sturgis and then took it to the track. I dig that. I have some new old-school designs that I have started working on so I am excited about that. I love what I do and hope to be able to continue doing it. Building one-off creations that are truly unique, are rideable, and are performance driven is what I’m about.”

Track days on a V-Rod

Bull City Rumble - Durham, NC

Not sure what could be a better way to spend the weekend than drinking some beers and talking shop on bikes. If you are in the Raleigh Durham area this weekend or need to do a bit of traveling, here is the show for you. The Bull City Rumble is put on by a damn great bunch of folks and the turnout always brings in a quality crowd. Get out there and check out some bikes!

Find out more details from Ton Up North Carolina

Bull City Rumble - August 1st to September 2nd in Durham, NC

Flat Top Frames With Style For Miles

It's quite enjoyable to see so many bike styles ebb and flow in and out of popularity. The arguments over what is cool and what is the best motor are just par for course. At the end of the day what we care most about is ridability. We couldn't give a rat's ass on whether or not something is period correct or having just the right underground builder signature part and being able to talk on it in the right circles. That is just damn boring, pointless and the shitty effect of the hipsters, that invaded motorcycle culture.


We are all over the maps with the bikes we enjoy riding whether it be dirt bikes, to our long mile marathoner in our Dyna or a race bike, two wheels up is our driving force. A particular bike design that has been really catching on though, is the flat top frame style of the Cafe Racer movement. The frame geometry is helping to morph a style of design and ergonomic riding position that is aimed directly at the rider and experiencing the road. It could be for the highway or the back country twists and turns, but no doubt about it, these bikes are meant to be ridden and yet highly customized.

Shinya Kimura custom Sportster with solid riding setup in mind

Drixton frame created by Marly Drixyl in 1968

Fritz Egli frame with a Honda 750 motor

Fritz Egli frame with a 1952 Norton Vincent Lightning motor

Classified Moto XS750 custom Yamaha

1979 Honda CB650 rebuilt inhouse here at Rusty Knuckles