It's been awhile since I posted here. In my course of research I have stumbled on a quite a few forums where I have spent a lot of time. The internet is a great thing in some ways in that much information is at the tips of your fingers. On the flip side, too much information can lead to vapor lock of the brain and the decision making process. This is called in the business world, decision paralysis, where an overwhelming number of factors are considered and reconsidered until, well, no decision is ultimately made rather a continual do loop of analysis of data takes place.
One particular forum called Do The Ton has been a great resource for me. There are many like minded folks that post all types of information from how to's to build threads of their own projects..you name it..it's mostly likely there. The best part of this forum is the step by step build threads that guys publish detailing their every step of taking a bike and transforming it into a Cafe Racer. There are so many illustrations which plant seeds of thought in your brain as to how to style your own build. Incidentally I have started my own thread there to document more of the details of my project. If you wish to follow it, just click on "1973 CB175 Project-First Build 'Anna'".
So where it stands now, here is what I have come up with that I would like to accomplish in this build:
-Polish the wheels/spokes
-Replace handlebars with clubman style bars
-Modify exhaust but keep stock headers and install shorty pipes
-Build cafe seat using stock seat pan
-Replace rear shocks
-Cut front fender down
-Eliminate rear fender
-Install aftermarket bullet style lights
-Clean up front forks
-Clean up engine (overhaul will come later)
-Blast and powder coat frame
-Chrome the engine hangers and footpeg mounts
-Install aftermarket rearsets (Motobits)
-Replace fasteners with hex head type stainless on engine covers
This is a partial list of all that I wish to do, but it changes as I learn more about styles, restoration processes and other information that influences my taste. The trick here is to make a decision and move forward and not get paralyzed!
So as the bike sits now, it's all in boxes! I have it all taken apart and the frame is sitting in the garage looking in desperate need of attention and attention it will get soon..as soon as I save up to have it blasted and painted! Stay tuned....
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Why A Cafe' Bike?
Ok, so out of all the possible motorcycles to work on or restore, why did I choose do a Cafe' conversion/restoration? Some of you are probably wondering what a Cafe' bike is. If you thought of it as a motorcycle to ride to a Cafe' you are partially correct.
An extremely brief history is the bikes came to be called Cafe' or Cafe' racers because a few gear heads back in the 50's and 60's decided to take their every day motorcycle and style them after the GP racing bikes of the era. They would race each other around the streets of London from one cafe' to the next. The most famous hangout for these "rockers" was the Ace Cafe in London England. The challenge was to put a song on the jukebox, hop on your bike and race along the streets to try to make it back to the cafe' before the song was over. Along the way they would try to hit 100 MPH which was called "the Ton". Doing "the Ton" meant hitting that speed during your ride. So, picture the American Icon James Dean with an open face racing helmet, goggles and a tricked out motorcycle and you have an idea of the genre that is the cafe' bike and racer.
Modifications were made to these bikes essentially for a reason, not just for looks. The handlebars were replaced with clip ons or "clubman" style with brought the rider forward and lower over the fuel tank. The foot pegs and foot controls were moved back to allow the riders legs to sit farther behind him/her to completed the crouched position. These controls are called "rear sets". Finally, the most distinctive feature is the seat. There are many styles taken from a basic narrow, light weight seat and pan that moves the riders' rear rend back to also facilitate a lower profile. Utimately the idea was to save weight, improve handling and aerodynamics so as to "do the Ton". Some bikes would also have a small fairing on the front.
Common bikes in England during the heyday were BSA's, Norton's, Triumph, BMW's and a few Japanese bikes. Today those same makes are very popular for converting to cafe' style. Among the Japanese brands, Honda twin and four cyclinder models of the late sixties and seventies are very popular. The most common Honda is the venerable CB750. To get a good idea of a man living the "rocker" lifestyle and who specializes in CB750 cafe' conversions, go visit Steve "Carpy" Carpenter's website at http://www.cb750cafe.com/.
After doing a lot of surfing the internet and learning about the cafe' racer I decided that the style would be very cool to do in a restoration/build project. I had to figure out which motorcycle would be a good one to do such a project with and after some deliberation and months of looking on Craigslist, I found the CB175 to be a good size bike for what I wanted to do. So, to frame the scope of the project, I wanted a smaller frame twin cylinder bike that had plentiful parts available and was easier to work on. I didn't want to get too far over my head with this being my first attempt at any type of motorcycle build whatsoever. The 175 fit the bill perfectly. Finally, I wasn't interested in racing the bike like some vintage restorers/racers do with their cafe' bikes and I wanted to keep the frame unmolested so as to return the bike to stock condition as a selling point in the future.
An extremely brief history is the bikes came to be called Cafe' or Cafe' racers because a few gear heads back in the 50's and 60's decided to take their every day motorcycle and style them after the GP racing bikes of the era. They would race each other around the streets of London from one cafe' to the next. The most famous hangout for these "rockers" was the Ace Cafe in London England. The challenge was to put a song on the jukebox, hop on your bike and race along the streets to try to make it back to the cafe' before the song was over. Along the way they would try to hit 100 MPH which was called "the Ton". Doing "the Ton" meant hitting that speed during your ride. So, picture the American Icon James Dean with an open face racing helmet, goggles and a tricked out motorcycle and you have an idea of the genre that is the cafe' bike and racer.
 |
| Cafe' racer in front of the Ace Cafe' in London. |
Common bikes in England during the heyday were BSA's, Norton's, Triumph, BMW's and a few Japanese bikes. Today those same makes are very popular for converting to cafe' style. Among the Japanese brands, Honda twin and four cyclinder models of the late sixties and seventies are very popular. The most common Honda is the venerable CB750. To get a good idea of a man living the "rocker" lifestyle and who specializes in CB750 cafe' conversions, go visit Steve "Carpy" Carpenter's website at http://www.cb750cafe.com/.
After doing a lot of surfing the internet and learning about the cafe' racer I decided that the style would be very cool to do in a restoration/build project. I had to figure out which motorcycle would be a good one to do such a project with and after some deliberation and months of looking on Craigslist, I found the CB175 to be a good size bike for what I wanted to do. So, to frame the scope of the project, I wanted a smaller frame twin cylinder bike that had plentiful parts available and was easier to work on. I didn't want to get too far over my head with this being my first attempt at any type of motorcycle build whatsoever. The 175 fit the bill perfectly. Finally, I wasn't interested in racing the bike like some vintage restorers/racers do with their cafe' bikes and I wanted to keep the frame unmolested so as to return the bike to stock condition as a selling point in the future.
 |
| One of Carpy's bikes from CB750cafe.com. |
 |
| A sweet Cafe' conversion. |
Next post I'll be discussing some of the design concepts and details of the build that I hope to accomplish with this bike. In the meantime I am having a blast researching other folks' projects online and in many forums to get some ideas and how to implement them.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A Fathers Influence
As I mentioned in my first post my love for motorcycles goes way back to my childhood and growing up around them and riding them. There also exists the mechanical intuition that I think every boy is born with but sometimes grows beyond the "wow, firetruck!" phase that most little boys go through. Part of it for me had to do with not only my nature but the nurture. If you knew my dad, Mr. William Cox, or Bill as he prefers, you would understand.
I thought of growing up to be a truck driver, then a pilot, a lawyer and then I resigned myself to my destiny..to become a mechanical engineer. When I graduated from Ohio State with my bachelors in mechanical engineering, I started to gain an appreciation for my dad's gift. He has made a very impressive career designing and building high speed packaging machines and starting several businesses with his patented designs. I mean, seriously, I would put my pops up against anybody in any design contest and Bill Cox would kick some serious fanny.
When you see your family as you know it in the aftermath of a divorce, it's very difficult. My dad moved out but he always made the effort to see me as I grew up and only moved away after I graduated high school and went off to college. All this to say is that while I am very thankful that I had what time I did during my preteen and teenage years with my father, I wish I had more time with him.
These days dad is as involved as he can be as a grandfather and dad given our distance apart. When we hang out we always talk about doing something together as adults such as building a hot rod or restoring a motorcycle. It would be hard to do as most fathers and sons live close by and could easily spend weekends building something or working on a project as a team. I approached him over the phone and told him of my plans to build a cafe bike and if he'd be willing to help me. Sure enough he said he would love to do it and even helped throw in a few buck to get the bike. I was ecstatic! I figured between visits we could each work on our bits and pieces of the bike and when we get back together we would assemble that portion back on the frame. It will be an interesting process!
So, part of this whole endevour is me wishing to do something big and to push my skills as a gearhead and to learn all the details of restoring a motorcycle instead of watching someone else do it on TV. The other part of it is to bridge a gap that can only exist inside a son looking to his father and longing to connect with him, to forge together in common blood a creation that both of them can be proud of. I know that my dad and I would make a great team and here is our chance. It's also an uspoken question and statement of "dad, look what I can do..you taught me well, I hope I make you proud...and that you love me as much as I love you."
 |
| Train layout my dad built from scratch in his basement |
My first memories include building my first plastic model airplane with the help of dad at the age of 3 or 4. It was an Me-262, the first operational combat jet fighter built during the waning years of WWII by the German Luftwaffe. You see, my father himself is a mechanical engineer and a total gearhead. No doubt I got that from him. As I grew up under my dads guidance, he would include me working on the cars, in his shop building models, fixing things around the house, etc. My dad could do anything..he was like McGyver only he makes MyGyver's inventions look like Boy Scout drivel. Where McGyver would use a toothpick and a gum wrapper to make a circuit, my dad would build the lathe to turn a piece of wood to make the toothpick and then extract the aluminum from the gum wrapper to complete the circuit.
I thought of growing up to be a truck driver, then a pilot, a lawyer and then I resigned myself to my destiny..to become a mechanical engineer. When I graduated from Ohio State with my bachelors in mechanical engineering, I started to gain an appreciation for my dad's gift. He has made a very impressive career designing and building high speed packaging machines and starting several businesses with his patented designs. I mean, seriously, I would put my pops up against anybody in any design contest and Bill Cox would kick some serious fanny.
When you see your family as you know it in the aftermath of a divorce, it's very difficult. My dad moved out but he always made the effort to see me as I grew up and only moved away after I graduated high school and went off to college. All this to say is that while I am very thankful that I had what time I did during my preteen and teenage years with my father, I wish I had more time with him.
These days dad is as involved as he can be as a grandfather and dad given our distance apart. When we hang out we always talk about doing something together as adults such as building a hot rod or restoring a motorcycle. It would be hard to do as most fathers and sons live close by and could easily spend weekends building something or working on a project as a team. I approached him over the phone and told him of my plans to build a cafe bike and if he'd be willing to help me. Sure enough he said he would love to do it and even helped throw in a few buck to get the bike. I was ecstatic! I figured between visits we could each work on our bits and pieces of the bike and when we get back together we would assemble that portion back on the frame. It will be an interesting process!
 |
| My dad Bill and me on Father's Day 2010 |
So, part of this whole endevour is me wishing to do something big and to push my skills as a gearhead and to learn all the details of restoring a motorcycle instead of watching someone else do it on TV. The other part of it is to bridge a gap that can only exist inside a son looking to his father and longing to connect with him, to forge together in common blood a creation that both of them can be proud of. I know that my dad and I would make a great team and here is our chance. It's also an uspoken question and statement of "dad, look what I can do..you taught me well, I hope I make you proud...and that you love me as much as I love you."
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Halftime Adjustment
So I left off last post explaining that there I was with no motorcycle and a newborn son. A very typical situation for guys when they "settle down". The classifieds are full of ads with men advertising their motorized toys for sale because they "don't have time to ride" or "having a baby" or "the wife will divorce me if I get one more toy". She never really wanted me to give up the 'Zuki, in fact she almost cried and couldn't watch the guy trailer her away when we sold it. Erin and I agreed that someday we would both get motorcycles and I would teach her to ride. And then the concept lay dormant for awhile until after our second son was born.
The halftime adjustment is this..I had the bright idea to get a dirt bike after my former motorcycling pal and BFF Scott (if you care to learn more about Scott, google "Yeti" and hit "I feel lucky") bought a dirt bike to satisfy his need to ride with less risk of the open road. So I thought, cool, I'll get a small mini-bike that Erin can learn on and I can fart around on in the yard until we can get something bigger to ride. This turned out to be a great idea and soon Erin was blasting around the yard on the CRF50F. I bought her a helmet and gloves for off road riding.
The inner restlessness though was temporarily quenched but would stir deep in my soul again as riding wasn't going to be enough. And so the endless browsing on Craigslist began. And an idea was born.
 |
| The Easter Bunny Suit is not protective gear |
As buzzing around the yard got quite boring after awhile and I was seriously looking at buying a street bike of the cruising nature. I had my eye on a Harley or a Honda with the Honda Shadow Phantom in first place. Because finances were ultimately tight the wife and I decided that dirt bike riding with Scott would be a safer and cheaper alternative and eventually Erin could get a larger dirt bike herself and learn to off the streets. Around May I cruised up to Fairfield Honda and bought a 2008 Honda CRF150F on a closeout deal and drove it home in the back of my truck. Shortly thereafter I found a 2004 Honda CRF100 for sale on Craigslist that I bought for Erin. In no time we were driving out to ride in Indiana together with our friends. It's been a very fun hobby to share with Erin and she's taken to riding like a pro. She loves the supercross tracks more so than the trails but the trails tend to be more forgiving of mistakes. One concussion, black eye and bruised legs later, Erin learned this truth as well. Sometimes when I watch her go, I have to remember that I have balls too..I just can't remember where I left them.
 |
| Boxman and Boxgirl at Haspin |
Monday, August 16, 2010
How Did This All Get Started?
Ok for those of you that know me I am an enginerd (that's engineer and nerd) as if one can exist without the other in nature. It's very rare but it can happen. Well I am no exception to that rule. Anywho, I have always loved riding motorcycles as far as I can remember. In fact, the first bike I ever rode on was a 1978 Honda CB400 Hawk. My dad bought it in 1978 when we lived in San Francisco as his daily commuter to work. This was during the gas crisis and of course he wanted a cheap efficient mode of transportation.
Well, back in 1978 I was only four years old. When we moved back to Ohio in 1979, he would sit me on the fuel tank and take me for a ride around the new neighborhood at a modest pace. As I grew older I bought my first motorcycle helmet at a garage sale. It was a white open faced model, not sure what the brand was but it didn't matter. Sometime when I was in grade school my dad bought a 1986 Honda Shadow 1100VT. This was a cool bike! On nice sunny weekends my dad would fire up the Shadow and I would sit on the back against the sissy bar with saddle bags slung on either side and head off to a train or toy store.
When my folks divorced in 1989, my dad left behind the old Hawk per an agreement with my mom. Well, to a kid just barely a teenager, that motorcycle sitting there was a pretty cool sight to see. Sometimes I'd have friends over and when mom was away we'd take turns kick starting it and revving it up in the garage. Eventually revving it while on the center stand didn't quite satisfy my need for adventure and having a few friends egging me on didn't help. Eventually we all put on our stupid pants and took turns racing up and down the street on the bike. I remember the first time I took off on it, skinny knees hugging the tank and my string bean arms outstretched on the controls gingerly working the clutch and throttle trying to keep from tipping it over. As soon as I nurtured the cycle into the street a quick flick of the wrist ignited the twin cylinders into reciprocating fury and yanked me along the road in a swift pull. Well, as I got bolder I got faster. Pretty soon I was zipping along the street doing 40+ MPH in a 25 speed zone..at 13 years of age..no helmet, no endorsement, nothing..but just innocent idiocy! Mom was never wiser when she sold the bike to help me pay for my college books. I miss that Honda.
Fast forward to today. I'm thirty six years old, have two children and a wonderful wife. In that time I earned my motorcycle endorsement and my first bike was the 1986 Shadow my dad used to ride with me on pillion. I cruised all over Ohio on the Shadow in my years immediately after college while I worked at Honda and lived in Piqua, Ohio. When I returned to Cincinnati, I sold the Shadow for a down payment on a new BMW coupe. I got back in to riding a few years later when my friends all bought motorcycles. I purchased a 1985 Honda VFR500F Interceptor from a friend and tooled around on that for a bit before deciding to buy a new 2003 Suzuki SV650. The 'Zuki was a great bike, well, they all were, but shortly after I got married in 2007, I decided to sell it to pay off some bills. My wife, whom rode with me while we were friends and then when we started dating, was heartbroken. She never wanted to see my sell that bike, but I did, and like every bike I have owned, I miss riding it ever since.
Until...
Well, back in 1978 I was only four years old. When we moved back to Ohio in 1979, he would sit me on the fuel tank and take me for a ride around the new neighborhood at a modest pace. As I grew older I bought my first motorcycle helmet at a garage sale. It was a white open faced model, not sure what the brand was but it didn't matter. Sometime when I was in grade school my dad bought a 1986 Honda Shadow 1100VT. This was a cool bike! On nice sunny weekends my dad would fire up the Shadow and I would sit on the back against the sissy bar with saddle bags slung on either side and head off to a train or toy store.
When my folks divorced in 1989, my dad left behind the old Hawk per an agreement with my mom. Well, to a kid just barely a teenager, that motorcycle sitting there was a pretty cool sight to see. Sometimes I'd have friends over and when mom was away we'd take turns kick starting it and revving it up in the garage. Eventually revving it while on the center stand didn't quite satisfy my need for adventure and having a few friends egging me on didn't help. Eventually we all put on our stupid pants and took turns racing up and down the street on the bike. I remember the first time I took off on it, skinny knees hugging the tank and my string bean arms outstretched on the controls gingerly working the clutch and throttle trying to keep from tipping it over. As soon as I nurtured the cycle into the street a quick flick of the wrist ignited the twin cylinders into reciprocating fury and yanked me along the road in a swift pull. Well, as I got bolder I got faster. Pretty soon I was zipping along the street doing 40+ MPH in a 25 speed zone..at 13 years of age..no helmet, no endorsement, nothing..but just innocent idiocy! Mom was never wiser when she sold the bike to help me pay for my college books. I miss that Honda.
 |
| 1985 Honda VF500F Interceptor |
 |
| 2003 Suzuki SV650 |
Until...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)