Dirt
Honda CT125 > CT181 build review
Here’s a good review of the Honda CT181 build that I painted for Wayne at The Speed Shop. Honda Pro Kevin always does a fantastic job on his reviews!
Here’s a good review of the Honda CT181 build that I painted for Wayne at The Speed Shop. Honda Pro Kevin always does a fantastic job on his reviews!
This has been a project that we worked on as time allowed since it wasn’t for a specific customer. But we are now basically finished- with the bike running fantastic and looking almost like it did when they took it Read more…
So, there are lots of projects that come through the shop in a year. Some are complete restos and some are paint and graphics for someone else’s project. Here are a few of the recent projects.
When I bought a non-running but complete RZ350 from a local dealer, I didn’t know what I would need to do to get it running and I really didn’t even have a plan for how far I would go in Read more…
We’ve been painting quite a few late model Z125 Honda Monkeys for The Speed Shop, who builds engines and customizes Monkeys to customer’s specs. These Monkeys usually have a 181cc engine kit and upgraded suspension- so they are much faster Read more…
Well, we are done and the bike is stunning and runs great. Here’s what we started with if you haven’t followed along… It’s always fun to see people’s reaction to one of these since so many of us learned to Read more…
We are up to the reassembly point and it sure is nice to have new or like new everything when you are putting a bike back together. I bought a new wiring harness but the original one was super nice Read more…
The bike was running and riding when I picked it up but we decided to go ahead and look inside the engine to make sure all was good. It really looked like new with no wear on the cylinder and Read more…
As we progress, the next step is to do the paint. This color is a 69 only color called Honda Candytone Blue. It is quite a bit darker than the Sapphire Blue that later model years were painted. So, we Read more…
Since this is going to be a full restoration, we stripped the bike completely down so the frame could be stripped and bead blasted before new paint. The engine was disassembled and inspected and all components were dissembled for rebuild. Read more…
I picked up a couple of Z50A’s at the Barber Vintage Festival back in October and I’ve been steadily working on the blue 69. 69 was a unique year in that the bike came in Honda Candytone Blue that year Read more…
We finished the paint for the 750 GT a while back but I’ve been slow on the updates! So here is a gallery of the paint process for the bike-
We are working on the bodywork for a 74 Duc 750 GT that was already painted in a custom scheme but had a lot of rust under the paint and a few dings and dents. The owner wants the new Read more…
We finished the final assembly and did a first start on the RZ and all went perfectly. After a few adjustments and fixes, it was ready for its new home and the customer came a picked her up. This was Read more…
Because this bike was so original and nice, the client decided to not do a full restoration with painting the frame/fairings and replacing all of the hardware. We decided to clean and rebuild everything but not make it cosmetically perfect. Read more…
This is a really low mileage RZ with only 12,000 miles and obviously ridden gently. We were happy to see that the inside was coated with oil and there was no corrosion on any of the parts. The transmission looks Read more…
We’ve made a few upgrades over the months since the bike was finished and wanted to post the final pictures. We changed the exhaust and upgraded the suspension for heavier riders. The bike continues to impress with its power and Read more…
Well, we are a that place… many of the smaller jobs are done like rebuilding the calipers and master cylinders but the engine is waiting. The bike only has 12K miles on it and is all original but the problem Read more…
After a long search, we did find a super-nice original exhaust and refinished it with black high heat ceramic paint to new condition. At the same time we swapped the seat for one that has been recovered with the correct Read more…
The Z50 is finally all assembled and looks and runs great. We did finally give up on using an aftermarket carb and bought an OEM Honda Keihin. We finally found a really nice original exhaust and refinished it to new Read more…
Well, the engine is back in the frame and we are still waiting on a few parts so we can complete it. Exhaust and intake manifold are on the way (hopefully) and that will get us where we can get Read more…
Lots of progress on the Z50R… paint is on, engine is almost done, wheels, tires, suspension and brakes are ready. Just waiting on a few parts that are very hard to find like the exhaust and original footpeg bracket and Read more…
Well, the next bike in the queue is this 86 Z50R. The bike is fairly complete but needs a complete restoration. The motor is locked up and the tank is rusted through so we will do a complete engine rebuild Read more…
The CB350F is done and back home with her owner. Really fun bike and great sound from the 4 into 1 pipe. Fast? No. With only about 35 HP it is not fast but it is a blast and looks Read more…
Well the 400WR is almost complete. The original Ohlins were sent off to be rebuilt with new springs adn valving and are back. The engine is back from being freshened up and the updated wheels and suspension is all bolted Read more…
Well, everything is painted and ready for reassembly. What we finally decide to do on the tank was bead blast it to give it a rough finish for the paint to stick to. Dirt bike plastic is tricky and hard Read more…
We are working on a new project in the shop- a 1984 Husky 400WR Enduro race bike. The owner has had the bike for many years and pulled it out of storage as a new project. Step one was disassembly Read more…
We did a couple CT70’s and a 2019 Monkey for display at the Barber Vintage Festival and also picked up a basket case 1969 Monkey while we were there. As we looked at the 69, we decided that it was Read more…
The rims arrived and we got them laced and mounted new Metzeler vintage tread pattern tires. The new brake lines and caliper are installed, rear wheel with new brakes and refinished sprocket and cush drive. Also, the new coils and Read more…
Well, lots of progress! The engine is back together after honing the cylinders, lapping the valves and checking everything in the bottom end. The case were soda blasted, cleaned and painted. We are installing a Dyna ignition and new coils, Read more…
A bit more progress on the CB350F. The electrical system is almost done. We used a modern solid state regulator/rectifier and a Lucas style taillight in place of the large and ugly stock unit. With the painted fenders, it looks Read more…
A bunch of work has been done in the last few weeks- frame is painted, bodywork is bead blasted and painted, lots of small parts has been refinished and the forks/steering head have been rebuilt and installed. We are getting Read more…
We have a new bike in the shop! This one is literally a basket case as it came in plastic totes. With the frame stripped, it’s time to do some media blasting and epoxy priming. The gas tank is full Read more…
So, my friend Ron Raven, who donated the Hejira we did last year to Barber, texts me a picture of him sitting next to the bike on display in the Museum! Because Barber has 1000’s of bikes, they rotate them Read more…
Well, we’ve been hard at work on the Bultaco and for now it will be done as a Metralla but easily converted back to an El Tigre if desired. The frame is done and painted, and all the bodywork is Read more…
We’ve made a lot of progress on the El Tigre/Metralla and I’m now doing the prep for the paint. There are 2 tanks being painted and some fenders, tool boxes, etc. We’ve left all the El Tigre brackets on the Read more…
We are starting on the next 69 El Tigre I bought last Oct at the Barber Vintage Festival. These are super rare since they were a 1 year only bike for the US market. It is a complete bike but Read more…
Well, we finished the CT70 in time for the mini moto mania ride in at the local Honda dealer. Good times and lots of Groms! The carbon fiber CT70 was a hit and looks fantastic. We also finished a 2019 Read more…
We’ve made good progress on the carbon fiber CT70. It is really a laminate since the old metal frame is sandwiched between carbon fiber. Since last post, I’ve applied the decals and 3 more coats of clear. It looks awesome! Read more…
After finishing the Repsol Honda CT70, we’ve decided to do another one with one of the frames we collected. There was enough rust that the frame was a throw away unless we came up with a new process to save Read more…
After getting a few new parts in and going back and forth on what exhaust we wanted to use, the Repsol CT190 is basically done. Since last time, we’ve added a GP style under frame exhaust, dual piston front caliper, Read more…
Well, lots of progress on the CT70. Since last time, we have finalized the theme and decided to go with the original style headlight/speedo. The bars are 1in tapers down to 7/8 and the exhaust will be a polished stainless Read more…
We have gotten a lot of parts in and technically, this is a resto-mod and a restoration since only the frame and key switch are going to be original/OEM. So, the front end is on, the 12 in alloy wheels Read more…
Well, lots of parts ordered and on the way… the frame is epoxy primed, tri-coat pearl orange with custom “Repsol” graphics. Forks, 12in wheels, 2 in extended swingarm and gas shocks will be arriving this week. I still haven’t decided Read more…
Well, we are working on a new Trail 70 that will be a trail 140 or 150… The original gold frame is bead blasted and we laid some carbon cloth into a few sections that had rust damage. This is Read more…
Well, the El Tigre is done and delivered to it’s owner. The bike is really stunning and just needs gas. A lot of the parts are original and have some flaws due to age, but that patina is really appropriate Read more…
The graphics and final coats of clear are on the Trail 70. It really is a great color and looks completely different in the sunlight. The owner will finish assembling it and I will get some pictures when it is Read more…
One of my customers brought me a CT70 – commonly known by kids of all ages as a Trail 70. Who didn’t want one of these as a kid?! Well, they are now very collectible and also pretty cheap to Read more…
Well, we are closing in on the final details. The wiring is done and tested and the seat is on after much fitting and trimming. This is a very nice reproduction seat but it simply wouldn’t fit over the post Read more…
With the engine ready after many hours of polishing the cases and painting the cyl and head, it was also time to get the exhaust cleaned up. The Muffler is a standard Metralla part, but the header pipe is specific Read more…