Offroad and Dirtbike Stuff
One of the latest projects in the shop is the 71 Z50A we restored using as many of the original parts as possible. Often, these Z50’s are just rebuilt using all the reproduction parts available online. But keeping as much original as possible is always one of our goals. It Read more…
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!
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 and handle much better than the stock bike. In terms 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 so I fixed a couple of plugs so we could 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 almost no carbon on the piston and valves. This is 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 start with a white epoxy primer, then the silver base. 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 logo and a perfect original seat pan. Also the old 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 condition. The fenders are semi-rigid plastic and were painted at 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 it started and tested. The seat was in really bad 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 kickstand. If you have these, please contact me.
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 and nut and bolt restoration. Because some of the hardware 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 up. Such a great looking classic bike.
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 to paint but we used PPG epoxy primer, then Polar 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 and then media blasting the frame. Because the original white 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 too rough to do a original restoration on so we 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 in very rough shape- although the engine has compression and 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 Monkey with a 210 cc kit and a ton of 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 it. Since this frame had rust in various areas, we 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, tidied up the controls and cables, switched back to a 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 steel pipe with a sportbike style canister. The footpeg bracket 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 are here, the 2 in longer alloy swingarm is on 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 really a better option than welding in sheet metal to 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 for this 1300 orig miles bike. If he ever decides 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 done!
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 restore. This one was beat up like most 50 yr 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 behind the gas tank. Since I have another El Tigre 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 to the El Tigre, so it is very rare and Read more…
Lots more progress on the El Tigre. The fenders are polished, the tank, headlight and tool box are painted, the forks are rebuilt and polished and the wheels are on. It is starting to take shape…
Well, we’ve been busy on the El Tigre and the frame is stripped and painted, the wheels are back from getting laced and a lot of the aluminum parts are polished. The frame was media blasted and then cleaned before being epoxy primed and base coated with black. Then 3 Read more…
New in the shop is a super rare bike- the one year only Bultaco El Tigre. These bikes were only produced for the US market and only a few hundred were imported. The El Tigre is basically a Metralla that was modified into a scrambler. Some of the parts are Read more…
Just over a month away and the excitement is building among vintage bike fans! The weekend festival is always a highlight for motorcycle enthusiasts. Undoubtedly the best run event of it’s type- literally 1000’s of bikes, shows, racing, swap meet and of course the fantastic museum. It’s like drinking from Read more…
Well, it is finally back home and on display. Really, it came out very nice and the owner is happy. The last picture is what we started with, so lots of work in this bike!
The Sherpa has been on the back burner for a few months but it is back up front now. The suspension, wheels, fenders and exhaust are now back on and it is starting to look like it might actually be back on the trails soon! My observation on these old Read more…
The annual Barber Vintage festival is just around the corner- Oct 6-8th. Honestly, there is just nothing else like this if you are a motorcycle fan. It is probably the best run and organized motorsports event I have ever been to considering the size and scope of all that is Read more…
We’ve been plugging away at both the Sherpa and the Metralla with good results. The Sherpa engine is in the frame and we are looking for a new rear brake hub since the original has some cracks around the pivot posts for the brake shoes. The Sherpa should be on Read more…
We’ve been working on a couple Metrallas for the past few months and there is good progress to report! The frames are stripped, epoxy primed and painted the original gloss black. There are many other parts that have been either bead blasted and refinished or polished. We will soon be Read more…
What an awesome weekend for motorcycle fans! with over 73,000 people in attendance, it was the most successful event yet. Perfect weather helped, but the event it always well run and managed. Here are a few shots from the weekend- enjoy!
Getting all the bikes ready for the Barber Vintage Festival is always hectic. This year we are taking the 77 CB750F and the 73 Kawasaki S1. The 750 needed some carb work like most old bikes and I took the chance to rejet it at the same time. Runs fantastic Read more…
Mark your calendars folks, the Vintage Festival is fast approaching. Easily the most popular event that Barber holds each year, it continues to grow. Such a fantastic weekend! More bikes than you can possibly look at, swap meet for parts and bikes and vintage racing. I’ll be bringing the Kawasaki Read more…
The bodywork and frame for the Sherpa have been done for quite a while waiting on the engine to come back from the rebuilder and the wheels to have new rims laced on. Those are now back so we will start putting it back together soon. Here are a few Read more…
With the frame stripped, blasted and epoxy primed, it is time to get busy on some of the other components. Notice how nasty the welds are on this bike- really just typical for a 70 vintage machine. Next, I need to rebuild the front forks, order the electronic ignition, bead Read more…
Well, I’ve actually been pretty busy on other bikes but a few things have been accomplished on the S1. The motor is reassembled, the carbs are done and look great and a few small items have been bead blasted and painted. The cylinders are bored 1mm over and new pistons, Read more…
Another great year at Barber for the Vintage Festival! Total attendance this year was up about 5000 to over 69,000 people. The bikes, displays and swap meet were all great and you always meet some interesting folks. The Vintage races were really fun to watch and it’s not just the Read more…
If you are on this site, you probably have already heard of the awesome Barber Vintage Festival and this year’s is fast approaching! Scheduled for Oct 9-11th, it is sure to be bigger and better just like every year so far. With rows and rows of swap meet parts and Read more…
Well, the paint is finished on the GTS’s and looks great. As with all old bikes that came in lacquer, picking a shade of the original color is tough since it yellows and fades pretty bad. We had one pretty good side cover that had a bottom section that was Read more…
A client has several ultra rare Bultaco Metralla’s that he is restoring and we are doing the paint and bodywork for him. 2 of them are the fiberglass GTS models and 1 is the steel tank street version which we will do later. Very cool bikes. The fiberglass tanks were Read more…
When I was growing up in the 70’s, every kid wanted a Trail 70. Now, they are quite collectible and thus restorable- so a friend is restoring his candy ruby red 72. It started in pretty rough but complete condition and is moving along nicely. I took a break from Read more…
My friend Rob at Tapeworks has been working on this project for several months now and it is in the final stages before production. Make sure you head over to the Kickstarter page and get in on the action. He needs to raise funds to have all the molds made Read more…
Well, I think I’ve decided to go in the direction of the Street Tracker that Airtech has on their site. The tail plastic on this bike is cracked and pretty beat up and the Street Tracker tail looks great so we will probably use it. But, I’m going to stick Read more…
Here are the finished tank and rear fender. We cut off about 3 inches and relocated where the new taillight will mount. Great colors- antique gold and dark teal. The gas cap was is terrible condition so I stripped all the corroded chrome off of it and painted it in Read more…