Back from the Norton Owners Land O' The Pines Motorcycle Rallye.

One of the crown jewels of the meet was this beautiful pre-war Norton thumper, just back from once again completing the Portland Maine to Portland Oregon Cannonball race. Just out of the frame are two more near-identical bikes from Peckerhead Racing finishing the Cannonball without missing a segment!

I roosted my shirt a little on some of the field events, but this was nothing compared to what was yet to come…

The “H8-R Honda Z50R featured in an earlier post with the freshly re-painted tank I meant to show off when I had a chance. After several Motos, the race official told me he had some good news and bad news: “ The good news is that you made the Main in the minibike flat track event, the bad news is that you made the Main in the minibike flat track event.” It was a wild, muddy slog that ended with little idea among the riders or officials about who even won the event! So much fun, my victory was that I finished at all. Big thanks to Bell Helmets for their race gear!

The Jason Lee Triumph TR6C took second in the competition class. Behind is the Ariel/BSA racer that took the top award. I finally had a chance to give this bike a ride with all the dirt and mud we had, and was not disappointed.

After the flat track main. My shirt weighs about five pounds in this picture, and the parts of my hair hanging out of the helmet were thoroughly caked with chunks of mud. I was on street tires that slid horribly, but did a fine job slinging mud at me or anyone trying to get around me.

My buddy Shawn Henry and his teammate following a victorious run in the field events. The requisite congratulatory slug of Malort awaiting the victor. In that case, probably better to lose.

The burnout board. Late night burnouts are a custom, and pinstriper Alton Gillespie fashioned this one onsite. Kind of hard to read, but it says: ” Absolutely positively No Burnouts!” The Norton Club has a sense of humor and little regard for rubber tires.

Amazingly, the three hours the bike show was going on were relatively dry.

A couple of BSA beauties that caught my eye. Many of the bikes in the show were finely restored and modified, but there were grungy competition and street examples as well. By the end of the morning bike show, the rain was starting up again.

Invited to Bornfree 11, Two Hondas leaving the shop, and everything else.

This 1972 Honda CT70H custom left the shop with a new owner this week. Sporting a headlight from the 1971 CT70 K0, alloy wheels, 88cc cylinder and piston, 20mm carb and intake, high flow air filter, oil cooler, temp gauge, and Honda SL70 head and cam, it is quick and fun. It came with a factory 4-speed with hand clutch. This is the second year of the CT70, and the first year for hydraulic forks.

Lots of extra bling, and accessories like stainless steel dual exhaust, ignition key-matched helmet holder, grab bar, rear rack, folding shifter, and chrome engine dress-up kit. The seat is an ST70 model. Tires are Bridgestone from Japan. A smaller rear sprocket and larger counter sprocket are there to take advantage of the additional engine power and provide a higher top speed.

Hand controls and levers are from a 1971 Honda SL70. That silver thing on the left handlebar is a drink holder. CT70’s are popular as pit bikes and at swap meets, and a drink holder comes in handy. The footpegs are from a Z50 K3 model.

Another bike heading out the door with a new owner was this 1975 Honda CL360 seen in past blog posts. Still one of my vintage favorites as far as handling and looks. The Mikuni 30mm carbs make for easy starting and impressive acceleration.

Another bike searching for a new home is this 1971 Honda CT70 seen in past blog posts. Tons of new parts, a 108cc engine, it runs strong and is ready to go. This picture is from the Dentonmoto Movie night and bike showcase, where we had four bikes for sale.

Finished Fabian’s tank and it is now back on his bike, “Morrison.”

A pulley guard made for Jason’s motorized bicycle.

The guard mounted up. When I first test rode the bike, my leg contacted the exposed pulley, prompting this mod.

Recycling and The Art of Motorcycle Repair.

A mangled 1973 Honda Z50 brake pedal that was in the junk bin. Sometimes when I hang onto stuff like this I question whether it would better to just toss it into the recycle bin.

The hammer handle was used for a grab handle on the 1948 BSA WM20. Putting this bike on the rear wheel stand was awkward and required lifting the rear of the bike by the fender. Hickory is an extremely strong and durable wood, and the patina from years of use fits with the appearance of the bike. The vertical steel parts of the handle were formed from 3/8” tube.

The Z50 brake pedal was used to make a rear stand foot lever. Hollow, tapered, curved pieces of metal are not easy to come up with, and the pedal middle section made for the perfect solution. The end was welded up to form a rounded tip. The combo of the grab bar and foot lever allows you to put the bike on the stand using one foot and hand, with significantly less difficulty.

The tank from Fabian Campos “Morrison” Honda CB500T was dented in a spill and is getting repaired.

A device made to push dents out of the tank. The bent piece of rod fits inside the gas tank filler hole, and the tip is placed on the back of the dent. The thin piece of rod touching it is used to determine exactly where the tip is once it is inside the tank. Once the tip is in place, the tank is pulled using finger pressure near the dent, where you can feel the progress.

Here the dent is mostly gone. requiring only a small amount of body filler to smooth it out.

Working on Jason Lee’s motorized bicycle. It needed a basic revival and clean up. Some of the rusted parts were re-plated or painted. This is the before picture.

Bolts and covers after zinc plating. The motor mounting plate was repainted and polished stainless hardware was used to bolt it all together.

The before of the rear chain roller.

After some reshaping and plating. Once again stainless bolts were used to hold it together.