Cool...Like Me...For A First Bike

My wife will straight-off say that it's "...Like I" but that doesn't roll off the tongue the same way, right?

Many have asked my advice on the right starter bike and I've evolved over the years to assume that you have some two-wheeled experience, like riding your multi-speed bicycle for instance.

"But it's not a motorcycle", you say.  I reply, "True, but you have to use the controls, while you're rolling, to make the thing go, and go faster, to stop and so on."  Really, you're learning to use all your limbs in concert with balance to ride safely.  The principles are similar even if the actual control form is different.  For instance, on a bicycle, the right handlebar lever engages the rear brake while the same lever on a motorcycle engages the front brake, and so on.

What's evolved is the motorcycle I'd recommend.

The old thinking was that a small displacement motorcycle like a 250cc size would be perfect to learn on, it's small, light, cheap, etc. and so that a small mistake that drops the bike, won't result in something valuable being damaged.

The new thinking is to find a more upscale, larger bike, say a 600cc-ish size but is de-tuned so the engine is easy to manage and the frame and brakes are more top-of-the-line performers.

I think that many times newer riders get into trouble by the bike having handling quirks that teach uncertainty in feedback such that rider inputs, don't have the desired output (in direction, or stopping, or  whatever is needed) response.  Therefore, finding an affordable bike that has all the performance  components is the way to go.

They are out there and available and inexpensive!  A case in point is the Ducati Monster 620 or, M620.

What I like about it is wider handlebars so steering inputs are low, it has an upright riding position so comfort isn't an issue, the brakes are Brembo, Yeah Baby!, the suspension bits are tunable for rider preferences such as a harder or softer ride.....all the things that inspire confidence in a newish rider.

And, it's a Ducati so its cool factor is off the charts!

The engine is a L-twin meaning it has two cylinders but its arrangement is such that it makes its power low down in its rpm, or engine speed, range.  It doesn't make a thrilling amount of power but it makes an adequate amount that is comfortably usable.

To keep up with other bikes of its size, the rider will have to work harder, ride smarter, in short, learn how its done.  But the lessons learned on the Ducati will not have to be undone, relearned, to fit another bike.

That's my kind of learning!

Honesty in Mods

I've sung the praises of Honda much here on this project CL450, that their engineering has been pretty thorough and even excellent up front.  Not to say the bike is perfect but its uniqueness stands today.  But if we don't talk about its failings, we sure whisper about them!

Case in point is carburetion.  Honda started using CV (Constant Velocity) carbs on this bike and all other manufacturers followed suit with similar designs.  For the most part they work well.  Here's the problem with these though, they're sensitive to air filters...which are not available any more. 

If the filters are replaced with something aftermarket, the stock carbs need to be modified so the bike runs properly.  Further, it only has one "float" to regulate fuel into the bowl from where the bike draws and runs, etc.  That float is prone to leaks due to age, which mess with its runability something fierce.

A good thing though, is these carburetors aren't very sensitive to changes in elevation so that a setting that works in Los Angeles, will also work in Billings, and so on across the country, great for 1968.

My carburetors have all the worst problems, a faulty float, no air filters and to find replacement OEM stuff is simply too expensive, so I took them off and found my verson of an aftermarket conversion.

These carburetors happened to be from a Suzuki T500 Titan that have most of the proper jetting already there.  I had to add a spacer so things clear fittings and covers, etc. but the new carbs have dual floats so that's an improvement.  They also perform a bit better and for roughly 1/2 the cost of new old crappy carbs from Honda.  They're a bit more sensitive to altitude but that's easily compensated, just shift to a different gear!  And, they work with aftermarket filters, shown.

I have to work on the side cover mounts now and it'll be finished.

My long suffering wife rolls her eyes every time I say I have an improvement, a modification but it's the only one it needs....she knows me too well I think.

It starts on the 3rd kick after sitting for a week and gets about 52 mpg, it's an honest bike. 

Not bad for 44 years old.

Hard Work and Sweat

I'd like to say that I'm efficient in my work.  That I don't have to do things over, that things work right the first time.

Some things are like that, maybe, but not this one.

The 1968 Honda CL450 is one of those things that I'll have to chase some problems and even fix some problems over.  Cosmetically, it's pretty much what I figured and the painted bits came out very nice thanks to the expertise of my friend Bill Curran. There are some rusty parts that won't polish out.  I'm still missing some parts too, note the missing front turn signals (necessary) and right side mirror (optional).

The battery won't charge.  No, no, it's a new battery and will hold charge but the alternator was wimpy from Honda and hasn't improved with age.  I've gone through two stators and looks like a third will be in needed.  I've gotten good advice from the HondaTwins forum and that's a good thing.  Corrective action is still replace the stator.  New parts don't exist so either have this one re-wound, $$$, or risk something used ($$+repeat).  I've asked the used people to do a simple resistance measurement to mitigate risk but so far no responses.  Therefore, no sale.  I'll try to re-wire myself and see how that goes.

I also have oil leaks, slowly being found and corrected.  Now, its only minor ecological disasters wherever I park and in the picture above, there are no leaks, yay!  It's a pretty bike too!

On the usability side, driving, rather, riding around, has been grins from ear to ear, getting about 53 mpg on regular gas.  The Honda slogan of "...nicest people..." begins with a nice bike that hasn't spit oil on your shoes and keeps its battery charged.

That's all from planet Honda, more later.
J

I'm NOT a Drag Racer

But I know a pretty cool one!

Once upon a time, I worked for a guy who's business was run on the force of his own personality, Russ Collins.  You may have heard of RC Engineering?  It's where Terry Vance and Byron Hines (Vance & Hines Racing) got their start.

When I worked there, I was just starting to get into the speed world and the new engine builder was an englishman named Nigel Patrick (Patrick Racing) who sorted me out porting cylinder heads, a smart guy just coming into his own rite and would win the pro-stock national championship the next year.

But Russ was this bearded, cigar smoking gravelly-voiced character who was always larger than life.

Here's the bike that tried to kill him...

The engine section was in his office as a coffee table.  I'm told that when the beast was running, it was so smooth you could put a glass of water on it and not spill any.  Something or other about how the power pulses/harmonics cancelled out, I believe it.  I think they named it something weird and hyped that the media liked, but we called it the "Achison, Topeka & Santa Fe" bike.  He rode/raced the performance parts he designed.
Today, Russ matches fuel injectors for race teams of all flavors whether 2 or 4 wheeled and was very fuel savvy then and I can imagine even more now.

The performance parts / accessories business is difficult in the best of times and in 1979, the stress lines were etched into his face daily.  He came back into the shop one day after being to a depressing motorcycle show where the prognosticators were predicting more gloom and I could see the joy come back when he saw another generation, or at least one person - me, had the soul of a motorcycle.  One of those rare and special moments that turn the throttle that motivates each of us.

My tastes have always been in the turns but whether you go fast straight or in the turns, may you too, find those moments that turn your throttle.

...And Then There Was Don Vesco

Many of you may know, or know of, Don Vesco, me too.  I wish I had known him better, longer.

I built this silly fast Yamaha street bike into a roadracer by taking half of a TZ750 and grafting it onto my RD350 bottom end, the result being a TZ375, or something like that.  There was a lot of cutting and welding but in the end, it was done and the bike ran and was really, really fast.  Fast by about 145mph at Willow Springs raceway.  Not bad for a 1973 350, built-up in 1980.

My friend, Mark, wanted to race it, Ok, and ended up burning a hole in the piston and scoring the cylinder beyond repair.  He found a replacement from a guy south of us named Don Vesco.  I went down to his shop in Laguna Niguel, CA and entered into Nirvana, or the mechanical doppelganger thereof.

You see, Don was the tuner for Kel Carruthers, former world champ from Australia, winner of Daytona, and once upon a time, the worlds fastest motorcyclist at Bonneville.  His streamliner was in the shop, this one a  Kawasaki and we talked speed for quite some time - he went 318 in it.  Me, a bumpkin from SD and he a sophisticated, unassuming guy just trying to make ends meet. 

The picture is with his dual TZ750 'liner, he went 250+ in it.  Art Friedman photo.

Talking together was amicable, over much too soon and I didn't ever get back to talk to him more before he moved his shop again even further south and his death too soon after.

In his quiet way, he showed me how classy a smart mechanic cum engineer could be with just a small amount of ingenuity, some hard work and a brain that worked.

I'm running up to 20 patents now and the unwitting encouragement he gave me is something I'm sure today he'd laugh and say "...only 20?"

Godspeed Don.

A Chance Encounter With Royalty

When I first moved to California, my first taste of the big city life was with a geeky friend that I raced with in the Dakota's.  We did quite well there, he rode and I wrenched and consistency was the mantra that paid off.  We took first in the state that year.  Then came winter.

We moved to CA and the first thing that my friend did was tell me that we had two tickets to the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) awards banquet being held in Anaheim.  Yes, Ok, I think that's cool and let's go.  There were no reservervations (other than the tickets) and we found a couple of empty seats with a group of people.  They were friendly and we got along well.

It turns out they were from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and had come to present a world champion ring to Kenny Roberts, the first American road racing champion of the world.  Goodyear was a major sponsor and their tires bested the likes of Michelin at the time. They passed around the ring, it was certainly impressive and heavy too.  It's funny because Kenny is not a big guy anyway and the ring all but dwarfed his hand.

World champion Kenney and national champion Bob Hannah were on stage arguing about "their" Goodyear blimp.  I had a lot of fun rubbing shoulders with motorcycledom's royalty and wished I had learned quicker how to talk to prospective sponsors.

It would have made my racing life easier, that's for sure.  Still, it's a memory that I like.

Drifting Around Las Vegas

I savor thrills.  Though I wouldn't classify myself as a thrill seeker, I have been known to go after them with great relish.  A thrill is like lathering with testosterone, rinsing with adrenaline, then basking in liberal amounts of gasoline (or other accelerant).  With a dash of speed, It's visceral.

The new craze with the younger set is drifting, made popular by several movies, one of which is "Tokyo Drift".  My movie is simply entitled "Drifting Around Las Vegas". Catchy name don't you think? 

I can say with perfect candor that growing up on gravelled, back country roads allowed me to satisfy my adrenaline appetite at an early age all the while honing my driving skills going sideways - with none of the angst of worrying about needing new tires afterwards.  There was a toll to pay however, since I was driving my own car, on my own money I might add, things did break.  But, I've grown out of that kind of driving. 

One compelling reason is the tow truck retrieving me, and my car, out of some ditch that one mistake or another resulted in me being parked there, stuck.  Um, more than once...  

But with someone else's car?  With their permission?  On a skid pad? Yeah Baby! 

Color me turn'n, burn'n, and drifting around Las Vegas.

Vintage Or Antique It's Rust, Rust & More Rust

Working on an older bike is consistently a challenge. 

May I say that my taste in bikes run to the exotic and this bike fits this mantra very well.

Lately, I acquired a train wreck's pair of Honda 450's, a '68 and a '74.  I'm ending up making one out of the two and elected to keep with the '68, fortunately most parts are interchangeable.  Honda did a good job of development with few updates over the production run so interchangeability between years is good.  The keeper bike is a CL version, first full year of high pipes. 

There was a '67 model but it was a low pipe CB model that was a kit for up pipes.  Good luck finding one!

Almost every part has needed some refurbishment and I've given up on a restoration in favor of just getting it together for a riding bike, warts and all.  Oh, and did I mention rust? 

The bike was covered, dipped in, grown over, changed color...in rust.

Now we know that rust is a chemical process of oxidation and that oxygen particularly likes iron with the product being iron oxide, or rust.  In this case, lots of it.  No part escaped.  You can see in the photo that the front rim is rusty though useable.  This is more than a repair, it's an eventual replacement.  ugh.  Not going to do that right now, it's still useable but truly uglified.  Same for the rear.

What I like about the 450's is that starting the early '60's, Honda applied some of their racing expertise and technology to include double overhead camshafts and torsion bar valve springs.  Very unique.  Honda made lots and lots of this design up to and through 1977.  No other bike at the time was as technically advanced.

They handled reasonably well though with some quirks.  I'm convinced it's all to do with the less than stellar rear shock absorbers.  Yes, I've replaced them here.  I think too, that there are some steering geometry changes in later years that this bike would respond to favorably.  Certainly, this bike model is actively ridden in vintage races across the country with great success.

The front suspension comes under some criticism for not working well, note the external springs in the pic.  Once I got inside to clean and sort it out, I found that there is a significant dampening tube inside and that there are a number of similarities to the present day cartridge forks.  Hmmm, Honda didn't start doing cartridge front suspension until 1978 on the CR250R - the first production version of Marty Smith's works racer.  They worked well...until the next year of development.  But, it was and still is, a leap in suspension technology.  One can't find a decent suspension today that isn't a cartridge type.  I think the forks the CL came with can be made to work and work well.

Here's another pic, showing my shiny new rear shocks, from China...  Please disregard my garage/background clutter. It's mid winter here and I'll clean it all out this spring.

Remember the 1960's Honda slogan, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" ?  If you see me on the road, give me a high five!

J