Here’s a little something we threw together for Jason’s father for X-Mas… A 1988 Honda Shadow styled with Classic Cafe Racer flavor. The build includes: A Heavily customized frame, Norton pipes, Dunstall tank, Hand-made sheet metal seat, Progressive Suspension and a TON of other goodies. But you’ll have to wait until the Bike EXIF launch for detailed photos and the full list of specs.
Needless to say…this one is gonna blow you mind! Be on the lookout for it!
As featured in Velocity’s Season 2 of Cafe Racer TV the Dime City “Four Hundred” our desire with building the four hundred was to not only resurrect another long since forgotten pile of rusted motorcycle parts, but to pay homage to the gods of speed. Throughout the entire build process it was our intention to craft a machine that not only performed well on the track, but one that looked the part and was dripping with simple vintage hues.
We started out with a horrid mess of a bike, a forgotten junker that had a wooden dowel for an axle, mismatched wheels and a cardboard engine made from a Michelob Ultra 12 pack case. Like all projects though at Dime City, we look for the worst off machines as they have the least amount of chance in being picked up by someone and rebuilt given a second chance at life.
The build began with tearing what was left off of the bike discard the trash and items that were not usable and salvaging what could be. Items like the frame, hubs, triple trees and other main components were set aside for refurbishing while ancillary items like the bars, rusted fuel tank and cardboard engine were toss in favor of new hand-built items that would speak to the nature of speed we were aiming to achieve.
Our first step was rebuilding the frame and swing-arm so that they would withstand the rigors put forth by the massively over-built engine that would nestle between the rails. We removed the top center section of pressed and stamped steal and TIG welded and grafted in a new section 1.5″ chromoly tubing. When then used small elbow sections from old chromoly handlebars we had laying around the shop to gusset the mid and rear sections of the frame with a the final piece being a fully gusseted swing-arm limiting the flex the four hundred would have in the tight corners while the Bostrom Brothers tested her at Little Talladega Speedway for Season 2 of Cafe Racer TV.
After the frame modifications were complete we moved on to fitting the vintage replica Ducati race tank and fairing along with building one of our signature “Wasp” rear tail-sections complete with our closed-loop rear section of the frame where we use our tube bender with a custom die to make a perfect seamless loop which provides not only a quality visual but yields more strength and support. The final bodywork piece, the lower cowl, was crafted by a good friend and someone who always will be remember with his loss, Tom Petrovic by hand sculpted first from foam and then transfered to fiberglass and refined into what you see in the photos.
In looking to keep rolling weight to a minimum we opted for a quality set of shouldered aluminum rims laced up with Buchannan’s stainless steel spokes shod with a pair of Metzler rubbers ensure maximum grip on the pavement. On the front-end we compiled a myriad of parts from CB400F, CB450, CB750 and even a YZF 600 to achieve what we believe a stock dual disc setup should be represented as.
As for the engine, the heart of the machine, we chose the best parts available and went with a Yoshimura Black-box 466cc piston kit directly from Japan. We then worked with Kibbellwhite to manufacture valve train that would work in harmony with the Yoshi piston kit and custom Mega-Cycle CAM. The result, perfection at speed. As the Bostrom Brothers quoted, “It’s like a 2-stroke with a strong power band but the range of a 4-stroke.” As for the final sound, imagine a vintage Ferrari at Lemans rounding the first sharp corner and that’s a sampling of what this little track terror bellows from her custom exhaust. And to get power from the engine to the ground we used a set of Loaded Gun universal Cafe Racer rear-sets with our universal linkage kit. They afford quick shifting action and endless adjustability.
And last, but certainly not least, to keep the bike in sync with the corners and undulations on the straights we employed Progressive Suspensions new and at the time, never been installed on a vintage race bike, 970 model reservoir gas charged shock absorbers in combination with front internal coil springs. [They're actually marketed as for Harley Davidson's] Upon our initial test rides of the Four Hundred it was immediately recognized that the combination Progressive put together for us created a center-balanced and stunningly handling machine that could go from the road to the track without any concern.
The entire bike was safety wired to track specifications, the final paintwork was done by Bill Tribby with Liza doing the pin-striping for what we feel is a proper current day replica of what a factory works Honda 400F race bike would have been back in the mid-seventies.
Completed Photo album link here: http://www.dimecitycycles.com/gallery
Build Specifications:
1975 CB 400 Four Super Sport
Vintage Ducati Replica Race Fuel Tank & Fairing
Dime City Original Wasp Rear Seat Section
Dime City Original Lower Cowl Section
Modified Frame (Chromoly Backbone, Braces and DCC Rearsteel Loop)
Modified Swingarm (Chromoly Sections and Bracing)
BlackBox Yoshi 466 Piston Kit
Kibbellwhite Valve Train
Custom MAC/DCC Exhaust System
Progressive Suspension Front & Rear
Excel Shouldered Aluminum Rims w/ Metzler Rubber
Combination CB400F, CB450 & CB750 Front End w/ YZF Dual Discs
Loadedgun Rear Sets & DCC Linkage Kit
Keihin CR Race Carburetors
Tommaselli Clip-ons
Acewell gauge Unit
With a deep and luxurious scheme shod with black and brass the Brass Cafe pulls hues from the Steampunk genre which is so curiously being explored today. Sporting hand-tooled, solid brass accents and plating, it will follows all the classic café lines while forging a path for new ideas and inspiration to be explored by the next generation Cafe Racer builder. Leaving nothing unturned, all the trimmings will be present making any Ton’r more than pleased with the final product.
In an effort to pay homage to classic DIY Cafe Racer culture, as much of the original 1968 donor bike was used as possible while modifying the remaining elements for a hand-hewn and “factory-like” look and feel. Herm and Jason’s desire with the Brass Cafe was to produce what could have been a factory concept bike from the 60′s were Honda tailoring their efforts towards rich tones and style rooted in Cafe Racer culture. The tank for example, is an original item that was cut on both sides and the top with new hand-made pieces being grafted in creating a look similar to that of the stock Honda with a little Dime City flair. The fuel cap is a hand forged item and the brass vent line is a completely functional item.
The rear frame section was modified, braced and finished off with DCC’s signature rear steel loop. The finishing touch being their “Wasp” rear tail section. Crafted by hand and sculpted from potting foam and then transfered to fiberglass, the design compliments the width, height and lines of not only the tank, but the complete bike for a rolling look and feel that adds to the element of visual movement seen even when the bike is sitting still on the side stand. A thin pad that acts as cushion offers roughly the same amount of comfort found in 50′s and 60′s Cafe Racers. None.
Keeping true to the rich and deep scheme many items were blasted and powdercoated gloss black including the wheels and forks which were finished off with stainless steel spokes, brass nipples and original hubs which have been re-worked with Dime City signature vents found on both the front and rear. Hand finished by file, the vents allow the brakes to breath under heavy load while complimenting the entire scheme of the bike with it’s brass and black tones. The finishing element, nickel plated hubs for a slightly muted tone so’s not to overtake the wheels themselves.
From a performance perspective no expense was spared. A completely rebuilt CB450 engine now boasts approximately 505cc’s of power through an overbore kit, custom cams, worked intake and exhaust and a set of Mikuni carburetors of course, finished off with hand spun brass velocity stacks. The exhaust system consists of original equipment headers grafted to new upswept sections mated to original Norton style mufflers for that iconic Cafe Racer look and sound.
And as for chasing the TON, that illusive mark of speed, the Brass Cafe will not only exceed the ton it will pull the front wheel of the ground affording the rider a full-on wheelie should he feel bold enough to crack the throttle and snap the clutch.
All in all the vision behind The Brass Cafe is one of purity, both in style and heritage. Dime City will pursued classic forms in metal working, paying respect to the builders of the 50′s and 60′s and what they stood for…while simultaneously hoping to inspire a renewed interest in the motorcycle as the ultimate expression of form and function.
Complete Photo album link here: http://www.dimecitycycles.com/gallery
Build Specifications:
1968 CB450 Donor
TIG welded and closed all factory joints on the frame; added DCC rear steel hoop and custom lower race swing-arm brace
Custom vented front drum hub w/ race stay
Metzler tire mounted on stock CB450 18″ wheel powder coated gloss black
Chopped and lowered standard CB450 front fender
DCC “Manx” Headlight bucket with integrated blinker mounts
Tomaselli/DCC spade levers & clip-ons
Smoothed triple tree with lowered 2.5″ gauges
DCC “Manx” vintage racer fuel tank
DCC “Manx” cowl and seat w/ rear steel hoop
Completely reworked engine: ceramic coated, overbore pistons, ported & polished, custom CAMS, Dyna electronic ignition
Mikuni 32MM race carburetors
Hand built DCC rearsets and linkage system & hand spun brass pegs and kick pedal by Rev. Jim Goodrich
DCC “Manx” swingarm mounted rear fender
DCC Custom 1.5″ stepped headers & exhaust w/ Norton Commando mufflers
Gas charged rear race reservoir dampers
Custom vented rear hub w/ hand made brake aluminum stay
Stock CB450 18″ rear wheel powder coated gloss black w/ Metzler tire
