Ah, the lovely eternal featherbed! Not only apolaustuc handling, but low enough to allow even a short rider to put both feet on the ground. The problem with the Sporty motor has always been that it sits too high in the frame due to its narrow included angle. Its vibration is pretty horrible as well, but we true blue Britbikers are used to it!
I've an '84 Ironhead with a USA 'Classified' kit, essentially a poor mans Vincent, Alloy fuel tank, stainless fenders, black fender stays, Vincent seat, Lucas headlamp. Not a Cafe- nice like yours, but a very different Harley as yours is.
Finally a REAL harley Cafe racer, as opossed to the factory one of the late 70's with awful wheels a gorky frame and awkward seat / tailpiece! Kudos on the use of a featherbed. I want to trade the XS 650 in on one!
Gotta love that CMA 8LS drum hub! Too cool. Probably the biggest heaviest bike one should ever contemplate running with a drum front brake, combined with the biggest drum money can buy. Dunno if I'd want one on MY bike, but I've stuck a Suzuki 4LS drum on my Ex-Daughter's "KZ440LOL" - inside of a 3.00x16" Borrani rim, so again the spokes are very short, much the same proportions, but with a low-profile maxi-scooter tire it's a very different thing altogether. For MY bike however, what I call a "CB900K0 Bol Bomber" ('82 CB900F homage to the '65 CB450K0 Black Bomber) I hope to use a "Faux-Leading-Shoe" drum, which I hope to assemble from GL1500 front end and a "hub" from the PC800 Pacific Coast. It'll be something like people are doing with the CBX550F internal disc, but utilizing conventional calipers and 286mm rotors. A 10mm step down from the 296mm dual-disc I'm running on it now, but still a 10mm step up from the OEM 276mm rotors. Perhaps I can fit something bigger to it down the line, though caliper hangers on the TRAC anti-dive fork are a trick to make - it's been done. Other than the hub and wire-spokes, the front end will be very similar to that of Freddie Spencer's '82 Daytona championship 1032cc "CB750F" - I've even got a 3.50x16" NOS Super-Akront rim to run up front, with a 4.25x18" rear, but additional rims are on hand with a 3.00x18" & 4.25x18" pair, as well as 2.50x18" Borrani & 3.50x18" Super-Akront pair. This allows for some proper period-correct rubber for a replica of Spencer's racer, AND same specs as the CB1100R endurance racers, plus the fat 18/18 set for some "modern" '90s-era Sport-Touring radials. Sure would be cool to dig up some slicks just like Spencer used. Anyway yeah - it's the 3.00x18" front wheel which I intend to use with the GL1500 "Faux-Leading-Shoe" brake, as that's the stock rim size on the GL1500 itself. Perhaps it's even possible to utilize a GL1500 "hub" itself? Looks far more difficult to get it out in one usable piece, but that size of hub combined with matching rotor shrouds, should allow for some much larger rotors, on the 296mm or possible even 310mm-330mm scale? IF this thing comes off looking anywhere remotely like a 4LS drum - and I believe the hollow center section combined with ventilation holes in the rotor shrouds will have a huge effect on this - well it might become the new gold standard in "Faux-Leading-Shoe" especially in that it's not only a decent sized dual-disc system, but also in that it's not all THAT heavy of a hub at the center of it, and rotor shrouds that in OEM form are already made from plastic - fibreglass would be a decent option too. And hell - when everybody's painting their Aluminum stuff anyhow, wtf difference does it make? Nothing's more ridiculous than painting Aluminum parts with fake Aluminum PAINT. Especially when a decent bead-blast or soda-blast with clear-coat would look far far better! That's why I've opted for clear-coat over the Aluminum CB1100R gas-tank on my "Bol Bomber", rather than a faux-chrome spray treatment - even though the chrome would better carry forward the whole "Toaster-Tank" thing I'm shooting for (ala CB160 "Baby-Hawk", CB72/CB77 Hawk/SuperHawk, CB450K0 Black Bomber etc.) There's a point where "Fake" is a problem, and there's a point where FAKE is simply inauthentic. Well, given that Honda had been working for some time on this whole "Internal disc" system, and that the GL1500 was the final incarnation of which - plus there being a long history of using rotor-shrouds on the Goldwing series which have more or less the exact same front end, or close to it, as these DOHC-four models, AND the GL1500 fork seeming so derivative of the race suspension from the AMA Superbike version of my bike, it seems somehow appropriate in this one instance above all others, to utilize this system to harken back to the iconic earlier drum-braked Honda models of the '60s. There are other elements which seem almost pre-ordained - such as utilizing the leading-link forks Tony Foale built for this very model, to render the Bol Bomber into a further iteration of retro-fry-cation - as a "CB902" - homage to the '59 CB92 Benly Super-Sport - I mean, it's a SUPER-SPORT for kripes sake. Like I say, pre-ordained. It's a pity Tony Foale's leading-link fork didn't more closely follow the model of Honda leading-link forks, the Cub, the CA72 Dream, the CB92 itself - But take a look at the combination/one-piece seat/cowl/side-covers on the CB1100R, and imagine it wrapping the whole sub-frame tightly, with a short yet down-turning and slightly flared/skirted fender instead of a cowl with spoiler (a subtle distinction at that, really - when it's so short. Currently, the fender on the Bol Bomber is from KZ440LTD but it's only an inch or two past the rear frame rail anyhow so it's almost a decorative chrome trim!) and removable bubble type side-covers over holes for battery access etc. As such, it would seem as though the rear sub-frame were a pressed sheet-metal monocoque - oh how this would work SOOO much better on the open-cradle design of a CBX, or more to the point an Egli spine frame with actual sheet-metal posterior! Anyway yeah, there's more than a passing resemblance between the CB92 and CB1100R gas tanks - I'm trying to think of another Honda ROAD bike with an Aluminum tank as standard, in the years intervening these two models. When the CB1100R tank is stripped down, from the rider's view it's very similar indeed. One possible option for an "inauthentic" leading-link fork, yet with a much closer resemblance to the original, was an USD fork with fibreglass shrouds, fitted to a custom Ducati "MS4R" - if only I weren't so annoyed with USD forks on classic Superbikes! It was a pretty good look. Of course, I'd love to try the same stuff with a Hossack / Fior front end, but for the time being I'm hanging onto the original frame. And then popping the 985cc "lump" into an '82 CB750F frame I've got on hand. Once it's been through some modifications of it's own. Anyway - it's slow going when you're on a budget, but I'm already more than halfway done here. Sadly, in the interests of riding, there are several distinct chunks of mods to be done, with progressive evolution over the winter seasons. Which only creates more work. But it's gotta be back on the road all the same, too much time has elapsed as it is! Either way - if anybody else has an interest in a FAKE drum hub such as I describe, feel free to track me down on SEVERAL bike forums, under the same handle "SoyBoySigh"!
Thanks for the compliment. I´m not a wheelie expert, just a quick clutch pull in 1st gear and it lifts up easy, i close throttle early otherwise it will go straight up in the air . All throttle, bike is to heavy for pull up!
Gorgeous machine, well done work including the vid. Is that a Norton frame? Featherbed? How'd you get those dual carbs and both sides pipes, what heads? Thanks
@kz6fittycent ,The Harton is now featured in september issue #317 of UK's leading chopper 'zine, BackStreetHeroes ( BSH ) , also in BIGTWIN issue #287 of september. ( dutch magazine )
Hey Im trying to learn to do a wheelie on my 1000cc Ironhead, Andrews hot cams/SS super E, rebuilt motor. She should go up. Do you pop the clutch in 1st, or 2nd gear or is that just a power roll on. Also do you pull up like doing a wheelie on a bike when we were kids, or is it all throttle. Please do tell!! very cool
My hat is off to you Sir. Fuckin' sweet, really nicely done. I have seen similar before, called the "Narley", but your head-work on the rear pot (true XR style) sets this way above. Proper job, unlike HD's 78 'Cafe Racer'. That was embarrassing.
fucking sick man, insanely sick bike, pretty much pulled this thing out of a dream ive been having for the last few years. ironhead even, fuckin eh. id gladly give you some wheelie lessons though my friend hahaha
love the idea but you might want to go to a baker trans so its not a square geared piece of shit as my mom so bluntly put it. never would have thought of using a norton exhaust on a harley, makes it sound alot better in my opinion
