ATV riders around here use Slime by the gallon for punctures. If you ever have to remove a tire with it in there you will see where it gets it's name!
Don't know about the balance part, probably the same theory as tire beads which some love and some hate.
Japan Meets Britain
The fork tubes are newly made by Frank's Engineering (Forking by Frank), and they are fully chromed. You could use the stock CB77 tubes without the fork covers, but you'd then see all the machine marks underneath (they aren't finished), and you'd have to do something about the headlight ears. I also had two aluminum 'cups' machined to act as retainers for the top part of those springs. John (my mechanic) did a progressive setup inside, and the external springs do offer some damping, which really stiffens up that front end. That's really about it, but I can't really tell you much more about the internals, as it was sort of a trial and error arrangement. On a side note, I took the bike on a nice 70 mile ride today, and filled the tank up with the new cap. No seepage, weeping or leakage. So kids, I think this is THE solution to the weepy gas cap!
Frank's dead, so it would actually be his wife Mary who'd be doing the 'forking'. The tubes are actually a bit shorter than stock, but that's just the way they make them. Doesn't really affect anything. Thanks for the M-O wishes. Just hope it doesn't rain!
Hi Vince,
It's not really my taste (sorry, I'm a purist when it comes to how a CB should look), but the bike is beautiful and a good example how far you can go without getting it over the top. About the CB450 versus the CB72, I maybe have a different opinion about comparing these bikes. A CB450 has some more vibrations, but further than that, it's just as refined as the CB72 (in my opinion). The handling is just as good (and depending much on the tyers you use) as the CB72, the torque on the other hand is massive compared to the CB72. the power curve much more civilized then the CB72. The downside of the CB450 is the transmission with that long first and second gear, this bike needs a 5 speed, the 4-speed spoils the fun, but that is known to everyone. I like the style of the CB72, and it's design, that makes the CB72 so attractive to me. Jensen Jensen
Last edited by jensen on Thu Jul 08, 2010 12:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
assembly of Japanese motorcycles requires great peace of mind (Pirsig)
Thanks Jensen -- always good to read your comments, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Team Netherlands in the World Cup. Geez, what if they meet Germany in the finals? That would be too weird......
The bike has really been an interesting exercise on many fronts, these past 6 years. It's been definitely a creative project, in terms of having a mental vision, and trying to make that abstract concept into physical reality -- almost sculptural, in a way (I feel a bit like Henry Moore!). Of course on another level, it's trying to improve certain things, at least the way that I looked at it. The gas cap affair really epitomized it -- we had this issue with the fuel seepage, and how could we improve it, yet retain the 'period' look. I think what has just been accomplished is the best solution, albeit a fairly involved one (yet not all that expensive, really). However, having said all this, I rode my friend Scott's bone-stock SuperHawk last weekend, and it made me wonder why I bothered embarking upon this entire 6 year endeavour. I certainly don't regret it - though I probably could have purchased two Paul Smart Ducatis (or one really nice Vincent) with the money I have in this creation, but it really doesn't matter. At the end of the day, does it make you happy and does it fulfill what you've been seeking? For me, the answer is yes, and that's all that matters.
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