Geir is a salesman from Norway with a passion for old cars and bikes. His petrol-head obsession is satisfied spending evenings and weekends up to his elbows in grease. His passion for bikes began in childhood where he spent countless hours with his dad in the basement of the family home ‘assisting’ in his labour of love Triumph rebuild. However, his old man wasn’t too pleased when Geir mounted the Triumph’s handlebars on his push bike.
Geir has built a number of bikes, so he decided to brand his work as 73 Cycles Garage, 73 being his birth year and the race number on his vintage Alfa Romeo he raced in the Norwegian Corsa Italia series. For his latest build Geir set himself the remit to build a reliable and affordable bike with modifications that could be done singlehandedly in his own garage. He sourced an ex-traffic school 97 Honda CB750, and shipped the battle-scarred donor 900km from the far northern town of Tromso, a place better known for reindeer than bikes.
The aim was to build a cafe racer, so Geir began by searching the web for a seat. He couldn’t find a seat that met his requirements, so he bought a pre-fabricated unit and used it as a starting point for his own design. He fabricated the seat pan and pad to fit, and snap off mounts to give quick and easy access to the rewired electrics. The battery is located on the rear swing arm between the engine and the wheel. He mounted CNC aluminum clip ons and went for a modern angle with the lights, a clear front lamp and inset rear LEDs. The original exhaust was replaced with reverse cones, and the air filter box replaced with cone filters.
The paint was the cause of much deliberation, and Geir finally decided to apply an undercoat and then straight to a lacquer coat over self designed decals and a tank logo for a matt ally look. The front fender was painted a discrete matt black. The overall effect is subtle, understated but robust; a muscular and lean build finished to a standard that would be the envy of many a full-time builder. The new owner is all smiles as this CB runs as mean as it looks.
Bikes like this always go down really well on the Bike Shed and it’s easy to see why. A modern, reliable donor, built in the late 90s with decent performance and running gear, put together in a simple, unpretentious, timeless style that can pass unnoticed to the uninitiated, but will get knowing nods from those who are in the know. Ride it everyday, or stick it on a pedestal in the living room.
We’re looking forward to seeing Geir’s next two projects, a GS400 cafe project and a CB1100 Super Bol D’or build. Thanks for sharing.
via PIPEBURN
