The BSMC’s Robinsons Speedshop have been busy again, quietly building away in Luke’s Essex workshop, but rather than the usual large capacity Cafe Racer or Brat this latest build from Robinsons is a sweet little CB360 scrambler, and the reason is simple. Luke handed over the overall creative direction to his new missus, Lauren. …It seems she has great taste (…in bikes, anyway).
The donor had been knocking around for a very long time, within sight of the British seaside, which means wet salty air and seized parts on anything mechanical that hasn’t been used for a while. But Luke was lucky, the bike came apart with no problems and when all the bits came back from being blasted, it all looked good.
The previous owner had also mentioned he thought the ignition was fried, but on further inspection it turned out the loom had been poorly repaired; full of cables twisted together and secured with tape. One new loom later and the re-assembled bike fired up without a hitch.
Once she was a runner, Luke handed the cosmetics and styling over to Lauren. “It basically came down to being chunky with a upright riding position. The wheels were stripped down blasted and powder coat, set-off with some very fat continental TKC80s, giving the bike a totally different look.”
“The front end was the next stop and the weedy stock fork just didn’t cut it. We did think about doing a front-end swap but being a smaller bike nothing really worked. In the end we kept the front end and reworked the internals lowering and stiffening them, and with some simple machining we made covers for the upper legs just to give to look of it being a little more beefy.”
The stock bars were replaced with a set of Renthals, finished with a used look to match the controls and yoke. “As for the clocks, the jury is still out. I was thinking of putting a digital one on but I may put the original clock back on with just the speedo and no rpm.” The rear of the bike was de-tabbed and looped to fit the bench-seat. The battery is hidden away under the swing arm and the rear number plate and rear led Bates style light are mounted at the top of the right shock.
Bikes like this always work. The scrambler ergonomics on a light weight and reliable Honda CB, with reworked suspension and wide bars,can only result in the rider wearing a grin like the proverbial Cheshire cat. Luke puts it best.“For not a whole lot of effort the bike looks grand, and is a joy to buzz around town on.”
See more from Robinson’s Speedshop on their Bike Shed page and Luke’s Website.
