PACIFIC MC XL883 CAFÉ DRAGSTER

One thing that differentiates motorcycle retail from motorcycle customisation is the position of currency in the equation. Price and cost lead the former but often find themselves unwelcome and locked out of the bike builders workshop. To put a pound or dollar sign ahead of a project will stop most at the beer and sketch stage. Despite this we all plough ahead hoping that creativity can equal profit, given enough grinding and buffing.

Sometimes though giving a slightly damaged bike a new lease of life needn’t mean returning it back to its former factory splendour. The Pacific Motorcycle Co. based on New Zealand’s South Island had a thriving retail business but it lacked the soul and reward owner Alan Pritchard was looking for, so he pushed the custom and classic restoration side of the business forward, eventually leaving the cold sales environment behind to concentrate full time on more wholesome and innovative endeavours.

A benefit of the previous operations was the remaining stock of lightly damaged bikes imported from America, this 2008 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883L was in perfectly good condition, apart from the crotch shaped dent in the fuel tank and some busted levers. A café style was decided upon and thankfully the work could begin without focussing too much on viability or rationality, the creative juices dripped onto the balance sheet rendering it illegible, a perfect start.

The Superlow is exactly that, and in standard form can look a bit like an embarrassed hound in the back yard doing its business. A set of YSS shocks jacked the back up to offer a more sporting stance. With the forward positioned foot controls on a Harley, only experienced yoga instructors should attempt to ride with clipons, so Alan bent-up a set of 1″ drag bars, coated them black and voila; a more aggressive riding position without contortion and a vastly improved look. To make the most of this svelte appearance, the speedo is housed in a Joker Machine fork mount and the headlight peak shortened.

The stock seat pan was reworked and the foam sculpted to suit the new riding position. To achieve a café look the subframe was shown a cutting disc before being hidden by an aluminium tail cover, complete with a machined LED tail light housing.

The powder coater was kept busy with various engine casings in order to remove any glitz from the motor, dark and mean the order of the day. Wheels and fork legs remained silver, simply refreshed in the vapour blaster. Avon tyres keep the shiny side up and an in-house fabbed front mudguard keep the shiny side shiny. A Vance & Hines air cleaner and wrapped exhaust keep the neighbours offside and hopefully wildlife at bay out in the hills.

So, the tank, nice shape. Liberated from a Triumph T140 and deconstructed to accept the H-D in-tank fuel pump and filter assembly. Harley tank mounts were welded on so as to offer the new owner a simple removal procedure. The gorgeous shape and distinctive knee dents have been accentuated with deep gloss black and neat pin striping. Purists will be spitting at their screens but hey, it’s Alan’s bike and from the looks of things he knows what he’s doing. Besides it was NOS anyway so has no story to tell, apart from what was overheard in the parts department.

Rather than the whole hog, this half dragster, half café bastard bike could be just the thing the winding roads of the Kahurangi National Park, if you live that way of course. Alan will ship the bike to a new owner, just get in touch via their website and check out their workshop on Facebook.

A warming reminder that if you follow your heart, put in plenty of graft and look after your customers; every so often this can pay the bills and be referred to as a job.

via The Bike Shed

Snapshot 1963: You call this work, Miss Fonda?

Jane Fonda travelled to the Côte d’Azur in 1963 to prepare for her role in her first French film. But concentrating on work must have been difficult with fellow actor and playboy Alain Delon around...

In the early 1960s, Alain Delon led what seems a life of pure bliss in France. He had the world (or at least Europe) at his feet, including such directors as Visconti and Antonioni – and now fate demanded he play opposite the stunning American actress Jane Fonda. The pair were to act together on the Côte d’Azur for the film ‘Les Félins’ (Joy House). But Alain Delon clearly had more than work on his mind – and seemed more interested in taking Jane Fonda out in his Ferrari 250 California Spider, or water-skiiing behind a Riva. Later, Fonda told of chaotic shoots in which she hardly understood a word, and The New York Times described the film as “pretentious nonsense, in which even the Côte d’Azur comes over as grey and dirty”. Nor was Alain Delon’s elaborate courtship a long-term success – two years later, Fonda married another French Ferrari driver, the director Roger Vadim. 

Photo: Francois Pages/Paris Match via Getty Images

Classic Riva boats can be found in the Classic Driver Yacht Market.

Geisha ......

THUNDERHAWK: A NEW ANGLE ON THE HONDA CB77

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

With most Honda CB customs packing 400cc or more, we were a little curious when a CB77 Super Hawk hit our inbox. After all, this was the bike that launched Honda in the USA—and the bike that Robert M. Pirsig rode on his trip in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Plus, the Super Hawk is gorgeous in stock form, with its iconic chrome tank. There are plenty of restored CB77s out there, gleaming in the sun—but it’s intriguing to see a completely fresh take on a timeless classic.

This angular 1962-model CB77 is a radical departure from the original bike’s soft lines, and the result is stunning. It belongs to Ian Duffy: an industrial designer based in Miami, Florida, who has an affinity for the Super Hawk.

“My first bike was a stock ’66 CB77,” says Ian. “When I bought it I had no clue how to work on it—let alone ride. But I learned fast, rebuilding it in my apartment and problem solving as I drove it around San Francisco.”

Ian was looking for a new project, so he contacted Davo Giusti—a Honda builder and collector. “I asked him to put together a kit of parts for a stripped down performance race bike, which would emulate the quality and craftsmanship of the original CB77. I was about to move to Miami, so I put the boxes of parts in the back of my old ’67 F250 and drove them over to begin the process.”

Working out of a tiny shed in his back yard with only a basic tool kit, Ian set to work—completing the entire build on a budget of just $2000.

He rebuilt the engine with reconditioned components, including a crossed gear racing transmission. The cylinders were re-sleeved to the original 305cc bore using a set of Wiseco pistons. A new wiring harness was made up too, with Dyna coils and a new stock points ignition system.

Moving to the chassis, Ian shortened the end of the frame and cut out the stock battery box. He re-laced the rims with stainless steel spokes, and fitted a set of ceramic coated Honda CL77 pipes. The front headlight and fender are both CB160 items, found at a swap meet, and the tires are from Sava.

During the project Ian bought a mini lathe and began fabricating his own parts; the rear sets, headlight ears, triple tree, exhaust flanges and steering tensioner are all his handiwork. He also wired up the CB77’s unique new tail light—consisting of 24 LEDs embedded in the tail unit.

Ian knew his biggest challenge would be the bike’s tank and seat though. “The Super Hawk is a beautiful bike on its own,” he admits, “and it’s very difficult to modify the lines and maintain the quality of the design.”

He started by shaping a wooden plug for an elongated, three gallon tank, before casting a fiberglass mold and building the final product. The stocky seat was made from fiberglass-reinforced PVC. (There’s a new Lithium-ion battery hiding underneath it.)

When it came time to pick the CB77’s finishes, Ian wanted a raw but refined look that would accentuate the engine’s design. He settled on a darker color palette—contrasting it with bits of bare metal. The engine and other components were bead-blasted, then finished in black using a home-made powder-coating rig. The remaining body parts were treated to a coat of Aston Martin silver.

Ian’s dubbed his CB77 ‘Thunderhawk’, and is pretty chuffed with how it turned out. “The bike has incredible power now with the lighter weight from stock, the seating position cuts down on wind resistance and the sound is unbelievably raw.”

Best of all, he has plans for a follow-up: “I am in the process of designing and prototyping a new engine and contemporary motorcycle design based on the CB77, with modern improvements.”

We can’t wait.

Visit Ian Duffy’s website

via BIKEexif