Carpy Wrenching

It's not everyday you get to witness a master at work - like Steve "Carpy" Carpenter from the amazing CB750 Cafe doing a bit of 'wrenching'. Ok, so this might not be the way Carpy usually takes to a cafe racer but it makes an awesome photograph. Shot by talented Los Angeles photographer Jared Schoenemann who is obsessed with two things in life; photography and cafe racers. So when the opportunity arises to combine both his passions, he never looks back. Jared has shot Carpy and his metal masterpieces numerous times, including the CB750 pictured below called the "Road Warrior'. Carpy dedicated this CB to the "brave men and women of HS-6”, who died last year in a tragic helicopter training accident. The 'Speedy Indian' graphic on the side cover is a tribute to the aircraft referred to as the "Indian 617". To read about the whole 'Road Warrior' build with many detailed build pics and specs (which Carpy is famous for) hit this link. To view more cafe racers photographed by Jared check out his fresh gallery. 

Motto Moto CB750

Jason Koschnitzke is an industrial designer by trade and has been wrenching part-time on bikes for many years and many late nights. Recently he decided to follow his dreams and make wrenching his full-time job. So he created Motto Motorcycles which are based in Chicago and have a passion for Japanese style cafe racers and street trackers. The first project was to build a 'barn fresh' style bike that looked like it had "40 years of stories to tell". He purchased a 1978 Honda CB750 for the project and started to create a bad ass 70's cafe racer that conjured up visions of being discovered in the barn on an old farm in the middle of nowhere - the look he refers to as "barn fresh racer". He started with the engine, it's built with a 836cc Wiseco 10.25 C/R kit and supporting go fast internal modifications. It's running Keihin 29mm CR carbs and a ceramic coated Kerker 4-1 exhaust with 2.0" baffle. The front end is set up with clip-ons, Progessive suspension and Race Tech Gold Valve cartridge emulators. It has double disc brakes in the front, drilled rotors and he flipped the forks around to place the calipers on the back side. The original Read-Titan endurance racer tank, which carries almost 6 gallons of fuel truly completes this beautiful bike. These amazing photos were taken by photographer Mark Wisniowski and we love the vintage grainy feel that works so well with this gritty cafe racer. You can see more shots of this CB750 on the Motto Moto site or check out Mark's portfolio on Probe3. 

1975 CB750 For Sale

This legendary cafe racer built by Steve 'Carpy' Carpenter of Ton-Up fame is for sale on ebay at the moment. This iconic CB750 is being sold as "the worlds most famous cafe racer", having been featured in over 16 motorcycle magazines and countless websites around the world. Just some of the features listed include "fiberglass tailpiece, borrani style H rim front wheel, race gas tank, individual air filters, 4 into 1 exhaust, chrome swingarm, remote resevoir shocks, lucas style tail light, clubman handlebars, drilled brakes for weight reduction and rearsets for better ground clearance". We will be watching the auction closely to see how much this rockabilly cafe racer goes for. The bike is being sold on behalf of OldBikeBarn and has a "buy it now" price of $26k. That figure might be a little ambitious, but you never know when Billy Joel or Jay Leno are looking for another motorcycle for their collection.

Wrench Monkee Auction

The Wrench Monkees are auctioning off two of their amazing motorcycles on the auction site Lauritz. Gorilla Punch (pictured) is probably the most famous, being posted this year on more sites than Paris Hilton's private parts. Although unlike Paris, this Honda CB750 Four is sexy, clean and has hardly been ridden. The other Monkee bike up for auction is Monkee #7 the Harley Sportster XLCH with that unforgettable Husqvarna CR tank. You have until November 25 to use the cash stashed under your mattress that you took out of the bank during the credit crunch. Trust me, you won't regret it. 

Honda CB950

Before you get too excited (like I did) this is only a 1/8 die cast model. Made by the French model making company Heller, it's a replica of the Japauto Honda CB750 bike that had a 969 cm³ racing kit thus making it a Honda CB950. You can find the model and more pics of this beautiful Cafe Racer at the Japanese model shop named Kim's House or if you want the real thing it could be the perfect project for someone who has a CB750. Just make sure you send us some pics when completed.

Garage Company CB750

Yoshi Kosaka is the 49-year-old founder of the Garage Company in Los Angeles which is widely regarded as one of the best classic bike shops in the country. The Garage Company not only sells motorcycles but also parts and service manuals, vintage decals and posters, history books and videos, helmets and goggles - anything and everything that caters to the classic bike aficionado. Yoshi owns about 150 motorcycles, just to name some of the bikes in his shop: Norton, Triumph, Ducati, MV Augusta, Harley-Davidson, BSA, Matchless... and Honda, like these magnificant CB750 Cafe Racers. Some of the specs include Yoshimura motor, ARD magneto, Kimtab magnesium wheels, A&H brakes, GP fork, Webber carburetors and painted by the legend SKRATCH. These bikes are for sale if you have some spare cash burning a hole in your pocket. For cost and more details visit their website.
 

Venice Bobber

We love how Chris Tragert from Venice Choppers describes his custom bobber; "This bare-knuckle venice bobber is a product of its environment. A light, compact weapon needed to slice through the traffic-choked urban sprawl surrounding the sea-side oasis where it was conceived. Lightweight, quickness, agile handling, and good brakes were top priority. The resulting menacing appearance would give murderous cagers something to text about". This mad candy red bobber has the unmistakeable 78 CB750F motor. Stripped down and rebuilt with stainless hardware. Love those pipes and we bet they make a great bark. For a full list of the specs (written beautifully by the way) check out their website or for more pics visit the gallery.

The Pimp CB750

Ian Halcott from Twinline Motorcycles in Seattle has always had a passion for Japanese motorcycles. This awesome CB750 was one of Ian's first custom projects. He spent almost a year perfecting this bike. Here's a taste of some of the work on this beautiful cafe racer. A genuine Yoshimura pipe, a glass airtech bimota style tank, the seat was fabbed out of 20 gage steel, they built a fresh motor, powder coated the frame gold, reservoir shocks and lots more. Check out his website to see more of Twinlines amazing creations. [Ian tells me that he's going to update his website soon but keeps finding a wrench in his hand instead of the computer mouse.]

Distressed CB750

Kott Motorcycles is a small custom shop near Los Angeles California, specializing in the restoration and customization of 1970’s era Honda 750’s, 550’s, and 350’s. Like us, the owner Dustin Kott has a passion for cafe racers. We love the raw look of his bikes especially this 750 named 'Distressed'. With clubman bars, hand formed racer seat and no fenders, this bike has been done in true cafe style. Check out more bikes from Kott and this nicely shot video of Kott in action.