We’ve been getting an interesting amount of attention on the road for the bikes we decided to take on this trip so why not break down what we are riding.
The Japanese Italian
Bruno is on his ‘79 Honda CX500, the smallest of the three stallions but it’s kept up with no issue what so ever. It was purchased in running condition, see below:
Up until a few days before the trip the CX went through quite a transformation. Frame was chopped in the rear for a tracker/cafe style seat early on and then powder coated along with the rims and other parts. The motor was completely taken apart and painted.
All new gaskets and seals were installed; basically as it ran with good compression before we took it apart, the only thing we didn’t do was re-ring the pistons or do any work on the cylinder walls.
Turns out, aftermarket head gaskets for these motors are not worth the trouble as the first set failed us and let coolant seep into the oil on the first couple of test rides. Honda OEM gaskets were ordered, installed and seem to be holding up for these 1200 or so miles we’ve covered already.
The Cadillac of the group
Mr Gomes picked up a ’99 Honda Shadow Spirit 1100. He is by far the most comfortable rider on this trip.
The journey to find this ride wasn’t without trial and error. A Yamaha Virago 920 Midnight Edition was actually purchased at first. As these bikes were known (unbeknownst to us at the time) to have starter issues, we decided it wasn’t the right choice for the trip. It was put to the side and the Shadow was picked up in the meantime. The Yamaha is for sale if anyone is interested.
The Shadow just took an oil change and a carburetor clean up and it’s been smooth sailing with her.
The Nazi Mobile
I’ve been enjoying the unique nuances of the German bred R90/6 on this trip. This was a project bike over at Standard Cycle Co where I forced my way into an apprenticeship and helped bring this thing to life.
Everything was done in house; painted frame, wrapped gas tank and fender, rebuilt motor, custom seat, saddle bag brackets, you name it.
Rims were relaced but not before the hubs got the same wrinkle black finish with sanded fins, just like the motor.
Seat pan was made out of a sheet of aluminum where two layers of foam were applied and shaped and sanded.
And then upholstered.
As this bike is carrying our communal food and fuel, custom brackets were needed to support said items.
We have a 5 Gallon Jerry can with its supporting bracket bolted on to our set up. And the opposite side has an old metal bread box strapped.
Had to seal the bread box with some silicone sealant and weather strips from the depot.
All in all, she looks great but as a custom bike there are things to keep an eye out for.
🙂 safe riding