New to Welding. Cafe racer project

[octo0072000]

Good to have you with us. Another biker here !
Have always liked the look of a well executed Triton, particularly with a pre-unit motor but have never had the urge to do one myself. TBH I'd prefer an original 1960 Bonny.
Restored a '69 Bonny some years back then sold it, regretted it ever since !
Can't stand these retro, wanna be Bonny's churned out by Nouveau Triumph, horrible, ugly lumps !! They are trying to be the the British Harley, yuck !
Good luck with the project, you'll certainly find all the help you need here !

i think you mean 1961 120R with duplex frame model one

last 61 Bonny i rebuilt it in my bedroom over a winter mother was not happy,
all chrome and alloy apart from main frame stove enameled post office red
9 stud head and barrels +60 over bore 10.5 to one pistons American Joyner sommerton cams lightened timing gears high flow oil pump + pressure gauge never did like the pop out button it always leaked all balanced ported etc done in the style of a cafe racer 5 gallon alloy tank fiberglass seat incorporating no plate those were the days that engine went on later into the Tribsa had to build that one in the shed the bonny ended up in a field after a car pulled out on me on a bend the only place to go was the field but that was over a 12inch high kerb so hence the Tribsa i did
i did have loads of pictures but the ex kindly burnt them

 

[troppo]

Great project, i`ll be looking forward to seeing pics. I bought two old CB750`s a while ago and just about have one ready for the road in standard form. Thinking of going the cafe route for the other one but the parts are going to be a killer pricewise, you guys have it so good over there, more nmbers sold and closer to the manufacturers.
Going to keep an eye on this one

 

[tigler]

i did have loads of pictures but the ex kindly burnt them

UTTER BITCH !!! I'd have burnt her for that !!

 

[Chipper]

Hi Troppo, CB's used to be common as anything, but good bits are hard to find now. I flogged a CB750 engine recently for £250, it hadn't run for 15 yrs and was a total unknown quantity. Not so long back they used to be cheap as chips. Loads of guys wanted the carbs too.

I like caff racers, but the raft of cooking bikes like MZ 250s in caff style does nothing for me. Getting passed by a modern commuter with your head down and rrse up can't be good

This was my BSA, didn't build it, this is 20+ yrs ago, all Dunstall & period "speed" equipment, twin Goldies were a bit loud..

 

[troppo]

Hi Troppo, CB's used to be common as anything, but good bits are hard to find now. I flogged a CB750 engine recently for £250, it hadn't run for 15 yrs and was a total unknown quantity. Not so long back they used to be cheap as chips. Loads of guys wanted the carbs too.

I like caff racers, but the raft of cooking bikes like MZ 250s in caff style does nothing for me. Getting passed by a modern commuter with your head down and rrse up can't be good

This was my BSA, didn't build it, this is 20+ yrs ago, all Dunstall & period "speed" equipment, twin Goldies were a bit loud..

That is a sweet bike, classic looks and i bet she was a blast to open up.

It was the same here mate, now they are as rare as rocking horse ****, picked mine up through a friend of a friend who had then in his shed for years, still cost me $1000 for them. The carbs can be jetted for a lot of the old four cyl car engines, been told they are the bees knees on the old ohc pinto engines (but i got two twin side-draughts for mine lol). I`ve got a cbr 900 fairing of a little later to go on one of them. Really should try to get my finger out and get it on the road, missed the feeling of riding for too long

 

[ronan]

My niece has a newish Bonneville and I must say that as a runabout for a short legged person it is the ideal bike. Old British bikes are nice (to look at in museums) but the practicality of owning one is a different matter if you want a bike to ride but if you want a bike to tinker and polish and as a longer term investment then they are fine. I have a Honda 900 Hornet which is a nice bike and receives minimal attention, chain lube and tension every so often and a service once a year and the oil level never moves. I do help out at a bike shop with a bit of welding now and then and see British bikes come in for tests and help to push start them when they are going away I used to ride a BSA 441 which was an art to kick start.

I rode my 69 triumph 500 to work and back for over ten years , used to be sent out to the engineers suppliers for bearings and tools on it ,i still us it to commute on , if you can't keep a brit bike maintained you shouldn't be allowed access to spanners , they are so simple.
I did buy a japanese 600 4 cylinder and it by comparison was nothing but trouble , cutting out and refusing to start for no apparent reason, too many black boxes and wires to figure out by the side of the road.

 

[octo0072000]

UTTER BITCH !!! I'd have burnt her for that !!

dont worry cost me a house as well but 11years on now well out of it but lost 25 years of pictures but i will get my revenge one of these days
revenge is best served cold and it will be

also the house had a sump in the cellar due to partly flooding i was the one that kept it cleaned out she didn't local pumping station packed up cellar flooded 18 inch deep in effluent (poo)
friend of a friend said took a year to sort out as she didn't renew house insurance
all paperwork went with me that had my name on it so a little bit of poetic justice i believe

 

[Animal Mother]

Cool. More bikers.

Here is my current love.

Yes, they are my garden gates.

Here's my project.

When I bought it. It's a GS550 Katana.

Some horror photos.

The bike came with an MOT.

Some ideas.

Progress.

 

[graffian]

Halfs the notorious brit twin vibes in an instant, also raises the capacity to 820 cc

I could have done with that in my Atlas, I had a float bowl drop of once.

 

[Chipper]

That is a sweet bike, classic looks and i bet she was a blast to open up.

Cheers Troppo, it was a nice thing, did some great rides and used it daily for a couple of years.
I got a spare tank and started cutting it up to make a new one, do a bit of a caff job on my Triumph 12. Caff's all around then. Good luck with your CB mate.