Motorcycle News - Chopper Rescue: A Honda CB900 revived by Purpose Built
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The PBM portfolio is stacked with cafe racers and scramblers, but that didn’t stop them from tackling a chopper…and knocking it out the park. “The skills are the same,” says Tom, “and I love the style just as much—it’s just a different thought process.”
The shop’s client had bought it wrecked, ten years ago, and decided to have it rebuilt as a chopper. He originally found a builder on the Sunshine Coast—but the work took literally years to complete, and the bike looked horrible and didn’t run right.
PBM decided to build their own take on a Japanese chopper: “Something the owner would be proud to ride and show off to his mates.” So they stripped the bike down, ripped out the dodgy wiring and got cracking.
Since the Honda’s frame had been done well the first time around, Tom focused his energy purely on rebuilding the rear section. “This whole process was foreign to me,” he says. “A new set of geometry dynamics to work with, to achieve a good and solid chopper look.”
Next up, the crew turned their attention to the bodywork. The CB had come with a huge mustang chopper tank—but Tom thankfully swapped it out for a Honda CB750 K2 unit. “It fitted with my ideas for the bike, and it allowed the huge engine to protrude from under the tank,” he explains.
Tom then whipped up a new seat pan and electrics tray, and shaped up the foam. Jamo at Timeless Autotrim kicked out a sublime nubuck leather cover, with pleats that run all the way over the back of the seat.
Purpose Built usually focus on simple and clean results on their cafe racer builds. But for this bike, Tom deliberately wanted to add some flair. “For a chopper, I’m thinking, ‘What is the best looking, and most elaborate way, to get this job done?’”
The detail work on this chop-job could fill volumes. The cockpit features leather wrap grips, modern Purpose Built switches with internal wiring, and reverse levers with a cable operated master brake cylinder hidden under the fuel tank. And there’s a whole bunch of smaller brass parts scattered throughout the bike.
The engine was cleaned up and refinished in black with some mild polishing in places, and treated to a set of Keihin CR carbs with DNA filters. Then the whole setup was run and tuned by the team at Dynomite—so it runs like a dream now.
“Something I hadn’t understood until now was the allure of riding a chopper. I’ve always loved winding roads, fast paced corners and a bike that handles great. But on this bike, it doesn’t matter where you’re riding, it’s about what you’re riding.”
Not surprisingly, Purpose Built’s client is over the moon with his revived chopper. But more than that, Tom is stoked that someone trusted him enough to step outside of his own comfort zone. Purpose Built Moto | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Made Social Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c January 31, 2020 at 11:14AM Leave a Reply. |
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November 2020
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1/31/2020
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