Scrambled Honda

SCRAMBLED HONDA

AGING MOTORcycles are a lot like good people—deserving of a new lease on life. For Craig Barrett, a 53-year-old concrete truck driver and longtime Japanese motorcycle enthusiast with a knack for wrenching, the passion for vintage restoration carries deep meaning. Having undergone successful liver-transplant surgery a decade ago, Barrett has a profound appreciation for functional used parts. "I'm like my bikes," laughs Barrett, "some parts old, some new."

When he was a teen. Barrett lusted atler the then-current early60s Honda Scramblers and Super Ha\vks the t'irst "big~' tube-frame Hondas to take on the British that the rich kids~ rode. Jump ahead to the late `80s and Barrett's desire for the bikes of his youth was rekindled when he restored a 1967 CL77 Scrambler 305 to mint condition out of the garage of his Monrovia, California, home. He soon gained respect in the classic Japanese clique, taking a class win at the Del Mar Concours. After coming across a photo of a Triumph streettracker in a magazine ad, Barrett decided to give a similar TT treatment to a rust-bucket 305. With the Trumpet pic tacked to the garage wall for inspiration, the pieces began to fall in place. “I found the tank at a swapmeet in Long Beach, just lying

Second-chance CL77

there,” says Barrett of the rare Honda Racing aluminum tank with a flip-top gas cap. “I sat on it like a chicken sits on an egg.

1 just kind of looked up at the guy and asked how much, trying to not be too excited. He said, ‘Give me 10 bucks.’” According to Barrett, the rare gem is now worth $1000, having since -------been refurbished by a Frenchman whose specialty is aluminum auto body repair on Ferraris and Maseratis.

While most of the bike’s components are Honda, it’s a mix-n-match of various models and years, mostly parts that Barrett had accumulated over time.

An early 250 Scrambler aluminum rear fender was bobbed to provide the desired look, along with a shortened, reskinned seat. The appearance of a Ceriani race fork was achieved using XL350 tubes and triple-clamps mated to SL sliders with the fender-mount tabs machined off. Progressive Suspension shocks support the rear.

Former factory Honda fabricator Homer Knapp performed machine work on the cylinder and head, hence his trademark pagoda insignia adorning the midnight-blue tank. Air is drawn in through the tiny K&N filters and exits via straight TT pipes. “A friend of mine had those,” says Barrett. “1 told him, T gotta have those pipes; I’ll give you $70, my other pipes and I’ll be your friend for life.”

Several friends played key roles in the creation of this machine. Barrett’s close pal, Eric Vaughn, a machinist by trade, was most instrumental, lending use of his machine shop and a bit of guidance with the tooling. Barrett must be a quick learner, too-it’s evident by the bike’s “holy” hubs, this readymix man can also run a mean mill.

Don Canet