Cafe 59

CAFE 59

American FLYERS

Still Rockin’ after all these years

IN MANY WAYS, THIS BIKE was bound to happen. It had no choice. You might even say that builder Steve Carpenter, a 43-year-old expat Brit, has cafe-racing in his blood.

plying London’s unforgiv ing avenues, racking up

“My old man was a total nutter on his 500 Matchless,” says Carpenter. Dad was a member of the famed 59 Club, the original London cafe-racer clique.

Soon after son “Carpy” was of licensable age, he became a dispatch rider

(www.cb75Ocafe.com), has completed about 20 so far. hundreds of thousands of miles in all kinds of weather, many of those on single-cam Honda CB750s.

“I love the engine,” he says. “Dead reliable. And if it ever did need repair, the sohc 750 was made for nine years (1969-78), so parts were always available.”

Given Carpenter’s history, it’s only logical that he makes a living today turning out café-racers based on the 750 Four. His SoCal shop, Nostalgia Speed & Cycle

and a polished head. Rebuilt stock carbs with polished

This one, originally a ’75, is his daily ride.

Period GT grips and chromed controls ride on a dropped clubman handlebar, giving a real café feel. As does the view from the shortened H2R Kawasaki tailsection over the 5-gallon Dunstall petrol tank. A classic “pedestrian-slicer” front license plate is included, of course, and lots of checkerboard.

Carpy’s cafe-racer gets its mojo from a Yoshimura 910cc kit, Kenny FI cam

year? Neither do we, tops and K&N pod filters do the aspirating; a Yosh 4into-1, fashionably stubby, takes care of combustion’s after-effects.

Building this bike at home was not an easy task. No room in the garage meant the work was done under the eaves on the porch, Carpenter wrapped in a blanket and sipping cups of tea to stay warm. The bike was completed late into the evening of December 24th. Remember your Christmas present from last

Mark Cernicky