Even better, it’s one of the first 750 Super Sports built in 1976. Production started with frame number 912, and this is 918. Fixed to the frame was a small copper plate with the emblem of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. “This suggests the bike was delivered to a southern European catholic nation,” says Heuvelman. “Maybe Italy, where it was probably blessed by the local priest.”

On getting the Ducati into the workshop, Heuvelman discovered that the engine timing was awry. “A good reason why it’d failed to start for all those years.” The bike was in original but bad condition. So the Dutch workshop dismantled it down to the last nut and bolt, and set to work on the engine and transmission. The gearbox was in a bad way, and was replaced. The motor was treated to new first-oversize pistons, new valves, and a fresh set of seals, gaskets and bearings.

Heuvelman’s goal was to return this 750 Super Sport to original showroom condition—to make it look like a New Old Stock bike. “We took a lot of care, down to the finest details. All the nuts and bolts have been restored and re-used. The crankcase has been sandblasted at low pressure, so it resembles an original unused crankcase. And we found and used original decals over the clear coat for the bodywork.”

This particular machine was sold with a “sport-pack” offered for the 1976/77 model year: a Conti exhaust, 40mm Dell’Ortos, and minus any indicators. It’s full of top-shelf original componentry: Borrani 4777 rims, ‘shaved’ early Brembo callipers, and Smiths instruments. The dashboard, switches and Marzocchi forks are all original. Even minor items like the KLG spark plug caps and Alpina spokes are true to type.

There are some discreet upgrades, however. The Ducati is now fitted with Australian-made Ikon shocks, although the original Marzocchi shocks have been refurbished and retained. The bike had a non-standard Lucas ignition system fitted when it was found, and Heuvelman has replaced it with a modern electronic system for improved performance.

Head over to the Back To Classics website for a photo gallery of the restoration. For more wonderful images of the finished bike, check out the website of photographer Ernst Klip.

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The Blue Bike has an illustrious history to match its stunning looks. It’s a ‘Series B’ Touring Rapide that was raced for almost half a century, ending with a final stint at Bonneville in 1997. Marty Dickerson himself was a remarkable 67.

Dickerson bought the Vincent in 1948 when he was a mere 18 years old, attracted by its reputation as the fastest motorcycle in the world. He quickly pressed the bike into service, taking on the finest street-racers and drag bikes in Southern California. And he invariably crossed the line first, leaving established reputations in tatters. The Vincent dealership in Burbank, struggling with non-existent sales and stock languishing in showrooms, took notice—and hired Dickerson to race throughout the southwest states in a drive to raise interest in the marque.

In the early 1950s the salt bug bit Dickerson and he went after the speed records. The Vincent was repainted in its now familiar colors, and from that point on, became known as the ‘Blue Bike.’ In 1953 Dickerson took the Class ‘C’ record with an average of 147.58mph, a mark that stood for over twenty years until a change of regulations and fuel grade allowed a trick Kawasaki to finally beat it.

Paul d’Orléans, writing for The Vintagent website, said: “The number of motorcycles worldwide which have endured serious competition for 50 years can be counted on one hand. Within this very special group, machines which have taken world records at Bonneville, and cemented the reputation of an entire brand in recognizably stock form, can be counted on one finger. The Blue Bike is unique.”

The Vincent is for sale at Altai Design.

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Ellaspede’s latest build is this 1968 Honda CB450 K1, a low-key but very effective resto-mod. “The brief was basically a restoration, with subtle mods where we thought appropriate,” says main man Leo Yip. “The original CB450 is a classic, but the look is somewhat reserved and ‘safe’ to modern eyes. So we shortened the fenders, slimmed down the seat, and lowered the bars and headlight. We also widened the wheels and tires a little to give it a slightly tougher appeal.”

Ellaspede adjusted the CB450’s frame to accommodate the new seat, thoroughly cleaned it up, and then sent it out (with many other parts) to be powdercoated in satin black.

Posh grips were fitted to the lower bars, and the original mirrors and switch blocks were cleaned, polished and reassembled. To lower the headlight the original mount was ground apart and re-welded. It’s now matched to Posh indicators. The tail-light was repositioned too, sitting lower on a modified original mount.

The front and rear fenders are custom shaped stainless items: “It would have been a shame to cut up the originals, because they were in good condition.” The tank and side covers are now finished in two-pack black, with the original badges polished and repainted.

Ellaspede reconditioned the original wheels and up-spec’d them to 2.15 x 18 at the front and 2.50 x 18 at the back. The tires are Dunlop Roadmaster TT100s, sized 3.5” for the front and a snug-fitting 130 at the back. (“We started with a 120 rear, but it just looked under-sized,” says Yip.) The front forks were reconditioned and new Ikon shocks now hold up the rear.

“The engine was in good shape,” says Yip, “so we overhauled it with new gaskets and bolts, and blasted and polished it. We also added an electronic ignition to the parts list.”

And what about the Elvis reference on the seat (below), resplendent in the correct vintage Honda typeface? In 1968, the year this bike was built, Presley appeared in the TV show that became known as the ‘Comeback Special.’ Clad in black leather, he resurrected his flagging career. Ellaspede’s client drew inspiration from this, and decided to name his similarly resurrected CB450 ‘Elvis’. A neat finishing touch for a bike that—like The King—is still popular after all these years.

Follow Ellaspede’s news on their blog and Facebook page.

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Gilera motorcycles were favored by many riders in those days, and in 1956 the final Milano Taranto was won by Pietro Carissoni in a Gilera 500 Saturno. The beautiful machine we’re looking at here is a smaller racer from the same year, a ‘Milano Taranto’ spec version of the Gilera 175.

It was restored by Hugo Gallina of Vintage Italian Restoration: “Back in 1958, my father owned a 175 Super Sport,” says Hugo. “The same basic motorcycle, but a street version. It was the first bike I sat on as a young kid—my father lifted me from the floor and sat me on top of the tank, and I remember burning my right foot with the exhaust header!”

Hugo never forgot that bike, and now, more than 50 years later, he has his own Gilera 175. It took a few years to restore it, but as these images show, it was worth the effort.

The perfect vintage steed for a leisurely weekend ride in the country, don’t you think?

Images courtesy of Jose Gallina.

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Uwe Ehinger’s background is in racing, and this classy ‘Snow Racer’ is inspired by 1930s race bikes. The heart of the Snow Racer is a story in itself: it’s a 1946 U model engine fitted with 1936 VLH cylinders, giving a capacity of 80ci. The bottom end has been completely overhauled, with new bearings and refined balancing. The heads are from a 1948 ULH, reworked to improve performance and provide better cooling.

Further mods include tweaked camshafts, a Dell’Orto carburetor, and an unrestricted 30s-style exhaust system. (“It serves more as a directional guide for exhaust fumes than a means for reducing noise,” Ehinger notes wryly.)

A modified Baker 6-speed transmission was placed in the rigid frame. And then Ehinger developed a custom coupling for the primary drive, with a matching clutch basket. The brakes are also custom: the specialist manufacturer Behringer created one-off hubs for the Snow Racer’s 21” and 19” wheels, and inboard brakes were installed. Then Ehinger fitted a Harley VL fork—equipped with a custom triple tree—and in a moment of inspiration, a modified Yamaha TY80 gas tank.

The Snow Racer is a runner, and not a show bike. Ehinger Kraftrad’s other builds are just as unusual, but like this one, they’re eminently rideable too. Head over to the company’s very stylish website to discover more.

With thanks to Brian Awitan of Imogene + Willie.

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Dunworth’s ears pricked up: St Denis was a machinist who worked on the engines of racer Hubert “Sonny” Routt. So he headed over to Baltimore to meet museum owner Chris Keaton, and examine the engine. It was pristine—“a true art piece,” says Dunworth. But the other parts for the build were bent, broken or rusty. “My heart sank,” recalls Dunworth. “But hey, at least he had that engine. Then from a box, he pulled the tank! That was all I needed to be re-energized.”

Dunworth chose the best of the bent frames, took it back to his Delaware workship, and put it on the jig. “I mounted it, and got the rear seat-stays heated and back in line. I then dropped the swing arm pivot one inch, and set the head tube at 25 degrees. That seems to be the magic number for vintage-size wheels for all-around performance.” Dunworth did his best to get an 11- to 13-degree swing arm angle as well: “Everything with a vintage bike is a compromise of educated guesses!”

On went a set of Atlas triple trees, and Commando fork legs, with a Commando hub laced to 19” anodized Sun rims by Buchanan’s. A matching 18” on the rear is laced to a Triumph conical hub.

The engine went into the frame using Loaded Gun’s own Triton conversion plates. (“We like to tilt the engine just a bit more than some of the others on the market.” Mikuni carbs and beautifully flowed intake manifolds release the full Arno St Denis magic, which includes a lightened crank and dynamic balancing. The motor is around 830cc, Dunworth estimates, has had a port job, and is running 10:1 pistons and a modified valve train.

“The primary machine work and the belt drive with polished clutch plate reveal that this is something special,” says Dunworth, “as well as a 60s bottom end with the ten-bolt head conversion. I like it because it most people just glance and say ‘cool,’ but the old dudes get down on one knee and start shaking their heads. At the Barber show, one guy said, “Did Arno do this engine? You know, what you got there is a real hot rod.”

The seat pan was hand-made by Dunworth and sent to Florida for finishing. “I wanted to give a nod to the Manx style, but get her tail up in the air bit, Euro style. The cro-mo bars are from Lossa Engineering, and a Buell master cylinder operates on Brembo brakes stolen from a wrecked Ducati 916. Hagon shocks fill out the back, the cloth-wrapped plug wires are from NYC Choppers, and footrests are taken care of with Loaded Gun’s own rearsets. The grips are super-sticky Ariete GPs.

The Triton is now Chris Keaton’s daily rider, used on the streets of Baltimore and the surrounding country roads, so Dunworth left much of the finish ‘raw.’ “The bike looked old and ridden as soon as we finished it.” And all the better for it, we’d say.

Head over to the Loaded Gun website to see more of Kevin Dunworth’s builds, and follow the progress of his builds on the Loaded Gun Facebook page.

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Chris had never thrown a leg over a bike before, but one of his friends had brought along a Honda CB cafe racer. And he let Chris ride it alongside the track—with no helmet, boots or gloves. After getting off the bike, Chris asked him how much he wanted for it.

“When I bought ‘Anna’ she was basically a stock CB500 daily rider, with a 4-into-2 exhaust and a set of clubmans,” says Chris, who quickly learnt to ride on the road during the Vancouver winter. “I thought I’d start by fixing the big ding in the tank. Then I thought, maybe I’ll paint the tank a different color. And then I thought, I’ll add a bump seat.”

And so it began, with Chris scouring websites for photos and avidly reading sohc4.net, the online bible for owners of 1969-1982 Honda four cylinder motorcycles.

The next winter, Chris upgraded the suspension with cartridge emulators and Works shocks. He fitted dual front discs and rear-sets, and installed fresh Avon rubber. He also got his hands on a Rickman Commando alloy tank, and had it altered to suit the Honda.

Then he threw in a 550 motor he picked up for a song. After six months, the 550 blew up. So Chris built up a new 550 motor, bored it out to 592cc with Dynoman 10.5:1 pistons, and ported and polished the head.

“At that point that I really got into vintage GP bikes. Nothing beats standing the bike up out of a corner and tucking into the fairing. I tracked down a guy in Holland who re-pops old MV Agusta 750ss fairings for the vintage race scene in Europe, and bought one.” It took 20 hours to fit it to the bike and manufacture the brackets. The paint scheme is inspired by the Yamaha ridden by Ago in his last World Championship, and the modern Rizla Suzuki MotoGP colors.

Chris’ favorite mod, however, is the braced swingarm with a hugger: “She tracks so much better coming out of corners now.”

Despite the racebike looks and extensive rebuilding, this CB550 has never been off the road for more than three days at a time. Chris even takes the bike on long camping trips—as far afield as California and Death Valley. “I like to ride,” he says. “She’s built with handling, speed and reliability in mind.”

A cafe racer in the truest sense of the word.

Thanks to photographer Luke Uri. Kodak Portra 160 film images taken with a Contax G1 w/ 90mm Zeiss and a Yashica FX-3 w/ 50mm Zeiss.

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.