Start of refurb

[K2-K6]

It seems that CR stuff is more US based suppliers but you only really need a tank and seat to get the overall look right. Although various suppliers do some things that are advertised through Classic Racer in the UK.

Thought the K2 had fork legs to accept calipers both sides, making for an easy conversion with just another caliper and new pipes.

As you say you'd be off beam to sling loads of money at it without very good reason, but if it's what you want you'd have to judge the budget for your own means. If you just want a fast ride you're right in that there is so much modern suff that will do it better.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that trying to make it a brit-style (i.e. Norton/Triumph/BSA) seems out of sorts for a Honda as valid racer history for that engine looks pretty good anyway. And some of those Candy colours zone it right into that era. Perhaps just a little bit of Daytona or California!!

Some of Carpy's stuff looks nice, I'm just not so struck on the more ornate examples and lean more to the function driven stuff as it has a style of it's own. If you geta look at a 4 or 8 leading shoe drum front brake from the sixties you'll get what I mean, it looks sooooo cool but it's not dressed up in any way just pure engineering magnificence (if that's a real word).

[david451]

It seems that CR stuff is more US based suppliers but you only really need a tank and seat to get the overall look right. Although various suppliers do some things that are advertised through Classic Racer in the UK.

Thought the K2 had fork legs to accept calipers both sides, making for an easy conversion with just another caliper and new pipes.

As you say you'd be off beam to sling loads of money at it without very good reason, but if it's what you want you'd have to judge the budget for your own means. If you just want a fast ride you're right in that there is so much modern suff that will do it better.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that trying to make it a brit-style (i.e. Norton/Triumph/BSA) seems out of sorts for a Honda as valid racer history for that engine looks pretty good anyway. And some of those Candy colours zone it right into that era. Perhaps just a little bit of Daytona or California!!

Some of Carpy's stuff looks nice, I'm just not so struck on the more ornate examples and lean more to the function driven stuff as it has a style of it's own. If you geta look at a 4 or 8 leading shoe drum front brake from the sixties you'll get what I mean, it looks sooooo cool but it's not dressed up in any way just pure engineering magnificence (if that's a real word).

I have a blackbird for frightening the shit out of me, and I doubt there is much out there that would make much difference to how fast you want to go because I imagine that it ticks the boxes for most folk. I also have a cb1000 "big one" and it's hard work to ride, did 7 days touring on it and it raped me.

In terms of the cafe and cr stuff, to me it's just the simplicity of it all, a nice clean frame without all that other shit stuck on if you know what I mean.  Soon nobody will know what a kickstart is or how to use it. I remember my mates dad kick starting his old bond car, lifting the bonnet, stuck his leg in and whoosh away it went, or my dad starting his commer cob with the starter handle. perhaps it's just old age eh, gone through the mid life crisis and now trying to relive my teen years before I become an old dobber.

[the-chauffeur]

If you're planning on doing any work on the frame (delugging/powdercoating) I'd strongly suggest getting hold of a Gordon frame kit from one of the fellas on the US SOHC4 site.  You chop out a section from the two supporting struts under the main spar under the tank and weld in threaded inserts that allow you to take the top off the engine whilst it's still in the frame.

For various reasons I've had to take the head off my K2 a few times in the recent past, and if I didn't have the kit fitted, what currently takes me an hour or so would have taken me days pulling the engine out and putting it back.