Back in 1983 .... where is Eric?

[Sgt.Pinback]

Hi,

it must been in 1983, when I bought my first CB750four KO and worked on them.

Being a student, short of money, no internet, no ebay the only source of Information was a booklet called HONDA CB750 Super Profile by Pete Shoemark.
I don't know how, but I got in contact with Eric Warburton. His masterpiece is presented in this booklet.

We had some letters and I got very useful info from him concerning the KO, even some pics of his unfinished Project.

Would like to know if his still in CB750 or if anybody knows him personally.

Below a pic of me in those days, working on two KO at once. And a pic of Eric in the Super Profile.

[Orcade-Ian]

Hi,
I knew a guy called Eric Warburton back in the late 1980's. By that time this one had a GoldWing shop in Cheshire called Custom Accessories, which he ran with his Wife, originally from home, then later in a posh building.  Could this be the guy you are looking for?
I'm still into Wings as well as all the other Honda stuff and still have contacts down in that area who might be able to throw some more light.
Ian

[AshimotoK0]

This is a quote from a UK member of the sandcast site in response to a post on the video 'Top Dog' CB750K0 vs Rocket3 featuring John Wyatt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7U-uNMg4x8&feature=youtu.be

'For correctness, Keith Newton did NOT restore the first sandcast in the Uk in '85. The bike he restored, UK registration YLY70H was a die cast engined bike, being famous in the UK for being the bike used by the UK motorcycle press in various magazine road tests of the day. Keith was certainly one of the first to restore a CB750 in the UK, although that "honour" may actually belong to a guy called Eric Warburton who restored another early UK die cast, AYU 972H which feaures in Pete Shoemarks book "CB750 Super profile" (published in 1983, so definitely pre-dates Keith Newtons restoration).
Back in the mid '80's here in the UK, the existence of sandcasts was generally not known, no production sandcasts ever being officially imported into the UK in '69.
As an aside, I understand that Keith Newton actually owned one of the original late pre-production CB750's in the mid '80's and did  deal to SWAP it for the die cast engined UK road test bike YLY70H, the restoration of which he then carried out and completed in 1985.

[AshimotoK0]

Is this him mentioned here:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/2010/03/article/knutsford-honda-sponsors-thunders/print

[mick]

Looks like the same Eric to me  cheers Mick.

[AshimotoK0]

There used to be a motor cycle dealer cum car dealer in Hazel Grove Stockport called Warburtons, I'm wondering if that's Eric or some relation of him that owned it. Did a lot of Triumphs and such along with Scimitar cars (remember those?) I've never actually had a run up to the Knutsford shop, it's fairly close for me so I might have a run up in the summer.

My mate from Kingswinford had a Scimitar car .. burst into flames in a traffic Jam ... was toast ... literally. Heard of another one that did the same thing. Never happened to Princess Anne's 'freebie' one though

Good lead on Warburtons  ... wonder if he would  comment on here Ken if its the same guy? Having restored my 400/4 in the mid 80's I know what a pain it was restoring Honda's then ( it took me  calling nearly ever Honda dealer in the UK for a pair of  400F2 side panel transfers .. they had a part number but not in the parts list ...seem to remember it was Fowlers of Bristol who had one pair only. This was the case  even though my 400 was less than ten years old then. Then came Mr. Silver in 1986 !

[Orcade-Ian]

Seems like a possibility that it's the same Eric, certainly the pic of the MD of Knutsford Honda looks like him, perhaps a little more rounded 🤓 Even the showroom looks like an improved and extended version of how I remember it.  It was on the left side of the road from the M6 towards Tatton Park just after you have crossed over the M56, A556 I think.
I remember him doing an 'end over end' on his own nearly new GL 1500.  When he was starting up with Custom Accessories he operated from his own garage for a while and used to invite Cheshire Wings and our crowd from Lancs and Lakes Wings to go and buy tinsel (not for me though, I prefer mine standard)
I remember other bikes in his garage, but paid little or no attention to them, except to notice they were immaculate - perhaps one was a sandcast?
Ian

[totty]

My mate from Kingswinford had a Scimitar car .. burst into flames in a traffic Jam ... was toast ... literally. Heard of another one that did the same thing. Never happened to Princess Anne's 'freebie' one though

I think she had 7 of them, still had a Middlebridge when I sold my last Scimitar and left the owners club a few years ago shortly after buying my 550.
Fiberglass body shells meant if a fire started it was probably going to be terminal. Added to this the fuel return pipes on the Webber carbs had been known drop out, we used to pin them to make sure it couldn't happen.

[Sgt.Pinback]

Great info so far, thanks to all!
Good to here he´s still in HONDAS. I wonder, if he still has aa CB750.

Found another pic from 1983, restoring KO´s
And, about 30 years later, doing the same.