About Me

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Henry Martin spends his nights writing fiction and poetry, which predominately deals with the often-overlooked aspects of humanity. He is the author of three novels: Escaping Barcelona, Finding Eivissa, and Eluding Reality; a short story collection, Coffee, Cigarettes, and Murderous Thoughts; and a poetry collection, The Silence Before Dawn. His most recent published project is a collection of Photostories in five volumes under the KSHM Project umbrella, for which he collaborated with Australian photographer Karl Strand, combining one of a kind images with short stories and vignettes. He is currently working on his next novel narrated in two opposing points of view. He lives with his family in the Northeast.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

An update

The CB750F has been out and about for the past two weeks, putting a smile on my face, and turning heads wherever we went together.

I have not done much to it since the last post: synchronized the carburetors with Carbtune Pro (easy to use), re-routed the throttle cables, and rode almost every day. The bike performs much better with 93 octane gas.

The only issue I ran into was a dragging front caliper (left side). After rebuilding the calipers, I installed a new set of brake pads. Since my local guy did not have anything else, I went with Marshall  pads. They appeared slightly thicker, but were made for my bike so I went ahead and put them in. On a ride few days ago (about 30 miles), I noticed a slight drag and decreased performance. Once I pulled over and put the bike on its centerstand, I proceeded to check the wheels. The front left disc was so hot I could have fried eggs on it by the side of the road.
I drove home slowly, and once in the garage, I swapped the stationary pad for the slightly used one I had laying around. Ever since then, the brakes stopped dragging.

I'm currently looking for the next project, whatever it is. I would like to complete a new build this winter, if time and finances allow. To this end, I'm going to look at a 1979 CX500D, and I'm talking with a lady about 1977 GS400X. Winters here are long.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Almost there

I went for a short spin today, and so far the bike has done real well. I still have a ton of work to do: Polish paint, clean everything, replace the front master cylinder reservoir cup once the parts arrive....

But, things are coming along, and the journey is almost over.

Here are a few pics I took this evening, as the ones from last night were rather crappy. And yes, the black seat is growing on me.




Thursday, September 1, 2011

Reworking the seat

When I first bought the white vinyl for the new seat, I matched the tank and fender white color to that of the vinyl. Unfortunately, the gas resistant clearcoat I used as the final coat, turned the bright white into a sort of cream white color. Not that I mind, as the color scheme looks even more vintage this way. Nevertheless, since the seat color is much brighter, it makes the seat stand out, rather than blend in.

After contemplating the resulting visual appearance last night, I started liking the white seat less and less. Don't get me wrong -- it definitely gave the bike a "one of a kind" look, but it did not sit right with me. So, today after diner, I decided to reupholster the seat in black vinyl. While the black seat most certainly stands out, it also compliments the other black pieces on the bike, and it breaks the bright blue and white color scheme.

As of now, I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I guess I'll have to give it a day or two to see how, and if, it will grow on me.