El Guapo - More Mockup

Hodaka!!?!?!?? That's right, a Hodaka SL250 Thunderdog fuel tank. I found this bad boy on Ebay for a meager price, and it showed up today. As mentioned during the intro of El Guapo, I really wanted a beefy, blocky looking tank. And this bad boy does the job. It is substantially bigger than the original CL90 tank, and comes with plain sides. As in knee pads, no badges, no chrome pieces. Just a nice big area for some custom paint work.

Just a quick mock-up of a seat, trying to get an idea how long to make it, and what shape looks good:

I shortened the seat, then added a luggage rack from a Honda C100, and a little scrap piece of back fender from a Yamaha GT80, just to get a profile view:

Just an idea to see what a hard case looks like on the back:


These shots also give me an idea of what I want my rear ride height to be. It looks like my rear shock need to be around 15-16" from eye to eye. Unfortunately, I don't have any shocks that length, and most small bikes shocks are shorter by a couple inches. I've done a little research, and some XR250 twin shocks seems to be in that range. That would let me avoid spending $200 on new shocks.

And remember, the rear tire will be getting quite a bit bigger. Likely a 3.5x18, instead of the little 2.75x18 on there now.

El Guapo - Wheel and Frame Mockup V1

This is when I start posting pictures of the bike as I put more stuff on it. It doesn't look like a motorcycle yet, but just use your imagination. I was really pleased to find that a 21" front wheel off an SL125 would fit. I'll be mounting a much chunkier rear tire, likely a 3.5"x18, so the rear will be more balanced. I'll also need longer rear shocks, something about ttthhiiissss much longer.

El Guapo - Parts Deliveries

Two of several parts deliveries have been made this week for El Guapo. Including...

A pair of front fork boots and an engine gasket set, courtesy of Classic Scooter Parts. I placed the order on Sunday, and they arrived Monday. Fantastic service.

Then today, this awesome package arrived. It looked like something Mr. A would pack up, since it was pieced together from about five pieces of cardboard.

Busting out the big guns to open it:

Hooray! A complete front wheel assembly from a Honda SL125. 21" front diameter wheel, instead of an 18" The chrome wheels is flawless, and the hub is fantastic. The 2.75x21 Bridgestone tire might even prove useable.

I'm hoping to get two more top end engine seals in later this week, then I can see about getting the motor pack together. I might even see about mocking up the frame for some measurements.

Happy Belated Canada Day!

I realized how late I am in thanking my family members, that help me to celebrate Canada Day. Luckily for me, Canada day lasted for weeks, as I was able to enjoy the following:

Lots of beer and candy! Speaking of beers, the package included some Scrimshaw and quite possibly the most delicious beer I have enjoyed in quite some time, an Eel River Organic Porter. So incredibly roasty and tasty. I would be totally happy if a 6-pack of this found its way into my Christmas stocking. Hint hint.

Brew day at Doug's house

Crescent City

El Guapo Concept

El Guapo Begins

Since the Miyata is nearly finished, and I've been bored, I decided to start another little bike project. I've had this grand plan to create a 1960s Scrambler. Some knobby tires, high-mount exhaust, taller suspension etc. I happen to have a handful of Honda S90/CL90 parts bikes, so I grabbed one of them and stripped it down. He will be called "El Guapo" from now on.

I had several complete engines to start with, and tore this down in about thirty minutes. Everything is quite clean, with no rust or scouring in the cylinder. Even the valves and cylinder head look great.

These bikes have an interesting pressed steel frame, that mounts the horizontal OHC Honda motor. One of the keys to getting the right look, is finding a proper tank. I have both S90 and CL90 tanks, as shown below.

CL90 tank. I like this overall shape, I just want the tank to be a bit bulkier:

The S90 tank is more rounded, and more cafe looking, especially with the chrome side covers:

I also had this Bridgestone 90 Mountain tank sitting on the shelf.


I need to do up some sketches of what I'm looking for. Then I can start scouring ebay for a suitable tank.

Chris H.

Big Hank Keeps Rolling