Honda CB160/CR93 project. Over to you, Oedell in Oregon!

 In late 2013, Mr. Oedell of Oregon contacted CMR interested in a replica Honda CR93 aluminum fuel tank and seat for his Honda CB160 motorcycle.

We supply quite a few CR93 replica aluminum fuel tanks and seats to fit various Honda period motorcycles. CMR carries an inventory of original frames, fuel tanks, engines, etc. to enable us to accurately produce correctly fitting replica parts to order. We have an original CB160 frame supplied to us by Mr. Bert Lilley of Canada, one of the leading CR93 replica specialists in the world.





In this case, Mr. Oedell had an early Honda CB160 frame and wanted us to make the tank and seat feat onto his frame. W

Mr. Oedell was particular in requiring the shape of the tank and seat to be exactly the same as the original works Honda racing CR93. These pictures show how close we were able to meet his desires.

The front of the tank has a recess for the main frame rail and the radius at the front of the tank has to blend with the recess. Here you see the finished opening and how well the tank fits.








Here is a front-on shot which shows the flat portion on the top of the tank just like the works tanks. We used on this one a two-inch Monza aluminum flip-top period fuel cap. We also use genuine Honda rubber front fuel tank mounts as they are still available.










The radius on the back of the racing seat is very hard to produce on an 'English wheel' or by hand, but we feel this seat is next to perfection. You will notice on the rear of the tank that we supply a pull-down strap while on the original CR93 tank it was just a rubber band. It is actually a Yamaha fuel tank pull-down strap and they work perfectly.

Here we show the kit of parts for mounting the tank. CMR customers regularly tell us how delighted they are with the detail parts we supply with our kits - everything for assembling the project!

Our stock CB160 frame could do with a coat of paint
 but we use it as a pattern as mentioned above

Mr. Oedell asked us to provide an inner rear fender/mudguard/splatter-shield similar to the CR93 unit for his CB160 project. As you can see it's a U-channel with side flaps and is bolted at the bottom and zip-tied at the top to the CB160 rear frame rails. When you compare it to the works CR93 it comes very close.

Here is the finished product packaged for its journey to Oregon
where another happy CMR customer is waiting.

We shipped the CMR tank and seat to Mr. Oedell in January. Prior to shipping, we sent him some photos. He responded (as our customers so often do) with "That looks awesome! Thank you for the pics, super excited. Ha-ha! Can't stop staring at it! Wow, you guys are good!"

Great working with  you Mr. Oedell!

Update from Philippe Ronne on the 2013 French Post Classic 900 Championship

CMR receives regular updates from our customers. This one is from Philippe Ronne in France who rides a CMR-framed Yahama TZ750.

Le Castelet April 7^th

The First Round took place on the beautiful track of Circuit Paul Ricard. It’s a very fast track in the South of France but very slippery when wet. At the beginning of April the weather was cold with many rain storms. It was my first race on my brand new CMR TZ-750 and I was not ready to crash it. I rode very carefully but scored 6th place overall on the grid and 2nd in Post Classic 900 category.

Race #1 started on a wet track and I was not ready to use full throttle with this bike yet. I finished 16th (5th PC900). Race #2 was much less stressful and I took 5th place overall and 2nd in my category. After the first round I stood at 4th in the French Championship. The bike is well born and I need to get more experience on it...

Crois-en-Ternois April 28th
The Second Round was in Croix-en-Ternois in the north of France. The weather was still cold and very wet there and I was still afraid of the bike's performance on a wet track. I placed 11th on the grid (9th in PC900) after the Qualification race. There were three races, but just two scoring for the French Championship. A spectacular rainstorm occurred just before Race#1 began, and I decided not to start.
Race#2 was much better and after a nice fight against a Suzuki RG500 I finished 9th (8th in PC900).
Race #3 was even better and I took the 7th place and 4th in my category.
I was rather happy about my weekend as the TZ was not the best choice for this short track. I now stood at 3rd in the French Championship.

Haute Saintonge May 19th
The third round was held on another rainy weekend with flooding in the paddock and on the track. I scored a disastrous 23rd place in the qualification race with tons of water on the track.
In Race#1 I tied my best to go through traffic quickly, but I suddenly lost my clutch at the mid-point of the race and finished 21st (7th in PC900). I tried to repair my clutch for Race#2 but the clutch basket was broken and I could not take my place on the grid. This was a very bad weekend as I slipped down to 5th Place in the French Championship.

Nogaro June 2nd
The Fourth Round was held at one of my favourite circuits! I was born 30 miles away and I love the beautiful sunny weather in the south of France. But this year the weather was very wet and we even got a rain storm.
12th place on the grid: I could have done better!
I had a disastrous start to Race#1 and was last into the first corner. I managed to finish 16th (4th PC900).
Race #2 started on a wet but drying track. I could not manage to keep in contact with the front runners and finished way down in 22nd place and 8th in PC900. I was still waiting for nice weather and a good race. I felt I was very lucky to remain 5th in the French Championship but my challengers were pushing very hard.

Carole July 8th
The Fifth Round and it was our first sunny weekend of the season. I tested my new Continental tires and they seemed to be quite efficient. I achieved 2nd row on the grid and first place in PC900 in the Qualification race.
In Race #1 my start was poor but I finished 5th overall and 1st in my category. Race #2 was very good and I won first place in PC900 again. Two wins and the fastest race lap: a nice weekend and I moved up in the French Chamionship to 3rd place.

Le Mans July 22nd
The Sixth Round at the Bugatti Circuit held great promise for the CMR TZ-750 and the weather forecast was favourable.
In the Qualification Race I took 9th place overall and 1st place in PC900.
In Race #2 I finished 7th overall and 1st place again in PC900. I was very happy as this was a very good weekend with two wins in PC900 and the bonus for the fastest lap of the race.
I was now leading the French Chamionship and very confident for the future.

Magny-Cours August 4th
In the Seventh Round the rain returned and I qualified down in 31st place. I was disappointed. In Race #1 from the 11th row on the grid I gained 6th place overall and 1st place in my category.
In Race #2 I took 7th overall and 2nd place in PC900. I also took the bonus for the fastest lap again. That wasn't too bad at all considering the qualification position!

Pau September 15th
The Eighth round and I was really looking forward to this track which has a very interesting elevation changes similar to Spa-Francorchamps. I felt rather confident being in a comfortable first position in the French Chamionship with only two races to go!
After only three laps in the Qualification race the red flag appeared and we had to restart after a 15 minute stop. As I restarted with cold tires, I lost grip and fell down. There was no major damage but a heavy rainstorm erupted and we had to repair the bike in bad conditions during the night. In the morning I had no time to try the bike out and had to start the race with my brakes a little spongy. After ten laps and just as I got to second place I lost my brakes and had to lay the bike down. It was a very serious crash but I wasn't injured, however the TZ was heavily damaged and I could not start for Race #2.

Le Vigeant October 20
Final Round of the 2013 French Championship.
This race weekend was a succession of my mistakes and my bad luck!
The weather was again very cold and rainy and I chose the wrong tires in the Qualification and Race #1. I took 22nd on the grid and could not control the TZ on the track. The tires were slipping in every curve and I finished Race #1 way down the field in 26th place (5th in PC900). I changed tires before Race #2 but it started raining heavily again and even with the new tires I could not follow the racers ahead of me. I finished 22nd overall and 6th in my category.

I lost my first place in the French Championship with a score of 261 points to my challenger's 264!
I now have a good reason to come back in 2014 with my CMR TZ-750.

Many thanks to Denis and Byron, and the CMR Racing Products Team, for the very nice work they did on my CMR Yamaha TZ-750 Frame, and Swing-arm kit and fuel tank kit and accessories.

For more photos of Philip Ronne's CMR Yamaha TZ750 project follow this link to our CMR Facebook page.

Another CMR Report from Down Under

We've just had word from Phil Harris, a new CMR customer in Melbourne Australia, who has been working on putting together his CMR Suzuki TR/XR/GT750 frame and tank kit (plus accessories) in readiness for the Philip Island International Classic 2014.


Phil sent us some photos on January 19 of his completed project, and it's a beauty.

Phil's words: "Here is our lovely TR750 with rider Clive Carter. We're not allowed allowed to tell you how many horsepower the bike produced on the dyno."











Clive looks at home on his new mount. He's ready to go!

Phil is on the left, utilizing his rider's strength to put the motor in the CMR frame.

The photo above shows the right side of the bike, square-on. Isn't it beautiful?

These two shots show the bike in its mocked-up form without fairing before painting and testing.

Here is the fully mocked-up bike with full fairing and screen in place.

Phil and Clive hoping that this will be the view that most riders will see of the bike, disappearing into the distance at Phillip Island.

Phil has promised to send us complete results and a video of the bike performing at Phillip Island. We'll post it as soon as we get it. Stay tuned!

CMR Update from Down Under - the Philip Island Classic, January 24-26, 2014

The CMR Yamaha TZ750

This is an update on CMR customer Dave Crussell and Team USA competing at the Phillip Island Classic near Melbourne Australia. The following is from the website of Motorcycling Australia, entry dated January 25, 2014. For the complete item, go to the Motorcycling Australia website.

Here's the report:

"Team USA to Unleash at Island Classic

Team USA organizer and multi-time AHRMA National Champion Dave Crussel has assembled a team of current and past championship winning racers from across America to compete at this weekend's AMCN International Island Classic at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

The year 2014 marks the second year in which the Americans have fielded a team in the Tahbilk International Challenge - a four-nation battle between the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand to determine historic motorcycle racing supremacy....

...In 2014, the team will be focussing on the international challenge in the P5 Forgotten Era Superbike Category (1972-82).

Dave on the CMR TZ750 at Isle of Man in August 2013

Dave Crussell will be aboard one of his 1978 CMR TZ750's. Crussell will also field four other riders on his machines. Brian Filo, current AHMRA racer and one of the top points scorers in 2014 will ride a full-on 1978 P&M Kawasaki Z1. Current and past AFM Superbike champions Shawn Riley and Rob Mesa will be aboard a 1978 Sponden TZ750 and another 1978 CMR TZ750...

...The Island Classic is the Southern Hemisphere's largest historic motorcycle racing event. As well as the Tahbilk International Challenge, the Classic also hosts events for solo and side-car machinery from early last century to 1990."

Final results, and a personal update from Dave Crussell will be posted as soon as we receive them.

Dave Crussell at the Classic TT IOM 2013

Dave Crussel's CMR-framed Yamaha TZ750
ready for first practice

CMR recently received some more great photos taken at the Isle of Man Classic TT in August 2013. Thought readers of the blog would like to have a look.

If you'd like to read another post about Dave and the CMR-framed Yamaha TZ750 at the Isle of Man, here's the link. An earlier post takes you back to the beginning of the story.

Thanks to TZ Mike for sending these great shots of a great bike and rider team.

Dave Crussells's tuner Scott Clough warming the bike up

Dave with tuner Scott awaiting first practice start

Scott discussing the CMR  Yamaha TZ750
with ex-world champion Freddie Spencer (on left)
and Steve Baker (on right)

Scott taking a breather from all his hard work

The TZ in the paddock with Dave's wife alongside

Dave lining up for the race

End of a terrific race on the CMR Yamaha TZ750
Fastest lap: 107.33 miles per hour!!
Second place in P1 Class

Remember to visit CMR Racing Products on our website and on Facebook!

Christmas greetings from CMR Racing Products

This is the time of year when we look back over the year past, and look forward to a new one. Inevitably, our thoughts turn to folks we've met along the road over the past twelve months. We have met some terrific people from all over the globe this year.











 We want to take this opportunity to say hello to all of you - in Europe, in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States and Canada. It's been great working with each and every one of you on your projects and  we wish you every success in the year ahead.
 


And to folks who've visited the blog - do come back. If we've given you some ideas, get in touch. We'd  like to meet you and find a way to assist you with your classic racing project - or other two-wheel endeavours.

Watch for the new CMR logo in 2014

So to all of you, Season's Greetings from  Denis, owner, designer, machinist, fabricator and marketing manager at CMR Racing Products Inc. and Byron, our welder and fabricator extraordinaire. All the best in 2014.

Dave Crussell update - Isle of Man to Philip Island

Dave's CMR framed TZ750 as a backdrop
for an ITV4 interview with Freddie Spencer, Steve Baker
and Jamie Whittam

You may have read our March 2013 post about San Francisco-based ex-Brit classic racer Dave Crussell preparing to run a CMR Yamaha TZ750 framed bike at the Isle of Man. If you want to go there again, here's the story!

"It takes five years to learn the Isle of Man course." So say a number of racing veterans of CMR's acquaintance who have run this legendary circuit, including such notables as Dave Roper and Peter Sheppard.

Flat out at the famous Goose Neck corner 

 On his inaugural run on the Island in August 2013, Dave Crussell had only four laps of practice, due to bad weather and accidents closing the course.

Dave had planned to be on the Isle of Man from the 20th to the 26th August to take advantage of practice sessions before the race, but could only get those four laps in due to circumstances beyond his control. Weather marshalls closed the course. What can a man do?

March: the first run on the bike at Willow Springs, CA

He goes for it.


First time out, racing in the Classic TT 'Formula 1' event in the P1 class on the Isle of Man, Dave Crussell finished second, achieving a four-lap race average of 103.98 mph with a  final lap speed of 107.33 mph. WOW!

Dave at speed at Willow Springs

Dave called us at CMR just after the event to share his results. Dave felt that he will be able to achieve a 110 mile per hour lap on this CMR-equipped machinery in  2014, once he has more confidence on the course. It's always good to know what's around the next corner! Dave categorically stated that this CMR TZ750 was the best-handling bike he had ever raced. Period.

the first run at Willow Springs completed satisfactorily

CMR would like to compliment tuner Scott Clough, of Scott Clough Racing in California, who worked the magic on Dave's engine. Well done Scott!

And super well done, Dave! CMR is proud to have assisted in such an outstanding performance.

Dave's second CMR-framed TZ750 just completed
 November 2013

the other side of the second machinen

Dave's Isle of Man CMR TZ750 plus the newly completed second bike (see below) will be shipped to Australia in early November 2013 ready for competition at the 2014 Philip Island Classic in January. This will be an event to watch!







For more information about products and services available at CMR Racing Products Inc. visit CMR Racing Products website.

Contact us at cmrracingproducts@gmail.com.

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