[jcboal43]

I purchased a 1971-ish cb500 with a custom lattice frame and i am wondering if it might look familiar to anyone...is it a kit, a one off, a race bike?
Here are a few things I know:
- Well built lattice frame, where the lower engine cradle unbolts from the rest of the frame
- it has an aluminum swing arm
- eccentric chain adjuster in the frame
- Arces triple tree
- Drilled rear hub for cooling (and brake shoes)
- Clear right side magneto cover
Really odd things:
- Cable operated kick stand
- Additional switched on the handle bars
- accessory red light above the left rear turn signal

I am wondering if it wasn't a race bike that someone tried to make street legal.

Any other ideas?

 

[TrialsRider]

It's a Bitsa

Bits of this and bits of that, definitely not a race bike.

 

[TrialsRider]

Would make a dandy sawmill if the motor runs.

 

[jcboal43]

It's a Bitsa

Bits of this and bits of that, definitely not a race bike.

Although I don't disagree with you, I'm curious why you came to that conclusion? All the street stuff looks like was added as a after thought. I can't figure out why someone would go through the time and expense of building such an elaborate frame. Apparently it had high end Fontana wheels and other bits and pieces too.

Oh, I also didn't mention that the license plates last tag was 1978....

 

[TrialsRider]

Does it have a VIN ?

Who welds passenger pegs onto a race frame?

 

[jcboal43]

Does it have a VIN ?

Who welds passenger pegs onto a race frame?

No vin#, at least that I have found...which is odd, if it was licensed for street use.

I thought the same thing about the passanger pegs....but the main pegs look like they were added back on after. The passanger pegs seem like they could be used for reversed controls ...

I'm just playing devil's advocate here....

 

[TrialsRider]

What is the size of the hole in the triple trees for the front fork stanchions, it looks tiny.
And what is the thread on the bolts in the frame, from here they look like something British and not metric.

Good luck licensing and insuring a motorcycle with no VIN

 

[jcw]

welds look strange. So smooth. Almost like a massed produced look.
Tubing looks undersized to me, I know it's supposed to be a spaceframe, but it's not really.

Interesting, though....


a 2 second google search came up with this.

https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Ceriani

Very cool if that is a Ceriani bike frame and suspension... Nice find!
No forks, huh? That would be the major part of the cool...

 

[kenessex]

There wasn't that much of a distinction between a street bike and a race bike in the 70's. Many of us could not afford a separate dedicated race bike and just stripped the lights off our daily driver and went racing. For instance, the passenger peg mounts were also exhaust mounts. I don't have any idea about the frame, but there were several people that would build up the ultimate cafe racer from available components for a cool street bike and race it on the weekends. It looks like it would be a pretty cool restoration. The forks look pretty small, but Cerriani forks were some go to items for that era.

 

[jcw]

I'd go over that frame very carefully for cracks.... maybe use some dye penetrant.
especially in the high vibration areas. Cracks are a bitch.

 

[jaguar]

Not sure what it is, but wholly hell do I want it in my garage!

Kind of reminds me of my old CB77 Yetman frame.

 

[jcboal43]

It is interesting that others noticed what I did...
The time put it to the welds and design blow me away. There is a special "hole" welded in for the tach drive. Yet, the front pegs cover up the kick starter (that's one reason I think they were added after).
Also, to have an all aluminum swingarm, an eccentric chain adjuster up front, and majorly vented rear hub.....does not scream street bike, hahaha.

I appreciate all your thoughts on this.

Also, I'm not concerned about the vin# at this point. It was registered at one point and/or custom frames get licensed all the time.

 

[TrialsRider]

"custom frames get licensed all the time."
Correct they do
and they make you stamp a VIN on the frame steering head or other designated spot,
I have one like that and the VIN they assigned is based largely on my birthdate.

 

[TrialsRider]

I used to cross cut my brake pads like that so they clear of mud and water faster.
but somebody went drill crazy on that one, we never did that lol

... you could bead blast the frame clean of old paint, that might reveal a lot.

 

[TrialsRider]

"Cable operated kick stand"
Is that the lever on the bars, because that looks like what they would have used for magneto advance or decompressor in ancient times.

 

[kenessex]

The three bolt junctions for the engine cradle reminds me of a Bimota frame I saw from about that same era. It used 3 bolt conical joints to hold two frame sections together. I wonder if this could be a very early Bimota frame as that would help explain the triple clamps and the attention to detail on the frame?

 

[jcboal43]

The lever on the handlebars that looks like a decompression lever connects via cable to the kickstand...odd, I know.

I do plan on disassembling and blasting it to get it clean before a new powdercoat.

 

[TrialsRider]

... unless you were doing a world land speed record attempt and could not put your feet down because they were inside a tube lol too bad you don't have the entire motorcycle.

 

[jaguar]

It is very different to a Bimota HB1 frame.

It looks like the welds were smoothed over with filler (bondo) before painting. Old chopper kinda thing.

 

[dirkchecken]

the hd rr250 i used to have was titled in south carolina. i think the owner before me had it done in 1995. i believe they put the frame # on the title ...........#12 . no way was a vin stamped onthe frame. the previous owner, myself and whoever ownes it now hopefully would never alow it. (its in europe somewhere), try the uk specials or youngtimer classic superbike fb pages , one of the euros might know