A 73 Honda Finch Survivor

Article And Photos By: Josh Elzey

just so happened that a motorcycle on eBay was just listed as a Honda Chopper, drawing no attention to the ad without any detailed description. Frank Rocco is used to searching for such ads with a keen eye, knowing that is where the deals are typically. In this case, he knew there was more to the chopper than it seemed at a glance as he searched for parts to start preparing for another Honda project he had. As he dived into the images, which included a close-up of the tank, he recognized the hint of the infamous Ron Finch signature. A little internet search and additional images requested by Frank from the owner verified the heritage. The current owner, a Miami interior designer, had bought the bike years before and used it as décor in his showroom, where the bike sat for who knows how many years. It was hardly ridden, and the paint was untouched! Frank then struck a deal! Once the survivor arrived at Frank’s place in NJ, it only needed a good cleaning. So with a battery installed, the bike fired right up and idled! Frank has been in the scene for thirty-plus years, gathering parts and putting builds together. Rocco also has quite the diverse collection at hand. Over the years, he has acquired an impressive spread of parts after years of swap meets and flea market deals, not to mention the invaluable connections he has developed. Frank was going to dig

into this stash to bring the Honda to a whole new level. Finch had modified the frame, made the oil tank which is artwork in itself, and his calling card linkages on top of the killer original custom paint scheme. The bike came with Avenger chrome spoked wheels, but Frank had a rarer set that he had found brand new in the box at a flea market years ago that he knew were perfect for the bike. Using an actual set of Aris headlights, Frank rebuilt them with new mounts in his machine shop.

Rocco continued to research the history of the bike. He looked into contacting Finch first. Frank noticed the keychain had a body shop out of MI listed named Gary’s Auto Body when the bike was delivered and thought it was worth a shot to call. However, the number was disconnected, so he figured it had gone out of business, but a quick google found the shop still existed! Frank told the owner this would be “the weird call of the day” but was told to bring it on. They informed him that Finch used his spray booth all the time, and they provided Finch’s website! Rocco was thrilled when Ron responded to an email. Although Finch said he didn’t recall the bike out of the handful of Honda’s he had chopped but thought it was nice looking! Frank sent his phone number with an image of the tank showing Ron’s signature. A month

later, Ron called Frank, and they talked for an hour!

Frank kept updating the original parts as closely as possible but continued to take it over the edge. For example, back then, performance parts were not as wellknown and an area he addressed on this bike. He looked at the holy grail of updates; side rail webers, the upright magneto, upright distributor, and turbocharger kit, which he has all of. The only one not used was the turbo due to the chopped-up frame and exhaust manifold interference. The stock exhaust was modified because it was so low to the ground and needed to be tucked up enough for ground clearance. It had drag pipes on it, which Frank didn’t find very exciting either, with the end result working out great.

Frank had brass plating accents done to the bike. It’s a nice touch on top of chrome when the patina looks really old. He sent out parts for plating, such as the brake pedal side modified to clear the ignition, the newly hand-built sissy rail, and some carburetion parts. The engine covers were re-plated as well as parts he built by Marra plating. The brass also complimented the orange custom paint job. Frank didn’t need to buff or do anything to the paint. It was so well kept.

Once assembled, he spent a lot of time tuning the bike and will do more as he rides it. Frank rode the chopper around the block when

Owner: Frank Rocco City/State: Blairstown, NJ Builder: Ron Finch Year: 1978 Model: Honda Value: Time: ENGINE Year: 1973 Model: CB750 Builder: Ignition: Vertex Displacement: 750cc Pistons: Stock Heads: Stock Carb: Weber Sidedraft Cam: Stock Air Cleaner: Weber Exhaust: Custom Cycle X Primary: TRANSMISSION Year: Make: Shifting: FRAME Year: Model: Amen Modified by Ron Finch Rake: 40 Degrees Stretch: Forks Builder: Type: Amen Springer Triple Trees: Extension: 12 Over

WHEELS Front Wheel: Round Spoke Invade 1 Size: 16 Inch Tire: Front Brake: Mini Disc Rear Wheel: Round spoke Invader Size: 16 Inch Tire: Rear Brake: Drum

PAINT Painter: Ron Finch Color: Orange Flame Type: Graphics: Chroming: ACCESSORIES Bars: Six Bend Risers: Finch Hand Controls: Foot Controls: Gas Tank(s): Finch Oil Tank: Finch Front fender: Rear Fender: Seat: Finch Headlight: Aris Tail light: Finch Speedo: None finished and then again soon after at ‘Not Night of the Troglodytes’ chopper show. That was when he realized the handlebars are somewhat of a problem when trying to keep the bike stable at low speeds, so he has since built another set of twisted z bars for the chopper.

Being an engineer, Frank appreciates this build with tons of little details, making it a greatlooking and riding machine that just happened to come with a remarkable history.

• 5/64” Allen wrench • 7/32” deep socket • 3/16” Allen wrench • 5/16” socket • 9/16” open-end wrench • Circlip pliers • Flathead screwdriver • 3/8” open-ended wrench • 1/2” open-ended wrench

Article By: Jenny Lefferts And Photos By: Daniel Furon

uring this installment of revamping my dated 1993 Sportster 883, Colin Winter with Motorious Speed Shop adds hand controls to the D Thrashin’ midbend handlebar and Wild 1 risers we installed in issue 391.

We wanted to replace the stock control switch housings with a new setup. We were happy to find a super clean, three-button black anodized billet setup from our friends at Hawg Halters (HHI). We complimented the housings with a trick front master cylinder and matching easy-pull clutch lever perch assembly from Roland Sands Design (RSD). This high-end setup reduces the need for pull strength and makes shifting a lot smoother and easier.

We turned to our friends at Barnett to set us up with its Stealth-Black cables with 6” added to the stock sizes: Two throttle cables, one clutch, and a front brake line. (We will get to the brake line when we upgrade the Sporty’s braking system in a future article.)

Initially, we wanted to install a pair of Avon heated grips (shown in the parts photo below). We discovered that they’re designed for use with stock Sportster control housings. Since we had the stockers with RSD’s three-button control housings, the heated grips were incompatible. So, we instead chose Avon’s Custom Contour Gatlin grips.

The job is accented and finalized with an elegant pair of 3-1/4” diameter mirrors from Joker Machine. Installers need to note that the RSD hand controls and Joker Machine mirrors have two different thread pitches. We ordered 10mm metric adapters but needed a 5/16-18 x 5/16-24. Remembering that Harley exhaust studs are these sizes, we sourced these to attach the new mirrors. Using a 5/64” Allen wrench, Colin removes the three screws and side covers from the switch housing.

He then inserts the push-button switches into each hole using the socket and supplied nuts to firmly attach them to the housing, making sure to orient the wires towards the

notch (this will save you time later). Colin then installs the supplied buttons by snapping them in place onto the

installed switches. He reinstalls the stock side cover and three screws using the same 5/64” Allen wrench.

Using the wiring harness supplied by Hawg Halters, he feeds the wires through the bars from the bottom to the top. Colin slides the switch housing over the end of the handlebar, then refers to the factory electrical diagram to determine which wires go together. He cuts, solders, and secures the connections with heat shrink tubing. (These attachments are year and model specific, so be sure to use the service manual for your particular

bike.) He slides the Avon throttle grip onto the bar and uses a 5/64” Allen wrench

to secure it to the RSD switch housing. Colin then installs the RSD brake master cylinder assembly by placing the supplied pinch clamps around the bar and uses a 3/16” Allen wrench to the left switch housing. Colin then installs the RSD clutch lever perch assembly by placing the supplied pinch clamps around the bar and uses a 3/16” Allen wrench to

tighten the bolts. To install the Barnett clutch cable, Colin removes the footpeg mount and shift lever and then the outer primary cover using a 3/16” Allen wrench (on newer Sportster models, only the

derby cover will need to be removed). Next, he removes the clutch release by bending down the lock tabs and removing the three 5/16” screws attaching the clutch release mechanism to the inside of the primary cover.

He then removes the mechanism from the cover, being careful to hold the two halves together, preventing the ball bearings from dislodging.

The clutch release can then be pivoted and detached from the end of the stock clutch cable. Once detached, the old clutch cable is unscrewed and removed from the outer primary cover.

The new Barnett clutch cable is now inserted and threaded into the primary cover, making sure to use the included O-ring between the threaded barrel of the cable and the primary cover. Colin uses a 9/16” open-end wrench to tighten the cable to 3–5 ft-lbs. Do not overtighten as the threads are delicate.

With the new cable inserted, Colin attaches the release mechanism coupling to the exposed ferrule at the end of the Barnett cable and then slides the coupling back into its slotted cavity on the release mechanism unit. The release unit is then carefully placed back into position. on top of the release unit and uses a 5/16” socket to torque the three screws to 22–20 in-lbs. After tightening, he carefully bends the locking tabs into place to keep it all secure.

Refer to owners manual for primary installation steps.

After routing the clutch cable up to the handlebar, Colin uses circlip pliers to remove the circlip and then removes the clutch pivot pin from the lever. Then he inserts the end of clutch cable into the lever and slides the RSD pivot pin into position. After replacing the circlip on the pivot pin, he slides the end of the clutch cable housing into its proper location in the clutch perch.

Refer to owners manual for clutch and cable adjustment.

Next, he attaches the two throttle cable ends onto the bracket at the carburetor. He routes them up to the right HHI control housing and threads them into their respective places using a 3/8” open ended wrench. Colin places the tiny brass cable ferrules on the cable ends before inserting them into the slots on the Avon throttle sleeve.Then he secures the throttle housing using a 9/64” Allen wrench and ends by adjusting the throttle cable adjustment to remove slack, being sure to tighten the jam nuts.

Colin spins the Joker Machine mirror stems into the stanchions on the RSD controls, threading them in as far as possible until the mirror is in the desired location. Then he uses a 1/2” open ended wrench to tighten the jam nuts.

The new handlebar and controls really give the old Sporty a fresh, new look. Stay tuned for more articles to see how we continue the process.

Cycle Re-Sources: RolandSands.com AvonGrips-com Barnett Cables BarnettClutches.com HawgHalters.com JokerMachine.com Motorious Speed Shop Instagram@motoriousspeedshop