Flexible Hones and Custom Motorcycles

Honda VT750 motorcycles feature a strong steel frame and compact chassis that offers smooth, easy road-handling. Built from 1998 to 2003, the Shadow A.C.E. (American Custom Edition) let the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer make a run at Harley-Davidson’s U.S. market share. With its classic styling, big V-twin engine, and throaty rumble, the Honda VT750 still appeals to bike builders who prize bobbers.

Bobber Motorcycles and Model Mechanics

In the world of custom-built motorcycles, bobbers enjoy a special place. Stripped of large, heavy, stock parts, bobber bikes are lighter and more agile. For Jim Giuffra of AFT Customs, modifying a 750 A.C.E. for a California casino was more than just another chance to upgrade an engine. The ASUMATI bike that AFT Customs built combined smooth lines and distinctive styling with peak power and performance. 

The mechanics who built the ASUMATI were different, too. In an industry dominated by machines and men, Jim Giuffra hires women – ones who double as models. These mechanics aren’t just hired for their physical appearance, however. Members of this exclusive modeling agency perform motorcycle tuning, bike repairs, and custom fabrication along with welding and sheet metal work.

Engine Rebuilds and Pineapple Hones

The modifications that ATF Customs makes include installing a custom engine kit with pistons, cams, and gaskets. Boosting a bike’s power from 37-hp to as much as 48-hp also involves honing the cylinder walls to impart a cross-hatch pattern of uniformly-spaced, oil-retaining grooves or “scratches”. In addition to optimizing lubrication, this plateau finish reduces wear and promotes piston ring seating and sealing.  

Just as they install only high-quality motorcycle parts, the model mechanics of ATF Customs use the best tools for engine rebuilds. For deburring, deglazing, and improving the surface finish of cylinders, the Flex-Hone® tool from Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) is the engine hone of choice. Sometimes called a ball hone, the BRM cylinder hone earned a new nickname at ATF Customs – the pineapple hone.

Flexible Honing Tools for Automotive Applications

Built with a stiff metal stem and flexible nylon abrasive filaments, the Flex-Hone® is both versatile and easy-to-use. Professional mechanics and hobbyists alike use flexible hones with handheld electric drills – common equipment in most garages.  The automotive industry also uses BRM brush tools on engine cylinders as well as camshafts, valves, clutches, brakes, crankshafts, conrods, and piston rings.  

Self-centering and self-aligning to the bore, flexible hones use a low-temperature abrading process that leaves the base metal undisturbed. Available in a 10 different abrasive types and a wide range of grit selections, BRM ball hones comes in standard diameters ranging from 4-mm to 36 inches.  So whether you’re a manufacturer, machinist, metal worker, or hobbyist, there’s a Flex-Hone® application for you.

As the model mechanics at AFT Customs demonstrated with their ASUMATI bike build, BRM ball hones are ideal for imparting a superior surface finish to any type or size of cylinder. Have you used Flex-Hone® tools for motorcycle tuning or maintenance? If so, let us know by commenting on this blog entry.