Dr. Jules Medina is an LA based cinema art scholar and road racer. He loves classic Porsches and old-school dirt bikes, so when he came across a decrepit ’72 Honda CB750k he decided to combine these influences. He set out to build something “…really beautiful and technically superb."
Racing a 1976 Honda CB750 in the AHRMA (American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association) Formula 750 class for the last 10 years has given him a comprehensive relationship with OHC CB750s; what makes them win, what makes them break, what makes them spit you 15 feet into the air and snap a collar bone in four nasty little pieces.
Jules’ starting point was the Paul Smith 911, which inspired the paint job. He sent the tank and headlight housing off to painter Martin of Underground Customs in Echo Park, LA. Laying the colors correctly was a meticulous and painstaking task. The doctor held his nerve, and resisting the temptation to fall back to the typical one or two-color scheme, he persevered with the eight classic Porsche colors.
He pulled the CB apart, welded in a custom rear frame loop and seat pan, and sent the chassis to AAA Coatings out of South El Monte for powder coat. The seat was upholstered by Martin at Underground Customs. The forks were a custom set up based on his AHRMA Formula 750 race CB750, with the rear suspension upgraded with Progressive twin shocks.
The wheels were powder-coated gold and re-laced, the front rotor drilled, and the hubs and rocker covers polished by Charlie in Cypress Park. The gold wheels were shod with Dunlop T180 tires. The hardware was Cadmium plated by Process Laboratories in Burbank, the rear fender and number plate bracket fabricated from aluminum, and vintage performance x cross headers fitted.
Jules stripped the engine, and the interior tolerances brought back to exact factory specs and massaged with a mild street cam, blue-printed and rebuilt to OEM spec using new components only when needed and then meticulously sealed. The bike was reassembled with steel braided brake lines, a gold O ring chain and Renthal gold bars.
All electrical was replaced with an OEM quality reproduction harness, NOS ignition switch, cleaned and rebuilt original charging system components, new coils and wires, a Dyna S electronic ignition, Candle Power Quartz H4 headlamp, and Rizoma turn signals.
Moral and tech support came from Atlantis Motors Garage in South El Monte CA. The doc’s main man and Pit Crew Chief Chris 'Wild White Prawn' Stone “…helped me with the 'Cussing' parts of the build.”
Jules remembers “…I was very nervous about the visual balance of the overall design all the way ‘till the day I finally had the bike together.” The bike was finally completed on February 14th 2020, and named ‘Marina de los Rios’.
He’s infatuated with his Valentine.
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