We'd take a reasonable bet that you've never seen a 900 Honda quite like this one before. In fact we'd be gobsmacked if you have, as this is quite definitley the only one of its kind. This is Alan's Honda Fuegobomba. Fuegobomba is Spanish for "water pump". Allow me to explain.

Around two and a half years ago Alan came across an old Coventry Climax engine laying around in a scrapyard. The engine had originally been used to power a Fire Station water pump, and Alan thought it looked interesting, so he took it home. Now Alan is a pretty resourceful kind of bloke, so having had a close look around the motor and pronouncing it more or less fit, he thought it would be interesting to stick it in a bike frame to see how it ran. Having made a few enquiries around fellow members of the Bridge Rats MCC, Alan managed to source a more or less complete 900 Honda rolling chassis, and the project began in earnest.

Fitting the engine in the frame required a bit of surgery, but getting a working transmission, electrical system and all the other bits and bobs that make a running motorcycle required all the talents of British ingenuity that once made our nation great. I asked Alan how it all works; he took adeep breath and told me the following:

The motor is an OHC four which originally had a pull start, and has been made to breathe through the twin CB200 carbs you can see poking out the front. The carbs were simply laying around in Alan's shed, and remarkably seem to work pretty well. Alan made up the manifolds to fit them to the engine. Air filters are planned. He then turned his attention to the transmission, and chose to use a four speed BSA M21 gearbox with the original BSA six spring clutch; mainly because it too was laying around unclaimed in the back of the shed. In order to link the engine to the clutch Alan had to make up an idler shaft running on bearings mounted on the back of the engine. A single row 530 primary chain from the crank drives the idler shaft, which then drives the clutch through another single row chain. The resulting zig-zag chain run dictated the shape of the left hand engine covers, which were hand made and bolted up with plenty of silicone sealant to allow the chains to run in an oil bath.

Starting the beast was the next item on the agenda, and Alan mounted a CX500 starter motor where it could drive a heavily adapted CB200 starter ring gear mounted on the idler shaft. Another idler gear was nescessary to reverse the rotation of the starter drive and make everything spin in the right direction when he hits the go button. Charging is taken care of by a CB200 alternator mounted on the left hand end of the crank which just about provides adequate current for the enormous battery. Ignition is taken care of by the stock engine's magneto which was found to be full of water when Alan first stripped it. After a good drying out in front of the gas fire it now sparks a treat. The water cooling system had to be completely made from scratch, and a good deal of ingenuity has gone into the plumbing. The twin radiators are from a scrapyard motocrosser, and are kept cool by two FZ750 fans run from a home made thermostat.

Out of curiosity Alan extended the right hand end of the camshaft to drive a CB200 tacho drive, and can now announce with some authority that the engine red lines at about 4000 rpm. That amazing four into six exhaust system was made from sections of wheelbarrow handle cut and welded to mate up to the autojumble Harley shotgun silencers. Having toyed with the idea of a kickstarter, Alan dropped the idea after working out how long it would have to be to provide the required leverage, and turned his attention instead to making up a linkage to move the gearlever to the left and maintain the "one down, three up" shift pattern.

If this list of engineering prowess impressses the pants off you, let me now tell you that all this work was carried out in a shed without any power, and with only the most basic of engineering facilities available. Each evening Alan would painstakingly make templates, cut and file parts to size, then take it all in to work where he could tack weld it together before returniung to the shed and altering it until it eventually fit. This is the kind of spirit that once made our empire great.

When I wondered aloud what it felt like to ride, Alan gave me the keys and insisted that I take it for a blast up the road. Although it is a big heavy bike, the weight is all low down and well forward, and once under way feels very solid and stable. The engine is surprisingly torquey, though is unlikely to win out in the BHP stakes against the stock Honda version. And it makes a wondeful deep throaty roar which is quite unlike anything else I've ever heard. As the engine is still a 900, all Alan has had to do to register the bike is notify Swansea of the change of engine number. The name Fuegobomba is a warped play on "Fireblade", and amuses Alan. Having put all that incredible engineering ingenuity into this bike, I reckon he can call it whatever the hell he likes. Nice one Alan.

Dr.Rod.