Source: Bike Bound
[[{“value”:”Endurance-Inspired Honda from Luis Etchenique…
Between 1933 and 1986, the Montjuïc Park street circuit in Barcelona hosted many of the nation’s great races, including both the Spanish Motorcycle and Formula One Grand Prix. Built on a hill above the Catalan capital, the circuit came to be known as something of an ideal track: fast and daunting, set among castles and classical architecture in one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.
“This was the greatest street circuit I ever saw. Imagine Monaco, but with more variety of turn and gradient, and much faster, and some flavour of Montjuïc Park should then emerge.” -Famed F1 Journalist Nigel Roebuck, Motor Sport
Nearly 50 years ago, a young Spanish teenager was in attendance for the annual 24 Hours of Montjuïc motorcycle endurance race. His name was Luis Etchenique, and the memories of that race in 1976 would leave a lasting impression.
“That year’s extremely hot Barcelona summer forced the Honda Britain (Stan Woods/Charlie Williams), and Honda France (Jean Claude Chemarin/Christian Leon) teams to remove the machines’ cowlings as to allow for a much needed improved cooling. You could see all the hardware, the mechanisms, the internal components. I recall being at the pits … in awe of such raw performance and engineering.” -Luis
Stan Woods at the 1976 Montjuïc 24 Hours
That day, Luis made a promise to himself — one that he would carry across the Atlantic to his new home in the US and many long years until the right donor bike turned up.
“I promised myself that one day I would build a bike that would convey a similar feeling; a bike where you could see its engine, the carbs, the exhaust — its guts and its soul.”
Fast forward to today, and Luis works out of his home garage in Northeast Florida, where he’s owned and modified many bikes over the years. When he came across a ’79 Honda CB750F Super Sport that had been sitting semi-abandoned since the late 90s, he knew he’d found the right donor to bring his long-dreamed “Montjuïc Special” to life.
Luis gives us the full breakdown of the build in the uncut interview below, but highlights include the RCB tail section with Shorai Li-ion battery mounted inside, bespoke 4-into-2 high-pipe exhaust system that routes through the frame to protect the rider’s legs, custom underseat junction box, Tarozzi fork brace, Honda red livery, and those dual headlights so iconic to the 70s endurance racer.
“Sets like these illuminated the nights of Montjuïc, Imola, LeMans, Spa-Francorchamps … the yellow unit amplifies the visual spectrum in bad weather, and also has lower glare than the white one under adverse weather conditions.”
Luis says his “Montjuïc Special” looks and performs beyond his expectations, and it’s drawn some great attention. The bike received the Grand Marshal’s Award at the 2023 Riding into History Vintage Motorcycle Concours d’Elegance, and the Best in Class Award in 2024.
In fact, we actually spied Luis’s “Montjuïc Special” at RIH this year, where it was one of our favorite builds on display, but we weren’t able to get his contact information at the time. So it was kismet when Luis reached out to us about the bike. What an incredible tribute to the endurance racing steeds of the 1970s, to the famed old Montjuïc street circuit, and to the two-wheeled dreams we carry through life.
Montjuïc Special: Builder Interview
Below is our full uncut interview with Luis Etchenique for anyone who wants to delve deeper into the history and specifics of the build.
Photo we took of the Montjuïc Special at RIH 2024
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I grew up in Spain, and I have loved motorcycles since I can remember. As a young kid and then as a teenager, I would attend every race I could at the Jarama circuit in Madrid, and at the Montjuïc urban track in Barcelona, for the annual 24-hours endurance event. At one point, I built a road racer based on a Bultaco Pursang motocrosser: all I did was add street tires, some clip-on bars, and a Montesa Impala front wheel — I always wanted to emulate any of the racers, and I had a great time at it.
Luis with his Bultaco road racer
Throughout the years (I’ve lived here in the US since 1980) I have owned many bikes, and each one was modified. I always had the urge to add my “touch” to bikes which were generally aimed at a broad consumer market. I did that with a few BMWs, the first one being an R50/2 I bought at a police auction in Madrid during the 60’s — a bit of a dog, so all it needed was a set of clubman bars … at least it made it look faster.
Luis with his 1976 BMW R90/6 “Spirit of Montjuïc”
My workshop is my garage here at home in NE Florida.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
A ’79 Honda CB750F Super Sport that had been sitting in a garage in Boston since the late 90’s. It looked complete, but the engine needed a full rebuild, and so did the fuel system and all the electric components. So I completely tore it apart and rebuilt it to what it is today.
• Why was this bike built?
As an amateur builder, this is a tribute to the iconic Honda RCB endurance racers. I wanted to replicate (by my own interpretation) the naked Honda machines I saw racing in Montjuïc back in 1976. The Honda teams (Honda France and Honda Britain) had removed the fairings to improve both the engine and rider’s cooling — the bikes looked amazing: I knew back then that one day I would build my own.
When I found the semi-abandoned donor bike, I knew it was waiting for a new life.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The design concept was a machine that would incorporate the essential design elements of a 70’s Honda endurance racer: the Honda red, the original ComStar wheels, the DOHC power plant, the unmistakable RCB tail section, the dual headlights and tail lights — and the raw simplicity of its engineering.
I built this bike as a tribute to the Honda RCB machines that won the 24 Hours of Montjuïc in Barcelona, Spain, back in 1976.
That year’s extremely hot Barcelona summer forced the Honda Britain (Stan Woods/Charlie Williams), and Honda France (Jean Claude Chemarin/Christian Leon) teams to remove the machines’ cowlings as to allow for a much needed improved cooling. You could see all the hardware, the mechanisms, the internal components. I recall being at the pits … in awe of such raw performance and engineering.
I was at the time a teenager, and I promised myself that one day I would build a bike that would convey a similar feeling; a bike where you could see its engine, the carbs, the exhaust — its guts and its soul.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
The exhaust is custom-made and fabricated to give the bike some added personality — I was inspired by the Honda CL scramblers, which have an elevated exhaust system.
In reality, the elevated exhaust configuration now allows better access for general service /maintenance work. In many cases, you see this configuration running straight from the primaries (merge collectors) to the tailpipe, but I routed it into the frame and then back out, as to clear the rider’s legs — and without the need of heat shields.
I opted not to use a crossover pipe due to the performance, simplicity, and sound benefits of a dual 4-into-2 system. The sound is amazing, but so are the looks and performance. All the thermodynamic calculations were carefully engineered as to allow for a solid mid-range performance.
The instrument panel was deleted in favor of a minimalistic custom-made one. I used the tachometer from a ’76 CB750F Super Sport, mounted on an aluminum panel — just with the indispensable function indicators.
All the electrical connections (stock harness) are contained within a custom-made junction box under the seat. The battery is a SHORAI lithium-ion and it’s located within the tail section.
The engine breathers are now individual pod filters, and the carburetor air intakes are also four individual pod filters. There was no need to re-jet the fully refurbished Keihin carbs — all they needed then was a careful bench-sync job.
The brakes were fully rebuilt, and then I sandblasted and clear-coated the calipers. In my view, the silver raw metal adds a custom touch, simplifies the design, and nicely matches the other hardware elements.
A Tarozzi fork brace completes the front end, adding structural and visual strength. I chose to coat it with silver engine enamel paint to add balance to the red/silver/black color theme.
The front fender is the stock unit, but trimmed to race-specs, and to add some forward-motion to the overall design.
The twin white/yellow headlights are a functional design element common to most endurance racers: sets like these illuminated the nights of Montjuïc, Imola, LeMans, Spa-Francorchamps … the yellow unit amplifies the visual spectrum in bad weather, and also has lower glare than the white one under adverse weather conditions.
The ignition switch was simplified to an on/off toggle switch, located opposite of the choke actuator on the top triple clamp.
The rearsets are mounted on the stock foot peg brackets, which were trimmed to eliminate the passenger anchor points.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
I call it “Montjuïc Special” because there is where it all started — more than forty years ago.
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
Performance is stock (77 HP), for I wanted to keep it reliable, but the bike not only has an improved midrange (due to its improved breathing and exhaust configuration), but it’s also significantly lighter than the box-stock (553 lbs) original model.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
It’s light, nimble, sounds great, and performs to perfection. I really enjoy looking at it when it’s parked in front of a coffee shop on a Sunday morning, when someone approaches me to ask about it — it draws some attention, and I always receive some very positive feedback. It makes it all worth it.
Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
The exhaust system was a complex and challenging process: had to perform well, look good, and sound correct — it does all three beyond my original expectations.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Without the help of my good friend and master mechanic Lee Florin (Daytona Beach, Fla.), this project would’ve never been possible.
Follow the Builder: @luism.etchenique
“}]]
