Building a good looking café racer is no longer a novel concept but for some reason actually utilising one's creation trackside still appears to be somewhat of a rarity. Custom and classic parts megastore Dime City Cycles have competition in their blood and run an entry in the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, a proving ground for not only their custom builds but also their range of race focused products and accessories. From humble beginnings in 2009 DCC have amassed a wealth of experience in revitalising barn find classics and turning them into stylish street bikes and more recently entry level racers. The DCC sponsored team is headed by series champ Scott Turner and therefore the crew spend a fair amount of time in the pits, which became too much for Dime City's co-founder Herm Narciso - the lure of bar-to-bar action persuaded him that he had to be on the other site of the catch fence. A perfect donor was kicking about the workshop in the form of an amalgamation of 1969 and 72 Honda CB350 twins. With the shelves stacked with parts and a brain full of knowledge and experience Herm's recipe seemed a sure fire hit. But with DCC's reputation on the line scrimping and corner cutting were not an option - The D33 build needed to be thorough. The engine was stripped all the way, back to the crank, cases split - the lot. Motor wizard Chuck “Super Tune” Quenzler helped to ensure not only reliability but podium potential performance from the tiny pistoned twin. All bearings, seals and the clutch were replaced along with forged Wiseco pistons. Valvetrain specialists Kibblewhite supplied new valves and springs to help high RPM longevity. CV carbs aren't really the thing for racing so the originals were ditched in favour of the DCC Mikuni VM30 kit, which look ace running turned bell mouths with brass gauzes. Scott doesn't just race the bikes, he's handy too, and built the wheels with stainless spokes and black powdered rims onto drilled hubs. Heinedau race compound tyres and grooved brake shoes should keep D33 and Scott out of the kitty litter. A 520 chain kit from Rebel Gears is plenty strong enough for the CB's power and much lighter the stock 530. Hagon shocks are an obvious choice in the rear, matched by an uprated fork spring kit from Race Tech. Super-low ace bars are in the position of traditional clipons and there are no messy switches to spoil the view, just a start/stop button. Levers and the throttle are from racer's favourite Magura while the rearsets are DCC's own design. Herm shaped the seat himself and gave it to Lance’s Tops for a top notch upholstery job. Local outfit Moe Colors laid the fancy paint and Profab the powder. It'd be a real shame to mess any of that up so Herm went to race school to find out the secrets of going fast and staying safe. According to Herm "It’s easy to look on at motorsport as a hobby for the well-heeled. The reality is, one can join in the fun with a modest outlay. There are great deals to be had on bikes, and after getting them to proper running condition, there are only a few simple modifications required to get them track ready. AHRMA works in collaboration with Fast And Safe Racing School, and the introduction course is available at select venues throughout the year and the US." And finally... “you don’t realize just how much you don’t know until you spend time with someone who does”. Keep an eye out for Herm and D33 this summer and find out more from the AHRMA here. And check out feature bikes using Dime City Cycles parts in the Bike Shed Archive. DCC Shop Online | Instagram | Facebook