About Us
We have been working on and improving motorcycles for over 30 years with a special interest in Triumph. We are willing to work on almost any vintage bike and even some newer ones, like the Hinckley Triumph’s (currently in production).
Corn Pie Classics is located in Western Massachusetts, an area called The Berkshires, which borders Connecticut and New York State. Our location is a short distance from the Massachusetts Turnpike route 90 and close to The New York State Thruway. Please contact us for directions.
Brief overview:
The fascination with British bikes started in 1977 when Mike Zucco (mastermind behind CPC) purchased a used 1973 Triumph Tiger to commute to school during his senior year of high school. It needed some tweaking and fixing here and there, but he learned quickly, because this was his only means of transportation. The Tiger was a completely stock bike when Mike bought it and when it was sold four years later it was a mild custom bike that was maintained perfectly.
As the years passed many Triumph motorcycles were collected, fixed, sold and some stashed away for future restoration. Many bikes have come and gone, but some still reserve a spot in Mike’s personal collection that were acquired back in the seventy’s. Marching onwards CPC will continue to bring excellent service to all customers and motorcycles that enter the shop.
CPC services:
Basic service and tune-ups: Regular service and maintenance intervals keep you on the road enjoying your machine of choice and are most economical in the long run. Keeping your bike in proper tune helps the bearings; valves, chains and all parts last longer. We also may be able to diagnose a problem before it becomes a catastrophic failure.
Complete engine rebuilds: It could be time to rebuild your engine if you have a combination of the following issues, high mileage bike, high oil consumption, blue exhaust smoke, hear strange noises, etc. If you’re doing a complete cosmetic rebuild and the engine is already out of the frame, we recommend a rebuild and start from the crankshaft out, that way you do it once.
Engine top end job: Many times your bike may just need a top end job, which is the cylinders and up. This can be done with the engine in the frame and is a good way to freshen up an engine with a known good lower end. This procedure would involve disassembly of the top end, checking cylinders, pistons, valves, guides and springs and rebuild as needed.
If you have your top end off and plan on doing the work yourself we are glad to receive items such as cylinder heads via UPS, USPS or FedEx for a rebuild, which are then promptly returned to your doorstep after completion (Please contact us for further information). All cylinder heads receive bronze guides, new springs, and a 3 angle seat cut. If the valves are within specification we can resurface the face to save you some money.
Brakes: When you get going, at some point you need to stop! The stopping power of your brakes can be improved in many ways, from proper set up of your drum brake system to a disc brake conversion.
The early drums are somewhat undersized but can be made to work adequately for a stock restoration. The later drums were much improved, which were followed by the disc set up that was released in 1973. These disc front ends can be fitted to early frames with some spacers and different bearings. Not for the restoration to stock crowd, but a nice touch for a custom, street tracker or bobber.
Electrical, stock and upgrades: Lets face it whenever people talk Brit bikes they speak of the wiring and Lucas being “The King of Darkness”! There are many ways to improve the wiring but we believe that a stock set up is totally reliable if properly installed. Proper “earth” (ground) connections are a must and proper routing is also a huge factor. There are electronic components that can replace the stock rectifier and Zener Diode for added reliability too. If you ride your bike after sunset there are high output alternators that will allow you to run a higher wattage head beam for your after hours view ahead.
Cylinder head reconditioning service: Cylinder heads refurbished using bronze valve guides reamed to size followed by 3 angle seat cutting using accurate carbide cutters. These are an easy item to ship to us and we can ship back, shipping charges apply.
Stock restorations: Bikes to be maintained in stock condition or those to be brought back to stock fall under this category. A bike returned to stock or maintained in stock condition are your best investment in the long run. This is not to say that a tastefully modified motorcycle can’t be equal, there are just a lot of variables. Here at CPC we believe in riding them even after a full restoration or any rebuild, but the choice is yours.
Customs, bobbers, street trackers: Whatever you call them they are a fun ride and a flash back to the days when Triumph’s were the hot bike to customize for the street or the racetrack.
The popular Street Tracker looks goes back to the 60’s and 70’s when Triumph was winning on the flat tracks and dirt tracks, often pushing Harley Davidson out of the winners circle. A fun and cool look for a Triumph and a good choice for a bike that may already be non-original or non-matching frame and engine numbers.
Paint: We provide paint work for both stock or custom as well as what I call “patina painting” where we match newly painted parts to the age of your bike for that original unrestored look.