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Captain Carbon

@carboncaptain

320

followers

619

following

Healing out loud. Reclaiming peace. Truth over image.
Random drives, random rides, random flights.
Traa dy liooar
🖤 - 2026 💍 @mrs_carbon_

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You mad bro? 😉

We out here living our best lives. 😉

Dala what you must.

#bikelife #2026 #havingfun #iseeyou #dala taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

19

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9 months ago

When the 9k rpm limiter keeps kicking in.

@its_v_hun and I make funny videos instead.

#bmw #s1000rr #thisishowyoudoit #sendit #bmwmotorad taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

43

4

9 months ago

I think we may have an issue here.

Should've taken up dwelms rather.

#livingourbestlife❤️ #bikelife #dirtbikes #builtnotbought #crf taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

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8 months ago

Sometimes you don't need a point.

Sometimes you just need to ramble.

Apparently, bananas are berries.

Strawberries aren't.

This feels unnecessarily aggressive.

The average person spends about a third of their life asleep, which seems like a terrible return on investment.

A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
Obviously.

Torque wrenches click.

Cats judge you.

Petrol smells better than it has any right to.

Somewhere, someone is currently arguing on the internet about something they haven't researched.
Probably loudly.

A V8 sounds angry.

A big single sounds slightly more unhinged.

And somehow, a motorcycle can turn a perfectly reasonable adult into a 12-year-old with a credit card.

There are approximately 8 billion people on this planet.

Yet somehow you can still end up surrounded by idiots.

Interesting.
Anyway.

Did you know octopuses have three hearts?

Two stop beating when they swim.
Which means even an octopus sometimes thinks walking is better.
Makes sense.

I've achieved absolutely nothing productive by writing this.

You've achieved even less by reading it.
And yet...

You're still here.
You're welcome. 😘

Also, your haters dont even own a private jet or a Bugatti.
How pathetic of them.

#yourewelcomeworld #bikelife #happyfriyay #stillstanding #mensmentalhealthmonth taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

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a month ago

A big thanks to @ripjozi for taking the advice and trusting me with sorting the brakes on his Arrrgh Wuuun. 👌🏻

Spent some time in the garage, talking about all things biking and life while changing the front discs and pads, followed by a proper brake bleed.

Now I'm looking forward to hearing the ride report once those pads have bedded in. 👌🏻

You either pay cheap and pay twice...

...or buy the right stuff once and do it properly the first time.

Whether you're a straight-line merchant, mountain-pass enthusiast or track-day tart...

You still need to be able to stop.

I've trusted EBC to get the job done for a long time now, and with good reason.

There's something satisfying about passing that knowledge on to someone else — especially when it means helping another rider understand that good brakes aren't an upgrade you compromise on.

Go fast. Ride hard. But make damn sure you can stop.

@brake__late get you what you need.

#ebcbrakes #motorcyclemaintenance #bikelife #motorcycle #brakeupgrade taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

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2 months ago

I've never been one for the limelight.

I've never been one to back away from a fight, either.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is let people keep talking.
Eventually they'll tell you everything you need to know about them.

And what have I learnt?
Some of you big boys seem to enjoy isolating and threatening women.

So bold of you.

So brave of you.

Being cheered on and called "Daddy" by other grown men while you threaten women...
What an odd thing to wear as a badge of honour.

Some people own motorcycles for clout.
For likes.
For validation.
For the image.

I own motorcycles because I'd rather disappear for a ride with no destination...

Or spend an entire weekend rebuilding something that was catastrophically destroyed.

There's a strange peace in diagnosing a failure, engineering a solution, and bringing a machine back to life.

I'd rather spend my time turning spanners than stirring drama.

Walking my own path has cost me some large groups of sheep.

I'd make that trade every single time.

Because I'd rather stand alone with principles...
...than stand in a crowd with none.

I'd rather be known for standing for something...
...than falling for anything.

Dont mistake my silence for weakness......I will take care of business with a smile.

Aluta continua.

#abc #bikelife #xyzbca #kawasaki #alutacontinua taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

33

1

2 months ago

Well... shiiiiiit. 😅

Sometimes...
Things don't go the way you planned.
Sometimes you crack an engine open expecting good news...
...only to find that not everything that glitters is gold.

Thankfully, this glitter wasn't from the latest build.
It's a reminder of the day the CRF250R first grenaded itself.
Now it's simply another problem to solve.

The correct shims are on order, the clearances will be set, and we're getting ever closer to dropping the engine into the frame.
If all goes to plan...

First fire-up is this weekend.
There's something incredibly satisfying about taking a box of parts, building a plan, adapting when things don't go your way, and watching it slowly become a motorcycle again.
The self-gratification from bringing something back from the dead?
10/10.

Being able to pass that knowledge on and help others understand why we obsess over measurements, torque values, valve shims, and the finer details?
20/10.

Every setback teaches you something.
Every adjustment makes you better.

Every problem solved is another lesson you didn't have yesterday.
While some people choose to stand beside those who threaten and intimidate women, I'd rather spend my time building engines, sharing knowledge, and bringing something back from the dead that others would have written off.

Built. Not bought.
Aluta continua.

#bikelife #reclaim #honda #builtnotbought #crf250 taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

9

5

2 months ago

Sometimes you get yourself in deep...

Sometimes you take on more than you should.

Sometimes you dive into something, only to discover there are problems nobody mentioned. Parts that don't fit. Damage that wasn't visible. Engineering challenges that weren't part of the original plan.

So what do you do?

Give up?
Pass it on?
Walk away?
Or...

Do you take a step back.
Reassess.
Identify the problem.
Research.
Double-check your findings.
Eliminate the less-than-ideal options.
Then execute.

One step at a time, you dig yourself out of the hole you willingly climbed into.
That's where growth happens.

Too many people today look for the quickest solution.
Replace instead of repair.
Buy instead of build.
Pay instead of learn.
And when something needs to be diagnosed, engineered or rebuilt, they're completely out of their depth because they've never taken the time to understand the machine they ride.

There's a certain zen in solving problems.
Tracking down the impossible-to-find parts.
Watching torque wrenches click.
Measuring, adjusting, checking, and bringing something back from the dead that most people would have written off.

That feeling can't really be explained.
Only experienced.

The CRF250R is finally coming together.
From a mud-red frame and boxes of miscellaneous parts...
...to a motorcycle that looks like a motorcycle again.

It's been frustrating.
It's been challenging.
It's been incredibly rewarding.

First start is just around the corner.

Aluta continua.
Built. Not bought.

#bikelife #honda #builtnotbought #bikersofsouthafrica #crf250 taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

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3 months ago

Sound ON 🔊 Moto Monday!
The SC Project speaks for itself. 😮‍💨💨
ZX-10R • Carbon wheels • Pure adrenaline.
Would you ride this? 👀🏍️

#kawasaki #zx10r #scproject #bikelife #flyby taken in Cape Town, South Africa by @carboncaptain

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3 months ago

From heat cycles and running in... to tuning.

Listening.
Feeling.
Adjusting.
Making notes.
Comparing.
That's where the real work begins.
Every ride tells you something.
Every adjustment changes the conversation.

So far we're still undecided between "Havoc" or "Trauma" for this 471 cc thumper.
One thing is certain...
Tekkies are a no-no.
Either you kick her like you mean it...
...or leave her on the stand.

Roll through the gears, let that big single thump away, and you'll quickly understand what 471 cc with a stroker crank feels like.

The neighbours love us even more now.
Someone got so excited, they even launched a Coke can in our direction.

I suppose not everyone appreciates a well-built thumper.

Aluta continua.
The work doesn't stop.
The tuning continues.
The refinement continues.
And while the 471 keeps getting dialled in...

CRF250R loading...
Built. Not bought.

#bikelife #builtnotbought #honda #crf #fypppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

10

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3 months ago

Finally, we can start moving forward with the CRF250R.

The 471 is no longer a saga. It's now in the fine-tuning phase.

With every heat cycle, every jetting adjustment and every milestone, it continues to show its teeth.

Now it's the 250's turn.

This has been a complete Build-A-Bear project.

Once nothing more than a bucket of parts, bolts and critical missing components... it's now sitting in a clean, semi-polished frame, with a cylinder head freshly back from David Cain—a magician with a lathe.

This build wasn't about taking the easy route.

It was about pushing my own envelope.

Pulling crusty parts out of boxes.
Identifying what could be saved.
Finding what couldn't.
Building a plan.
Then executing it.

While the 471 gets refined, the 250 enters its build phase.

Hot Cams.
Fresh piston.
Fresh crank.
Exhaust.
A few other tasty surprises...

Because... stock for what?

While some people spend their weekends in bars or strange clubs, talking about each other behind closed doors, we're in the workshop measuring, inspecting, torquing, shimming, checking... and then checking it all again.

Sometimes you have to dig yourself so deep that there's only one way left to go.

Out.

The workshop doesn't just build motorcycles.

It builds patience.
It builds discipline.
It builds resilience.
It builds knowledge.

Most of all...

It builds the person standing beside them.

And that's a build worth every late night, every seized bolt, every missing part, and every lesson learned.

#crf250 #honda #engineering #builtnotbought #garagelife

@mrs_carbon_ ❤️
@legend_in_front taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

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3 months ago

Being able to pull something apart,
identify the cause of failure,
build the list,
and then put it all back together…

That’s far more interesting to me
than a bar or some strange club.
The parts don’t try to one-up one another.
The measurements don’t lie.

And the process?
It demands patience, discipline, and attention.
Putting it all back together,
ticking off checklists one by one,
brings a sense of accomplishment
that very few things can match.

Seeing the end result makes it all worth it…
even if the result itself leaves you curious for what comes next.

Here we are —
calculating shimming values,
checking torque specs,
making sure it all goes back together smooth.

It’s been an experience.

And the best part?
There’s still the 250 on the bench next.
Bit by bit. Bolt by bolt. Part by part.

#bikelife #mensmentalhealth #builtnotbought #namaste taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @carboncaptain

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4 months ago