Topic: 1974 CB550 Project. Brat'ish Cafe'ish.

[volthause]

Looks good so far.. I wish I could find a finned stator cover that you have.. As for the tires I think they look good never used them though I know a lot of people don't like them but meh your build.

I do have a few observation it looks like to me that you still need more room for the rear tire clearance maybe just the angle. Those front forks looked really compressed curious on how thats going to feel hitting a big bump it looks like it but make sure the tire isnt going to hit the headers on a big pothole. It looks to me like the clutch lever is really far from the grip again maybe just the camera angle. What are you going to do about a tail light and blinkers..

Matt

Hey man thanks for the comments. The rear should be fine since the shocks are fully compressed in that shot. The rear is essentially a hard tail now.

The forks are lowered internally and installed in the trees at the normal height. At full compression the tire doesn't hit the tree, but I'll definitely check that again. That would suck.

The clutch lever feels fine so it must just be a weird angle. The perch and lever is from a CBR600 so the lever is larger than the stock one.

Tail light, I'm not sure yet and still looking for ideas. Blinkers will be via hand signals.

[volthause]

That's some fairly significant progress!!

I was going to suggest painting/powdercoating the frame while you have the front and rear off, but you were so quick getting it back together that that point is moot!

I was curious as to why you want to lower the rear?  Is it for comfort (to reach the ground easier, for aesthetics or to acheive some improvement to the suspension??

Yeah the actual build has been going on for several weeks, but I didn't think to start a thread here until recently.

The lowered rear is definitely for looks / aesthetics. There are definitely no advantages handling wise from lowering the rear. Thanks for the comments!

[volthause]

Not a big update but I primed and painted the seat. Also redid the tank and side covers after some more bondo to fix the body lines.





Time to start thinking of some graphic ideas on the tank. Something small and black to break up the white.

[stuartni]

looking great so far love the look your going for def 

[rwinn]

Very nice!

[rb550four]

nice quick build. how much actual travel is left on those forks?  Perhaps you shot the pic before oiling them? Is there enough clearance in between the seat and  rear tire for your weight and swing arm travel?
Just wondering.

[volthause]

2 inches of travel in front, 0 inches rear.

[volthause]

Lets make an upholstery pan! The pictures are pretty explanatory.

Design in solid works



Make a paper template



Transfer template to material





Cut it out and bend it up



Now I just need to send it off for upholstery.

[volthause]

I did some boring #$%* lately that I didn't even bother documenting. Things like wiring, mounting the gauge and getting the seat mounted. I can take pics of the finished product if anyone is really interested.

But I did get her back together and fired her up.

First attempt and she fired up on the 5th kick. Something wrong with the cable routing though and the idle is super high.

http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q510/volthause/C66926A3-77B4-4796-A148-E2CEC5E0CD4D-8852-00000B9F36CB8404_zpsbc483cba.mp4

Remove tank and find out the push cable has come undone a little and is jamming the throttle open a little. Fix the issue and try again.

http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q510/volthause/623BD053-F0C3-4757-9B37-423BA936A6DB-8866-00000BA072D6745E_zpsd171b85f.mp4

So we go for a shake down run. With no seat upholstery.



Runs pretty good. I can definitely tell the carbs sat open for a month. A little spitty until warmed up.

http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q510/volthause/DBA9DAFE-7E76-4B37-A0F2-012833542B79-8866-00000BA1BC3949E6_zps17c62764.mp4

But now we sit in the garage and drink beer.

[greenjeans]

Dang, that sit's low.   Looks good.   I rode those tires for years.   They aren't so bad for what you are doing.

The only thing that bugs me is the rear hump - where it's cut out for tire clearance.  Not 100% what I'd do with it.  Probably just make it into an arc.

Really dig that black seat with the white stitching - that will look great on there.   You can always get some black vinyl from a sign shop and cut different shapes etc and see what looks good on the tank and tail without having to paint the final layout on there.  Maybe put one of the vintage circular Honda logos on the sides of the tank.    Maybe not even black as an accent color - what about a good blood red ?

Anyway, looks like it will be a fun and good looking bike.   Get used to people staring at you...

[volthause]

Dang, that sit's low.   Looks good.   I rode those tires for years.   They aren't so bad for what you are doing.

Thanks man. The tires are definitely square but I love the look. The bike really likes to fall into the corner, but it isn't drastic or disconcerting. This isn't my go-to-performance bike either though. This is form over function.

The only thing that bugs me is the rear hump - where it's cut out for tire clearance.  Not 100% what I'd do with it.  Probably just make it into an arc.

It's not 100% what I was thinking either. It was way cooler in my head. I worked myself into a corner and decided to live with it for a while before I kept cutting. I wanted a super-tight clearance over the tire, but like I said, it was cooler in my head than in execution.

Really dig that black seat with the white stitching - that will look great on there.   You can always get some black vinyl from a sign shop and cut different shapes etc and see what looks good on the tank and tail without having to paint the final layout on there.  Maybe put one of the vintage circular Honda logos on the sides of the tank.    Maybe not even black as an accent color - what about a good blood red ?

I will definitely be adding some sort of graphics to break up the white a bit. Just haven't put much thought into it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with black and white for a color scheme.

Anyway, looks like it will be a fun and good looking bike.   Get used to people staring at you...

Can't wait to get the seat upholstery done. Wish I would have gotten that process started earlier so that I wasn't waiting on it. Great looking photo-chop!

[volthause]

Did the final wet sanding last night and then applied the satin clear coat.

Holy #$%* balls.



That's not going to be good.

[iron_worker]

Ouch! I wonder wtf happened? Clear not compatible with the paint type?

IW

[volthause]

Ouch! I wonder wtf happened? Clear not compatible with the paint type?

IW

Not sure really. The tank and side covers came out fine. So I wonder if I just laid it on too thick and the paint on the tail section wasn't fully cured. It's been over a week since I sprayed the tail though.

Live and learn. Sand, paint, repeat.

[madScientist]

Holy crap...i just came across this thread.

That thing is KILLER looking! I'm normally not a fan of the "brat" style but that thing is super fly.

[volthause]

Holy crap...i just came across this thread.

That thing is KILLER looking! I'm normally not a fan of the "brat" style but that thing is super fly.

Thanks man!

[Viktor.J]

I like the looks of it too ! any thoughts on rearsets ? I thing it would look great with some far back/agressive rearsets

Love your "Live and learn" menthality, many of us - me included- are to afraid of making misstakes !

[volthause]

I like the looks of it too ! any thoughts on rearsets ? I thing it would look great with some far back/agressive rearsets

Love your "Live and learn" menthality, many of us - me included- are to afraid of making misstakes !

I've got some Raask rear sets, but I don't like that it blocks the kick starter. I ran them for many years when the bike was in cafe mode, but after I converted it back to a 2-up machine for a while I liked the more forward controls. I've definitely put some thoughts into a rear set setup though.

As far as live and learn is concerned, I learned long ago to never be afraid to fail. It's a big part of learning.

Thanks for the comments!

[volthause]

Updates: got some new pics of the bike with the seat upholstery on it. She runs and rides now!

[dagersh]

Nice job on a great looking ride!

Gersh

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I don't think my "old man" back could handle the rigid ride for any appreciable distance, but she definitely has a unique and cool, low-rider stance. 

[bensterman69]

Did the final wet sanding last night and then applied the satin clear coat.

Holy #$%* balls.



That's not going to be good.

what type of paint did u use ? i should sanding the seat again (wet 800 or 1000) then spray the basecoat again,  try to build up the clearcoat in a few thin layers. Not to wet because the problems before.

[volthause]

what type of paint did u use ? i should sanding the seat again (wet 800 or 1000) then spray the basecoat again,  try to build up the clearcoat in a few thin layers. Not to wet because the problems before.

I don't remember the brand of paint (was a rattle can of satin clear) but I pretty much did exactly what you suggested. Sanded the base coat down far enough to get the cracks out, put on 2 more base coats then cleared it again. Fixed it right up!

[volthause]

I don't think my "old man" back could handle the rigid ride for any appreciable distance, but she definitely has a unique and cool, low-rider stance. 

It's definitely not a long distance rider, but it's not as uncomfortable as you might imagine. The rear tire actually soaks up a lot of the bumps.