Topic: CL350 Street Tracker / Cafe build

[SF]

Interested, pipes look great

[madScientist]

A BIG thank you to grcamna2! I picked up a nice, usable cylinder head from him and soon will have a rear brake hub as well. I think in terms of "big" parts I have everything I need to get going on this.

The only other thing that had been standing in front of this was replacing the head gasket on my 750F2. Finished that up yesterday so I think we're wheels up on this one!

Going to finish modifying the frame, get it sanded, and hopefully painted within the next week. Modifications to the frame are minimal. Welding over some of the bolt holes i'm not going to need, relocating the kickstand mount, probably going to weld a bar between the bottom frame rails to compensate for the one the pegs were on for added rigidity. I'm debating welding a couple of frame gussets on to help rigid up the frame. I tend to ride these things pretty hard and want it as solid as possible.

I'm still working on the boss to let me keep it too :-D

[grcamna2]

madScientist,I'm glad you recd. the cyl. head.
I welded my frame seams up where they were spot welded together along the complete length of the backbone & it really strengthened and stiffened it.

[madScientist]

Thanks! I'll probably do the same then.

Now that the F is behaving I spent some time with the CL yesterday. Finished dismantling the frame. The swingarm bushings are beyond shot so I'll need to pick up a set of those before re-assembly. I finished welding up some unused mounting holes, smoothing welds out, etc.

This week, depending on how busy I am, i'll hopefully be able to finish up the frame welding / modifications. Dont cringe but I'm going to cut the center stand mounting points off. I dont plan on using the center stand so their service is no longer required. I'm going to modify and weld the undercarriage bar in place (holds the begs) as I decided to reuse it for the kickstand.

Hopefully by this weekend I'll be cleaning and painting. However work likes to get in the way of my play...

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Thanks! I'll probably do the same then.

Now that the F is behaving I spent some time with the CL yesterday. Finished dismantling the frame. The swingarm bushings are beyond shot so I'll need to pick up a set of those before re-assembly. I finished welding up some unused mounting holes, smoothing welds out, etc.

This week, depending on how busy I am, i'll hopefully be able to finish up the frame welding / modifications. Dont cringe but I'm going to cut the center stand mounting points off. I dont plan on using the center stand so their service is no longer required. I'm going to modify and weld the undercarriage bar in place (holds the begs) as I decided to reuse it for the kickstand.

Hopefully by this weekend I'll be cleaning and painting. However work likes to get in the way of my play...

You can always tap swingarm spools to use a swingarm stand in place of a center stand for servicing.

[madScientist]

Now that's a great idea! I've been kicking myself for not doing that on my F and totally forgot about it! I have a TRex that I spaced out to fit the gap in the swingarm between the the rim. It works but it is not ideal.

Adding that to the list now :-D

[grcamna2]

MadScientist,
Do you have any frame pics ?

[madScientist]

Not currently but I likely can snap a few this evening.

[grcamna2]

 

[madScientist]

It was a tad too cold for my blood last night to run up to the Vintage Bike Nights. So I spent an hour or two in the garage.

I finished plugging a couple of mounting holes, polishing up welds. I welded the backbone seam, the two seams on the tail, the seam on the middle pillar, and reinforced the leg welds. As promised here are some photos!

I patched this frame rail as it had a hole in it...



Left side. Plugged the air cleaner mount holes and fixed a hole on the rear drop tube gusset:



Right side..rinse, wash, repeat



Welds on the top seams. I dont claim to be a master welder but it gets the job done:



Polished up the weld to make it look more "factory" induced:



I still have a couple more welds to clean up before I can call that part "done". I set the lower case in it to check clearance for the bar I want to weld between the lower frame rails and looks like i'll be able to do that without issues.

I'm not sure what I want to do with the side cover tabs. I dont plan to use the side covers and would like to clean that section up a little more. I'm debating cutting them some and then rounding them out.

The other question I'm pondering is where to put electronics. The original plan was to make a fiberglass cafe tail with a hump and put the electrics in the hump. However I'm contemplating making an "electronics tray" that would fit in the stock battery tray location. However that would then defeat the purpose of having it "flow through". With that logic in mind I think I'll stick with the hump idea. Nothing too obnoxious...basically a scaled down replica of the tail on the F only made to flow with the lines of the bike a little better.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness there. I like to get my thoughts down even when I'm trying to make a decision and what better place than here so you guys can see my thought process. All in all I think i'll be painting and maybe starting some assembly this weekend. We'll see.

[calj737]

You might consider an electronics tray that is mounted in the plane of the rear seat trusses. It would then provide both storage for your elec-bits, act as a fender, and offer open air under the seat. By mounting it against the rear plane, it also provides greater access to the carbs for service.

Since you were streaming conscience, thought I'd pipe in....

[madScientist]

Please forgive me but I'm not sure I follow the terminology. Are you saying put a pan in the space between the rear shock mount points but on the underside of the frame rails?

[grcamna2]

It was a tad too cold for my blood last night to run up to the Vintage Bike Nights. So I spent an hour or two in the garage.

I finished plugging a couple of mounting holes, polishing up welds. I welded the backbone seam, the two seams on the tail, the seam on the middle pillar, and reinforced the leg welds. As promised here are some photos!

I patched this frame rail as it had a hole in it...



Left side. Plugged the air cleaner mount holes and fixed a hole on the rear drop tube gusset:



Right side..rinse, wash, repeat



Welds on the top seams. I dont claim to be a master welder but it gets the job done:



Polished up the weld to make it look more "factory" induced:



I still have a couple more welds to clean up before I can call that part "done". I set the lower case in it to check clearance for the bar I want to weld between the lower frame rails and looks like i'll be able to do that without issues.

I'm not sure what I want to do with the side cover tabs. I dont plan to use the side covers and would like to clean that section up a little more. I'm debating cutting them some and then rounding them out.

The other question I'm pondering is where to put electronics. The original plan was to make a fiberglass cafe tail with a hump and put the electrics in the hump. However I'm contemplating making an "electronics tray" that would fit in the stock battery tray location. However that would then defeat the purpose of having it "flow through". With that logic in mind I think I'll stick with the hump idea. Nothing too obnoxious...basically a scaled down replica of the tail on the F only made to flow with the lines of the bike a little better.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness there. I like to get my thoughts down even when I'm trying to make a decision and what better place than here so you guys can see my thought process. All in all I think i'll be painting and maybe starting some assembly this weekend. We'll see.

Nice work on those welds.

[madScientist]

Thanks! I'm fairly new to mig welding but I think i'm getting the hang of it. Working on the 66 mustang that shares the garage with the bikes helps.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I've seen a few electronics trays that are deep enough to house the components (not including the battery) but shallow enough so they do not extend lower than the frame rails, so you still maintain a see through look under the seat. 

[calj737]

Please forgive me but I'm not sure I follow the terminology. Are you saying put a pan in the space between the rear shock mount points but on the underside of the frame rails?

Sorry, no. Use the triangular rear support as the alignment. Like some of the 750 guys do for an oil tank between the rear uprights. Put your tray there, wiring thru it to underside of seat. Maintains e openness but also provides a fender between leading edge of rear tire and backside of motor (carb bank).

You can construct the tray with sheet metal, closed to the outside but use screws to open it and service the bits inside. You could even perforate a small area on the engine side of the tray for air circulation and mount your Reg/Rec there for better cooling.

Does that make better sense?

[madScientist]

That is a very interesting idea and it does make sense. I like it and am going to entertain that. That leaves more room in the hump of the cowl for the battery.

[calj737]

I'm flattered you think so. I do think you can pull it off having watched your thread. Your skills are more than capable of making it look good, be functional, and serviceable.

It's a neat looking little bike that I am anxiously watching to see completed.

[madScientist]

Thank you for the compliment and the neat idea. I'm going to white board it out (i'm a nerd) in the garage tonight and see what shakes.

[madScientist]

Sketched out a rough idea for the battery box mounted between the rear drop tubes. I dont have measurements yet but i think it'll be roughly 1-1.5" in depth. It doesn't look terribly difficult in my minds eye.

For your amusement I've added my sketches.

In this image I have the sheet metal layout for the cuts I'm going to do. Then I'm going to bend each edge on a straight edge into a box shape and weld the corners. Tabs will be welded to the box for mounting the removable door. The tabs will have real short bolts welded to them. The outer cover will have holes to interface with said bolts and be retained with wingnuts for easy access.
The alternative to this idea would be to weld nuts on the back of the tabs, drill holes in the cover, and then use m6 allen bolts to fasten the cover. I might be leaning towards the allen's for look alone.


This is a rough sketch of the box. Nothing magical by any stretch. It'll be welded to the tubes.


On the front cover and back of the box I'm going to cut 5 (?) vents into it for cooling. These will be slits cut with an angle grinder. The bottom of the slits will be pressed inward while the top will be pressed outward. Kind of like a poor mans louver.


I didn't get a chance to work on it much last night. I did cut off the center stand mounts and grinded on some welds. I think I have about a half hour worth of weld cleanup and general "anal-ness" before I'm done with that part of the frame. I'm likely going to start on the electrical box this weekend. I want to get it completed and welded in before I spray the frame as I want it to look like it belonged there.

That is unless someone has a better idea for mounting the electrical box to the frame.

[calj737]

A couple of thoughts: drill holes as perforation in lieu of slits. You don't need a lot of air being driven into that area, just some and you could drill the holes as a "pattern or logo" of some fashion.

I'd refrain from welding the box to your frame. Tap mounting holes in the frame instead. There's not much weight involved, so you could use a rubber bushing for vibration between the box and the frame, and then remove the whole box if necessary.

I'd place attachment screws for the lid and box on the top flat surface and the bottom. Easier access and cleaner look. Use button head cap screws for the slimmest look. But you've executed a very clean looking tray (not trying to pat myself for suggesting it) that I think will make a widely popular solution to many "brat" style bikes.

[madScientist]

I had thought about holes but I dont want to put much open space on the tire side of the box for fear of dirt and nasty. I'm also not too artsy when it comes to design but i'll still give it some thought. This was version 1.0.

I'm inclined to agree that I dont want to weld it to the frame. However previous experience trying to tap into the frame didn't yield very good results. The frame metal is surprising thing and didn't get me enough of a bite to be able to adequately screw into it. I will give it another shot though. Maybe I just sucked the first time around. I was using cheaper taps and I have now.

I think i will put the mounting screws on top and bottom for cleanliness sake. I'll need to double check access though as I dont want it to be a pain in the a$$ to get to the electronics.

[grcamna2]

madS,
Maybe you could try some threaded inserts ?

[calj737]

Definitely use inserts if you tap into the frame, or metal machine screws.  Same for access screws. Small machine screw threads.

As for ventilation, I'd keep it only on the engine side. That will limit debris and aide circulation. You don't need much, just some for the reg/rec.

[madScientist]

Do one of you guys have a link to the threaded insert I should use?