Topic: 750 cafe/dunstall/rickman.

[mitchie]

New to the site....
Decided to put together the big I rode when I was a kid with some new stuff that I had acquired.  It's a 71 with a bunch of older aftermarket stuff. Motor is bone stock but is fairly chromed out.  The fairing is a splash of a rickman... But requires a TON of trimming to fit with the clip-ons... Somebody over the years cut off the steering stops on the top mount ... So I'm gonna have hand trapping which will take some getting used to.  My goal is to keep the frame stock so it can always be put back together stock.  The old frame was cracked(inside rust)..  So the first thing I had to do was swap everything over.

I have a laundry list of stuff to do... (build mounts, paint, fab stuff)
But here is the so far...
This is the last time it was on the road.

Old frame

New frame.


And... Where i'm at now.

[Stev-o]

Welcome from Texas.  Looks like a cool project, subscribed.

What car is that in your garage?

[mitchie]

Welcome from Texas.  Looks like a cool project, subscribed.

What car is that in your garage?

Thankyou...  I'll update as I go... It will move along quickly hopefully.

[brandEn]

Looks like a cool project. Subscribed

[dummy]

Pretty cool did you do your own fiberglass? I'm also interested in the Lotus in the back post a couple of that bad boy too.

[mitchie]

Those glass pieces were pops made back in the 70's and never finished.  The fairing is not completely straight.. But I have almost nothing invested in them so Cutting them up does not hurt too much.  I am trying to do the project with what I have laying around and all older stuff to be kind of a period piece...  At one time I have yzf forks and 900RR brakes on it...  Now everyone is doing that stuff, lol...  So I'm trying to stay old school.
The lotus is my friends... Its an early Canadian kit with Toyota driveline.  It's a cool little driver.
I'll see if I can get a few more shots of it.

[mitchie]

[dummy]

Those things are like awesome go carts.  I'm surprised how well that glad has held up.  I'm trying to do the same with period style parts I did make an exception for cbr rear sets so I can convert the rear to disks and they were super cheap.

[Tews19]

The fairing is killer. Like the raw look of the glass...

[mitchie]

yah... I remember the day I bought the fairing.. It was covered in pigeon Sh!!.

The seat section is really bad... I'm gonna have to put a layer of matt on the bottom and some resin on the top side.. It dried out badly.

I put a thing in the classified section... I need later style forks because I lost the caliper mount and I want to run dual calipers... If anyone doing a resto is interested in a trade for my more rare early forks for later forks.. I'm totally game.  I

I got bummed out last night when I found a crack in the thin aluminum around the starter motor... I epoxied it.. But I was pissed.

I got the carbs and header on last night.

[honda_dog]

That's a nice project, I like the fairing, also. It's fun to watch guys do this stuff. I have to watch, because I have no patience or skills for all that custom work. Good luck with the rest of the project!

[DustyRags]

Niiiiice, far too rare to see someone build a bike with a fairing on these old things!

[mitchie]

I've been working like crazy....  Started wiring .. And running cables etc.   Here are some update pics.

[mitchie]

More...

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I like the street tracker style tail.

[mitchie]

I like the street tracker style tail.

Yah... Same here.. Its amazing how it works style wise.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I like the street tracker style tail.

Yah... Same here.. Its amazing how it works style wise.

.
Yeah. It really works well with the Dunstall tank. Which body part is Rickman?

[mitchie]

I like the street tracker style tail.

Yah... Same here.. Its amazing how it works style wise.

.
Yeah. It really works well with the Dunstall tank. Which body part is Rickman?

The fairing is a rickman pop that I have cut up a lot.  The front fender that will go on it is a rickman.  I'm battling with the steering stop that has been cut off the mount at some point.  I'm trying to figure out an alternative to welding them back on.

[seanbarney41]

Is that gas tank fiberglass?  I am preparing a project with a Read Titan bodykit.  The tank looks quite similar to yours and is fiberglass.  I am very worried about what ethanol gas is gonna do this tank.  Of course, it will need to be lined...all I have found that claims to stick to fiberglass is Caswell's...but success reports are not as plentiful as I would hope...wondering what your plans are for this situation.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Is that gas tank fiberglass?  I am preparing a project with a Read Titan bodykit.  The tank looks quite similar to yours and is fiberglass.  I am very worried about what ethanol gas is gonna do this tank.  Of course, it will need to be lined...all I have found that claims to stick to fiberglass is Caswell's...but success reports are not as plentiful as I would hope...wondering what your plans are for this situation.

I've had good reports with Caswell's but I've only used it with steel and not glass.

[mitchie]

When I used to ride it and did not no any better it would leak every year.  I just patched it with new glass.  I always though it was just because it was old.. Now I know better.  I'm gonna do the caswell thing and run ethanol free fuel... Ethanol is the work of the devil.  Up here in Canada.. Shell mid and hi test is all ethanol free.  Plus the tank is huge .. It used to take almost 20 bucks to fill it to the top... It was funny because reserve seem to last forever.. lol.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

When I used to ride it and did not no any better it would leak every year.  I just patched it with new glass.  I always though it was just because it was old.. Now I know better.  I'm gonna do the caswell thing and run ethanol free fuel... Ethanol is the work of the devil.  Up here in Canada.. Shell mid and hi test is all ethanol free.  Plus the tank is huge .. It used to take almost 20 bucks to fill it to the top... It was funny because reserve seem to last forever.. lol.

I wish our premium octane fuels were ethanol free. No such luck. I use seafoam when I let my bikes sit for any long time.

[mitchie]

....  Ethanol should be outlawed.  Motors run on dinosoars not corn.

Now I'm running into the classic throttle return cable is somehow binding.  Works fine with just the pull... Install the push and the thing sticks wide open.

[Rookster]

Ethanol free gas and a liner are a must.  I have used Hirsch sealer in my fiberglass tank.  It works good and can be recoated without having to remove the old liner.  I had tried KBS but it failed very quickly.  Any plans for the old Dunstall seat?

Scott

[mitchie]

Yup... I have the wiring set up to switch back and forth when wifey wants to go for a ride.

It needs work too though... lol..  The list feels endless..

I am working like a freak trying to get it done by mid - January.. I have acl reconstruction then that will keep me out of the garage for a long while. 

This throttle cable thing is driving me nuts.

carbs snap back perfect when opened manually.

carbs snap back perfect with just the pull cable on

both cables are free as can be.  lubed etc.

Hook up push cable and it sticks like nobodies business..   

I ordered new cables anyways....

[mitchie]

Ethanol free gas and a liner are a must.  I have used Hirsch sealer in my fiberglass tank.  It works good and can be recoated without having to remove the old liner.  I had tried KBS but it failed very quickly.  Any plans for the old Dunstall seat?

Scott

P.S.   Your avatar bike looks fn' beautiful.

[seanbarney41]

Ethanol free gas and a liner are a must.  I have used Hirsch sealer in my fiberglass tank.  It works good and can be recoated without having to remove the old liner.  I had tried KBS but it failed very quickly.  Any plans for the old Dunstall seat?

Scott

You are referring to Bill Hirsch products?...and I have not heard of KBS.  Thanks for the response guys.  I have had a tough time finding anyone reputable who has had success sealing old fiberglass tanks.  Unfortunately, ethanol free is hard to get here in Michigan and I really like to be able to wander freely on my bikes.

[Rookster]

Thanks Mitchie.  I'm digging yours too.

Yes Bill Hirsch.  I wanted something that i could coat again if needed.  The kbs was a pain to get out of the tank.  If this one fails I can rinse it with ethanol and screws then coat again.  I made sure to really dry the tank before coating.  Fiberglass can hold moisture.  I hung my leaf blower up in the garage and taped the outlet into the filler hole and let it run for about 12 hours.  It has held up for 3 summers so far.  I make it a point to only use ethanol free gas though.

Scott

[mitchie]

So I got my front brakes on and had a bracket made by a very skilled friend of mine so that I could run dual discs on my early front forks.  I also got a nice delivery from caswell and gustaffson....  So the work continues.

[mitchie]

So I finished my lower fairing bracket and threw the tank seat and windscree on to get and idea how it will all look.   I;m pretty happy.

[seanbarney41]

Very good    I would like to see pics of how your fairing bracket works with the tank off, if it's not too much trouble.

[mitchie]

Very good    I would like to see pics of how your fairing bracket works with the tank off, if it's not too much trouble.

Will do... Its very simple.

[turboguzzi]

bike is coming nice, the rickman tank seat combo always look good.... but your lotus seven looks even better!
wouldnt mind some pics of it...
what year /  motor is it? genuine lotus or replica?
TG

[mitchie]

It's actually my friends car...  Having a big garage usually ends up with you storing your friends stuff.. lol.
Its a kit from the early 80's made here in Canada called a fejer.  It has a Toyota running gear.  It's a cool little car.

[01Thomas]

I was going to say weld the steering stops back on, but if you don't want to do that you could drill, tap and screw some, say, 6mm bolts into the lower yoke?

The fairing is a rickman pop that I have cut up a lot.  The front fender that will go on it is a rickman.  I'm battling with the steering stop that has been cut off the mount at some point.  I'm trying to figure out an alternative to welding them back on.

[mitchie]

I was going to say weld the steering stops back on, but if you don't want to do that you could drill, tap and screw some, say, 6mm bolts into the lower yoke?

The fairing is a rickman pop that I have cut up a lot.  The front fender that will go on it is a rickman.  I'm battling with the steering stop that has been cut off the mount at some point.  I'm trying to figure out an alternative to welding them back on.

I ended up getting them welding them back on... I'm glad I did.  I thought about the bolt idea as well .

[DustyRags]

Man, that fender looks sweeeeeeeeet! 

[mitchie]

Man, that fender looks sweeeeeeeeet! 

Yah... I've never seen another like it in chrome steel.

[Bankerdanny]

When I was in high school I became really good friends with a kid whose family owned a local manufacturing business. The father was a real gearhead (he ended up designing and building his own car in the early '80's, the Trihawk). He had  Ferrari 512 and a Porsche 930, and an original Lotus 7. They are teeny tiny cars. Even when I was a 6-3 155lb teen I could barely squeeze my narrow butt into the seat. Today there is no way I would fit inside a stock 7.