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Author Topic: Deckers 77' CB550K - Cafe racer  (Read 1539 times)

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Offline Jdecker

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Deckers 77' CB550K - Cafe racer
« on: January 04, 2016, 06:33:03 PM »
Hey all! Just wanted to give a quick intro, and I'll be on with it. My name is Jordan Decker, I'm 26y.o. out of Charlotte, NC and this is my 77' CB550K cafe. I bike pictured below was the first resto/cafe build I did in my later teenage years. I have since torn the bike back down to repair a few things and give it a proper cafe/restoration. My goal is to be strip the bike of everything to give it a bare bones look, and only keep essentials. Maybe even get her done before Fall 2016?! FYI, this is going to be a slow build, but I plan on using that time to do things the "right" way, instead of how I did when I was an impatient teenager.

Here's a few pics of things I've done since the tear down.
 
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77' CB550 K, 05' XT 225

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: Deckers 77' CB550K - Cafe racer
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2016, 06:38:13 PM »
Curious - why did you strip the upholstery from the seat?
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

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1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline Jdecker

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Re: Deckers 77' CB550K - Cafe racer
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2016, 07:05:48 PM »
It was a rather pricey universal seat I picked up from DCC. Unfortunately, the seat wouldn't fit properly, so I had to strip the upholstery and cut off 2 or 3 inches off the front which was the narrowest part of the seat in order to fit over the frame. I ended up  taking it to a upholstery shop and the guy stitched it back up for me. Now that it fits, I have to figure out a way to secure the back end to the frame, but makes for easy removal in the future. Any suggestions?
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77' CB550 K, 05' XT 225

Offline Jdecker

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Re: Deckers 77' CB550K - Cafe racer
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2016, 07:27:33 PM »
Here's a few more pictures of stuff that has been done since the tear down. Unfortunately, I sucked at documenting up
to this point, but this brings me to where I'm currently at in the build.

I've replaced rings, honed jugs, lapped valves, new valve seals, painted jugs and head, and started polishing my crank cases?? NO IDEA WHY. I saw a pic of a 550 with polished cases, and it looked BA!! I'm gonna try my best, but man is it a PITA!
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77' CB550 K, 05' XT 225

Offline RAFster122s

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Re: Deckers 77' CB550K - Cafe racer
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2016, 08:32:59 PM »
If you buy a piece of Delrin from McMaster-Carr or similar supplier you can cut it to have blocks that mount to seat bottom, best done w/upholstery off, to bolt blocts to seat. Drill the block to bolt from above. Drill the blocks on a drill press for tube size. Cut in half and a metal strap or other half to clamp to tubes.use a recessed washer in countersunk hole. On top of block counterbore for a blind  T- nut with holes to fit the tangs predrilled.
Or, if you have $ for threaded rivet to be embeerrrdded in seat bottom if it is metal. If it isn't metal, then you need to distribute load/force of fastener over large area.
Delrin is easy to machine/work with as ong as you drill,  machine at slower speeds than metal normally used by most.
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Offline RAFster122s

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Re: Deckers 77' CB550K - Cafe racer
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2016, 08:50:44 PM »
Polishing is really all about the sanding to get the nice polished end look you seek. Polishing after assembled is much harder.without lots of access to a good die grinder and lots of bits, sanding accessories and polishing bobs and wheels...etc.
After you've done it once you either vow to do it never again, or the prices charged aren't so bad as there is no substitute for experience and knowledge on how best to approach and sequence to work the cases...see experience...
Now you realize why more don't polish their cases....just side covers.

I wonder if polished or painted or textured surfaces cool better; given the fact these are air-cooled motors?

It is suprising the amount of work to document a build or activity.
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