Topic: 1974 CB/CL450 TRACKER/CAFE/STRIPCLUB RACER BUILD - * UPDATED 9/11/14 *

[ProTeal55]

* CB450 Cafe/Tracker Project Update as of 12/21/06 *

(Love that pic )

Lots of parts were ordered yesterday (work is slow ).
I got a sweet all glass 7'' "euro" headlight offa Ebay 4 under $20,

a trick looking/narrow master cylinder from Mike's XS,

a sealed battery to stuff under my seat (should fit perfectly), trailer wiring box to make my dual filament bulbs do three functions (run/stop/turn), a pair of vintage grips, an ultra compact universal throttle, solo clutch perch, etc...I like ordering parts !!

When I got home last night I spent some time in the garage cleaning the bike with some Simple Green and elbow grease. I cant stand working with something that is dirty/crusty/etc..The bike was clean to start off with, but it had some crud on the top of the motor, downtube, and around the swingarm (as most bikes do from riding). Alittle Simple Green and some scrubbing and the bike looks great. Then I masked off some things and gave some areas a fresh couple coats of low gloss black engine enamel paint (to cover some minor pitting and ugly areas). Now the bike really looks clean and tight. You know me and that low-gloss paint !

Threw my newly acquired rearsets on the bike last night to see how they are gonna work.
I sourced them from a local sportbike junkyard near my house for $100. They are offa 2001 GSXR (If anyone wanted to know - get some for their project)..Original plan was to mount them in the factory pass. peg holes, but after sitting on the bike and putting my feet back, I might wanna think about bringing them in alittle. Basically all I need to do is figure out a place to mount them up, and build the linkage.

I also started my "de-chrome" project on the wheels. Started off with 80 grit, then went to 120, then finished it off with a scotch-brite pad to knock the chrome down to more of a mat/brushed look. Only got the front wheel done but I can allready tell it is going to look good. The brushed look is a good contrast to the low-gloss black parts (lower legs-frame-etc..). Their are some spots I couldn't get out (minor pitting) on the wheel, but I am not gonna worry about it. If I end up not selling the bike in th fall I can address all those little areas of concern...

More updates (and pics) to come and parts come in and parts go on !
I am starting to like this project more than the CB750 !!

[chrisf]

Thanks for documenting this as well as you have. I just stripped my CL350 down to its frame and will begin the cafe build-up next week. Looks like this frame is in need of a huge amount of boxing...Anyway, this thread has provided a lot of good ideas. I like that you have not gone way over the top and bought expensive parts. And the bike is looking very cool!

--Well done, Chris

[ProTeal55]

* PROJECT UPDATE 12/22/06 *

Spent some time in the garage last night with my partner in crime Danny(Triumph Bobber-CB750 Cafe), and accomplished some more things on the CB450 Project..Still waiting on a bunch of parts I ordered, so we jut did a few small things here and their..

The main task of the night was to get the rearsets on the bike and mocked up. These were sourced from a 2001 GSXR 1000 from a local sportbike salvage yard near my house for $100 !
Basically we just bolted them up to the stock pass. peg mounts, and once we were happy with their placement notched the mounting point so the little "tabs" fit in, so the peg won't move (kinda like a key so to speak)..So all I need to finish up this part of the project is some time and some roundstock to make the linkage...

The factory shift lever was removed in place of the stock GSXR piece (after alittle "modifications").
This will help us out bigtime, as we don't have to fab up anything on the clutch side except a linkage, which is gonna take all of 5 min after a Home Depot run. The brake side is gonna take alittle more work to get going, but nothing too bad. I still cant fathom how easy these were to make work on this bike, as they almost look factory (or at least made to work on this bike)..

Bike is moving right along at a very fast rate.
Should easily be done before the Chicago weather turns nice again (late August )

Stay tuned !

[KB02]

The factory shift lever was removed in place of the stock GSXR piece (after alittle "modifications").

Out of curisoity, what modifactions? That looks like a nice, simple set up and I would love to do that on my bike. How hard were the mods? What exactly did you have to do?

[ProTeal55]

Out of curiosity, what modifications? That looks like a nice, simple set up and I would love to do that on my bike. How hard were the mods? What exactly did you have to do?

These went on so easy it wasn't even funny ! The only "modification" was to remove the stock shifter lever and install the stock GSXR piece.
Make sure if you go this route on your bike you get the piece off the front of the rearsets (pic below) becasue it will make things allot easier...

Basically all we did was slightly drill out the stock GSXR piece so it barely fit the stock shifter shaft - and pounded it on with a rubber mallet.
The fit is so tight, I have no worries about it getting "sloppy" , or ever comming off 
All I need to do for the shifter side is to make up a linkage, where the brake side I need to do alittle more fab work as far as the brake linkage and making everything look nice , and not 1/2 assed...

[ProTeal55]

* Project Update 12/27/06 *

Bored here at work, so I figured I write up the lastest progress on the CB450 project....

- Front-End -
The front end is coming together piece by piece.
I threw some old bicycle grips ont he bike just for kicks, and actually really like them on their.
I am gonna go with a pair in black, to keep the lean look going.
Master cylinder from MIKE'S XS showed up last week, and after a few "dates" with Mr.Sawzall is complete and ready to go on.

This master is kick ass, compact, and fits the theme I am going for perfectly.
My universal throttle came in today, and once the cables show up can be installed as well.
Solo clutch perch is on, and awaitng a lever and cable as well.

- Turn Signals -
The rear turn signals are mounted and are looking good. I went with the same small bullet housings that I am running on my CB750. They are built solid, and brighter than all hell due to the lenses exposing the entire 1157 bulb. I mounted those up and tight against the cafe seat, for a ultra tight look. These are gonna function as brake/running/& turn signals, along with a small LED strip that is gonna be mounted on my license plate. For the front, I drilled out the holes in my new headlight ears in order to mount some LED bolts I have had in my toolbox 4-ever.

They are the big led's (like they use in traffic lights), and come in a neat little bolt/nut deal. I got them from a website that specializes in ultra bright led applications. So I am gonna use them as front signals, as well as to hold on the headlight bucket. Should be alittle different approach, plus easily get people's attention with a mile visibility LED blinking in their face  Still working on sourcing a turn signal switch of some sort, but thats the last of my concerns at the moment...

- Rearsets -
The rearset project is coming along nicely (almost too easy).
Both pegs are mounted, and all we need to fab up is the linkage.

The clutch side is gonna be a straight shot, as their are no bends or anything else to
complicate things, where the brake side is going to take some more time, but shouldn't be an issue.
Gonna make the linkage outta round stock, and then thread the ends for a superclean look..With these installed, the bike will be much more comfortable to ride/enjoy come springtime...

- Exhaust -
The original exhaust I had planned for this bike seems as if it is not gonna fly with the addition of the
rearsets. I am still planning on running the stock headerpipes with black headerwarp, but the "tailpipe" part of it is still on the drawing board. I am gonna have to run some sorta turndown to get the exhaust gases from shooting me in the feet/ankle. Not the end of the world, just another loose end I need to figure out . Not gonna deal with it till the rearsets are done, and I can see where the linkage is gonna be long term.

- Electronics -
The battery is here and mounted. We made 4 little tabs to hold the battery where it needs to be, and then used a delcron stap to hold it down.

Came out better than I expected, and their is still room inside the "hump" for some more wiring, trailer box,etc..
Plans call for the addition of a newer sportbike horn, that will most likey end up mounted under the tank (as a horn in downtown Chicago is a godsend to staying alive), along with a good holeshot. Everything else will tie together in the headlight bucket 9which is going to get completely redone and cleaned up). I want to do this bike/project right the first time, with no regrets or cutting of corners. I have the rest of the winter to finish it, so their is no need to rush..

And just for the hell of it I wanted to post these pics.
I got my new tank for my CB750 today, and wanted to compare it with the CB450 tank (see below).

The 750 tank is much taller and wider, and about a 1'' longer. With the bike next to me I had to throw it on the CB450 to see how it looked.

I like the look of a large tank, but the work to make it fit (the right way) is much more than I wanna put myself thru for such a
slight change in appearance. The bars would hit, the rear mount is messed up,etc..
The stock CB450 tank is staying on this bike 4 sure

More updates to come !

[ProTeal55]

- CB450 Project Update 1/02/07 -

Happy new year ! The CB450 project is rocking & rollin, and should be done in no-time.
I just need a few solid days of work, and it should be moving under it's own power soon.

All of the wiring at the rear of the bike is pretty much done.
The trailer box, battery, & rear signals are all wired and shrink wrapped. I would say 90% is done, with little loose ends here and their. Once complete I need to move my attention to the headlight bucket, and clean that up the best I can.


The seat is complete, and fits like a champ. We built up the wood base inside the seat so it sits alittle more evenly on the frame, where before it was kinda leaning inwards towards the tank. We also removed the battery tray and moved it forward a 1/2 inch to minimize the seat gap as much as possible. Now all you see is the tank mounting rubber (which I can live with), compared to how it looked before.

I have decided to paint the bike once complete, but have no clue as far as color goes.
I figure a nice pantjob will really finish off this bike, rather than a rattlecan job.
I am heavily leaning towards a somewhat dark red, to contrast the black on the bike, maybe silver, maybe a bright green ?
This is how the bike looked with the red CB750 tank, thus me leaning towards red for a color --->

Still unsure of exactly what I am gonna do.. Was also tossing the idea around of doing some sort of number plaque/racing numbers on each side of the cafe "hump" to get the cafe/racer idea across alittle more. This along with the paint is in the back of my mind at the moment, but still needs to be thought about.

[chrisf]

That's awsome work. I love following these updates!

--Chris

[dusterdude]

man i like that red tank,oh btw joe,is your throttle a 1/4 turn?and where did you get it?

[ProTeal55]

That's awesome work. I love following these updates!

Thanks man, means allot to get positive feedback from you guys.

man i like that red tank,oh btw Joe,is your throttle a 1/4 turn?and where did you get it?

Still not sure if the throttle is a 1/4 or not. I got it offa someone from Ebay for cheap. It was listed for a "pitbike" , but I cant see why it wont work for our bikes. It is super narrow, made outta metal, and seems to be pretty slick for what I paid..

Here's a link to the sellers Ebay store in case someone else wants one of these throttle for their own project --->
http://stores.ebay.com/pitbike-central

As far as the tank goes, I am about 98% sure now I am gonna go with some sorta red for the seat, h.lite bucket and stock 450 tank. Trying to source out some different factory style Honda decals, as the one on the tank now is way overused in my opinion. I think the black and red color combo might be the ticket for a little racer such as this.

[Klark Kent]

watch out, i hear that paint scheme will increase top speed by as much as 50%
-KK

[kuyarico]

The bike is looking sweet. Just my opinion, but I like green better that red for the tank. It looks nice with the black seat.

[ProTeal55]

New color choices are a blue similar to the photo below, some sorta red, silver, or the ever popular black with a white stripe..

[dusterdude]

damn,that blue is cool.

[ProTeal55]

At the current time I think I am gonna do one of three things as far as paint goes.

1. Leave the tank EXACTLY the way it is, and paint the seat and h.lite bucket low-gloss black (to match the frame/lower legs/etc)
2. Sand the tank, fix the two small dents, and paint that along with the seat and h.lite bucket low gloss black (like my 750 was)
3. Same as above but instead of black maybe do a flat color, such as a flat blue, maybe green, red ?

The more I think about a "pro" paintjob the more I keep leaning towards doing something simple like a rattlecan job.
This way if I dont like it, it isnt like I am wasiting money, and the time a pro job takes..

[CBGBs]

Proteal, your tank looks to be in great shape and I hate to see that nice factory paint all sanded off and covered with rattle can paint. The easiest  way to tie the tail to the tank would be to add some white and green. The green may be difficult to match but the white won't be. I would spray some thin wedge shapes on the sides of the tail. You could even take it to a pinstriper and have him tie something in. You wouldn't have to paint the tail and a pinstriper may be alot cheaper than going to a body shop and you may get the tank back next day.(VonDutch)
I have been looking into that suede look which actually looks a little like frost on a painted surface. I noticed that Lowe's sells what looks to be a laquer satin clear which may give that look for about $5.

[ProTeal55]

I think the CB450 project is gonna get a coat of flat red engine enamel (minus the headlight bucket). The red should be a killer contrast to all the black on the bike, and with the flatness (is that a word) should blend in with all the scotch-brited parts. I am going rattlecan shopping tonite to see what I can find..

This week me and my partner in crime Danny are gonna finish up the linkage for the rearsets and get that part of the project completed. Then we need to complete the wiring at the rear of the bike, and work our way forward to the mess in the headlite bucket. Once that is done, the bike should be able to start and ride under it's own power. From that point, everything else needed is just cosmetic..

Once the CB450 is pretty much done, the 450 and 750 are gonna do alittle trading places.
Then I will have the CB750 back at my house to start it's 2007 makeover...

[ProTeal55]

* CB450 UPDATE 1-10-07 *

Took the day offa work today to get some things done on the CB450 project.
My buddy Danny also had the day off, so it worked out nicely 

We got the sidemount license plate painted and on the bike, and the 3rd brake light mounted and wired.

All I did was take a piece of diamondplate, and traced the light and plate onto it, along with a tab on the side to mount the thing.
I figured why should I have to worry about a bracket when I can just build it into the frame itself ? So this way I didnt need to attached a bracket, as it was part of the frame itself. Worked out good, as it is nice / tight / & simple. The led strip on the plate along with the 1157 bulbs on each side of the seat should be enough for me to be seen at night.

Other little things we got done were painting and mounting of the headlight bucket, mounting of the starter button in the h.lite bucket, front turn signals, some more wiring, etc..This is gonna be the last day I work on this bike for some time, as the Chicago winter has finally hit I dont do well in cold garages, and for the amount of progress I have made on this bike, I deserve a break. I am gonna focus on more important things (women), and give my bike building part of my brain a rest for once. A couple more full days of work and this thing will be done..

More updates to come (when it isn't 20 below outside)...

[kghost]

Looking good teal!

Velocity stacks comming?

[CBGBs]

Yes! Velocity Stacks?

[ProTeal55]

Looking good teal!

Velocity stacks comming?

Thanks for the kind words bud.
No V-Stacks on this project (sorry guys)...
With their being no rear fender of any kind, I think the smart route is to go with some kinda
airfilter rather than a stack. With the amount of crap that is gonna be spit up onto the motor, I would feel allot better with some sort of real filter in place of a open stack. I am gonna order some K&N valve cover breathers that I used on a past racecar for this bike, as they are short/stocky and should look killer on the motor.

Still need to decide on the paint, if I should do a number plaque on the cafe hump (one in the pic above is made outta masking tape), and a few other things...Latest paint idea is something similar to this (with a gloss black base and some sorta red inlay/graphic)...
Maybe do something with a flat base and gloss over ?

[chrisf]

I don't think a flat base with shiny clear will be much (if any) different than a regular base with a flat clear. In fact, I'm 98% sure this is true. I think a metalic base with a flat clear could be very cool though. I'm not talking huge gittler flake--more like BMW Cosmos black with a flat clear.

I think the number will look cool. If you do a flat clear, you could have the number cut out of gloss clear vinyl. Cheap, subtle and very cool. On my car, I went with flat black paint, but the stripes are reflective black vinyl. The are hard to see during the day, but light up silver at night.

--Chris

[dagersh]

PT,

I Chrisf.  What you use on the last step, will be the end result.  The gloss will smooth out the flat texture of the Matt red, and make it a gloss.  You could use a Matt clear at the end, but liklthe Line-X, forget ever polishing it.  I am not sure how the Matt Paint will last in exposed sunlight, as the microscopic pits will hold onto oxidation. 

Making that sweet 450 look like that beautiful Gilera gets my vote!  But I am an unabashed Italophile!!!

Gersh

[CBGBs]

 I was thinking about this tank for my 350 but now I regret not letting you know. I think its vintage cool.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=009&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=190069697565&rd=1&rd=1

[ProTeal55]

Those older tanks with the side panels are cool, but I am pretty sure I am gonna keep the tank I got.

Been taking it easy on the build for once, and slowly allocating parts I need to finish it up (once it warms up alittle).
Sourced a new clutch and throttle cable yesterday from Honda, and started looking into tires. I am gonna with the stock size up front,
and one size winder out back to fill in some empty space back there. Haven't sold myself yet on what kinda tires I am gonna run. I normally run My trusted Avon Venom X's, but I am thinking about going with a vintage tread tire on this bike to keep the whole "oldschool" thing alive. Need to do alittle more research before I drop down the cash. Tires will be one of the last things the bike gets done to it, along with ditching the center stand (so nasty)..

My black sparkle lowrider bike grips should be in soon