Author Topic: (Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!  (Read 1269 times)

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Offline briggadoon

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(Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!
« on: January 08, 2019, 05:04:01 PM »
Hello all!

Been gone a while. Some of you may remember a few years ago, I began posting here after being taken in by a bit of a hard-case eBay posting. Well, after 18 months sitting in a garage collecting dust, and a bit of a personal change in job circumstances, and I’m ready to finally do something with my purchase.

Last Saturday, my dad and I moved the bike into my parents sunroom (thanks mom) where we can work during the (currently mild) Wisconsin winter.  The goal? Back together and rideable in time for the semi-annual Slimey Crud Ride in May.

This weekend was quite a bit of disassembly and cleaning (which went much more smoothly than I thought. Added a few pictures of our starting point. Still hoping to get the carbs off tonight. This weekend, we tackle dismounting the engine.

I’ll keep posting updates here. I’m learning as I go, so feel free to weigh in with advice  ;)



« Last Edit: January 12, 2019, 02:27:36 PM by briggadoon »
-- 197ish CB500/550 - The FrankenFour

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: (Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2019, 09:50:42 PM »
Photos not displaying.  :(
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)

Sold/Emeritus
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 briggadoon

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Re: (Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2019, 02:31:47 PM »
Sorry about that. Fixed the photos on the first post.

Also made some more progress today. The engine has been unmounted and the frame cleaned!



This week, I'll be doing research on seats, and we'll be handing the frame off to a family friend to shorten the rear end of the frame


Once the frame is out of our workspace, well get the engine up on a table, start cleaning/tuning up that. Stay tuned!
-- 197ish CB500/550 - The FrankenFour

Offline kerryb

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Re: (Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2019, 04:16:15 PM »
It looks like you are off to a good start.  Nice workspace!
intrigued by the wail...seduced by the scream.

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: (Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2019, 04:22:40 PM »
Sorry about that. Fixed the photos on the first post.

Also made some more progress today. The engine has been unmounted and the frame cleaned!



This week, I'll be doing research on seats, and we'll be handing the frame off to a family friend to shorten the rear end of the frame


Once the frame is out of our workspace, well get the engine up on a table, start cleaning/tuning up that. Stay tuned!

To the extent you remove the cross-member at the tail-end of the frame, remember to replace it with some lateral support in the form of a hoop or alternative cross-member.  Otherwise, your frame is going to have unwanted flex and twist.
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)

Sold/Emeritus
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 briggadoon

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Re: (Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2019, 04:05:52 PM »

To the extent you remove the cross-member at the tail-end of the frame, remember to replace it with some lateral support in the form of a hoop or alternative cross-member.  Otherwise, your frame is going to have unwanted flex and twist.

That's great advice, thanks!
-- 197ish CB500/550 - The FrankenFour

Offline Gurp

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Re: (Finally) Starting a long-awaited cafe conversion!
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2019, 10:13:04 AM »
Very nice of the parents to let you use that space.
Looks like you have a good start going! How mechanically inclined are you and your father?
slow Progress 74 cb550.

Poor boy chop 73 CB500 chop

Future project 77 Cb750 Amen Savior