Topic: MrFry's CB750 Cafe Project Thread

[MrFry]

Have the tach cable come in the mail yet?  Was there an additional charge? and was there any improvement in the bouncing tach?

nothing in the mail yet, i'm going to call today to check the status.

no additional charge, and will report back about the tach

although i noticed something... i've removed that tach lead completely (or atleast up to where it plugs into the Vapor) and i still get a slight reading on the tach when i start it up.
perhaps it's just too close to the coils all together.

[TwoTired]

Center stand operation:
You really shouldn't need much floor friction.  On my 550s and 750Fs you stand on the centerstand lever push down on that with your heavy soled foot while lifting the frame directly above it.  Vertically challenged people can have a hard time finding a convenient place to grab the frame or grab rail.  However, if you have the bike lowered, the stand will be too long and it will be quite a lift.  In that case find yourself a board and roll the rear tire onto that before you put it up on the centerstand.  The thickness of the board will be just that much distance you don't have to lift, and puts the stand in a position where the stand's foot knob has mechanical advantage for the remaining lift.

The front caliper bleeder.  My condolences.  Those are very soft and easy outs only make them expand tighter to the thread wall.  The only caliper I ever recovered had to be drilled out and it literally took hours of setup and stepped drilling. 
If you can find a machinist to take on the job, it's worth whatever he charges for the job.  However, getting another caliper will most likely be cheaper.  Even with the risk of breaking another one off.  Did you use penetrating oil beforehand?  Heat?  You can't just apply a ton of pressure.  If it won't budge with reasonable pressure, you need to try a different approach.

Good luck with your polished tank coating.  Sorry to say, I'm not optimistic.  Coatings like to have a bit of something to hold onto.  And, mirrored surfaces don't have any "hooks" to grab onto.  The mirrored underlayment becomes a sheer line during temperature expansion cycles.  The only hope is if the coating never hardens and is allowed to move with the base metal. 

Cheers,

[MrFry]

Center stand operation:
You really shouldn't need much floor friction.  On my 550s and 750Fs you stand on the centerstand lever push down on that with your heavy soled foot while lifting the frame directly above it.  Vertically challenged people can have a hard time finding a convenient place to grab the frame or grab rail.  However, if you have the bike lowered, the stand will be too long and it will be quite a lift.  In that case find yourself a board and roll the rear tire onto that before you put it up on the centerstand.  The thickness of the board will be just that much distance you don't have to lift, and puts the stand in a position where the stand's foot knob has mechanical advantage for the remaining lift.

The front caliper bleeder.  My condolences.  Those are very soft and easy outs only make them expand tighter to the thread wall.  The only caliper I ever recovered had to be drilled out and it literally took hours of setup and stepped drilling. 
If you can find a machinist to take on the job, it's worth whatever he charges for the job.  However, getting another caliper will most likely be cheaper.  Even with the risk of breaking another one off.  Did you use penetrating oil beforehand?  Heat?  You can't just apply a ton of pressure.  If it won't budge with reasonable pressure, you need to try a different approach.

Good luck with your polished tank coating.  Sorry to say, I'm not optimistic.  Coatings like to have a bit of something to hold onto.  And, mirrored surfaces don't have any "hooks" to grab onto.  The mirrored underlayment becomes a sheer line during temperature expansion cycles.  The only hope is if the coating never hardens and is allowed to move with the base metal. 

Cheers,

i didn't break the brake bleeder, it was the previous owner - and seeing his mechanical aptitude when i went to pick up the bike, I'm not surprised.
i havn't tried to get the broken screw out, for fear that i will just make it worse.
I'll give the block of wood a try. My garage floor is pretty slick so whenever i try to put it on the stand it just slides (i can put my CT90 on the stand just fine - but it doesn't way 500lbs)
i talked to the guys at POR-15 and they recomended this, and said it should work fine. I think it acts more like a clear epoxy than a paint, so it creates it's own adhesion.
but we shall find out soon enough.
thanks for the support!

[TwoTired]

My garage floor is pretty slick so whenever i try to put it on the stand it just slides

Almost certainly you are doing it wrong.  You don't need ANY stand foot friction to put the bike on the centerstand of a stock bike.  All the energy you expend should be pushing straight down with the foot and straight up with the frame.  The bike will move rearward on its own, but the stand feet won't.


Cheers,

[MrFry]

..first off - thank you TT, i was trying to put it on the center stand wrong. Never having this heavy of a bike with one before, i didn't realize you had to lift up on the rear of the frame


2nd, i used the Glisten PC tonight, and it seems to be curing nicely.
although there are lots of runs i will have to sand out
i think if i were to do it again, i'd have someone spray it on

3rd... i'm pissed
i had that tank to a MIRROR shine. it was beautiful!!
i thought i had struck a winner with that meguires metal polish, boy was i wrong.
the prep for the Glisten PC was really just a surface cleaner (smelled of alcohol).
once i did that, it looked i never had used the polish!!! 
 
so i guess it was really just filling in the scratches more than it was smoothing it out.
seeing as i tried to save time between the prep and the application of the glisten - i mixed the glisten together while waiting for the recomended 2 minutes for the cleaner.
so it was either use it or lose it - and i used it
...some pictures:

before the prep -->


after the first coat of glisten - you can see some of the scratches in the flash -->


the pictures don't really do justice to the scratches in the tank
i'm tempted to strip the tank again - polish - and just leave a nice coat of wax on the tank all the time

[c_kyle]

The wax sounds good, until you find something better.  What about clear powder-coating the tank?

[KB02]

That's a good idea.

I would have said start in again with the wet sanding to clean up the glisten, but the powder coating sounds like a better idea.

If it was me, though, that little dent on the top, right side would drive me nuts on a nice tank like that.

[bill440cars]

 

          Hope it works out for ya. In the beginning, that tank looked SUPER!! Wonder how often you'd have to polish it to keep that look?

                                                Later on, Bill

[canttuckmyshirt]

What about Zoop? It's a cermaic based product.

[carpy]

The tanks looks pretty cool, I have tried it a few times but the salt air from being fairly close to the sea here oxidized mine.
But thats a nice job, have fun my man, that's what it is all about.

I love building CB750 Cafe bikes, this has been my life for a long time and glad you have found it enjoyable too.

     



Peace and grease
Carpy

[MrFry]

well, went and checked on the tank today... 
the seal is still soft so i don't think i can start sanding it just yet

The wax sounds good, until you find something better.  What about clear powder-coating the tank?

i've never seen a powdercoat without orangepeel - and i'd rather avoid that

What about Zoop? It's a cermaic based product.

hmmmm, never heard of it.
any experience?

The tanks looks pretty cool, I have tried it a few times but the salt air from being fairly close to the sea here oxidized mine.
But thats a nice job, have fun my man, that's what it is all about.

I love building CB750 Cafe bikes, this has been my life for a long time and glad you have found it enjoyable too.

     



Peace and grease
Carpy

thanks Carpy!
i've seen your site and it's what really clenched the sale for my bike
...i'll probably be getting some oil lines from you soon.

[MrFry]

That's a good idea.

I would have said start in again with the wet sanding to clean up the glisten, but the powder coating sounds like a better idea.

If it was me, though, that little dent on the top, right side would drive me nuts on a nice tank like that.

yeah... i guess i've grown to live with the dent
when i first started polishing (before it was a mirror) i figured the tank wasn't perfect anyways, so the dent(s) just fit right in.
i don't have the tools to push the dent out and talking to a few body shops around here... they either kick me out when i mention 'motorcycle' or they want some serious dough

i'll probably start wetsanding the glisten tomorrow when it sets up a bit more.

[mlinder]

You can un-orangepeel powder coat. Same way you un-orangepeel clear coat/paint.

[MrFry]

You can un-orangepeel powder coat. Same way you un-orangepeel clear coat/paint.

oh reeeeaaallly?
that was my next question actually.
every powdercoat i have seen has been pretty hard - so i assumed that sanding it would be fruitless

[mlinder]

You can un-orangepeel powder coat. Same way you un-orangepeel clear coat/paint.

oh reeeeaaallly?
that was my next question actually.
every powdercoat i have seen has been pretty hard - so i assumed that sanding it would be fruitless

Metal is harder than powdercoat, and you can sand metal

[MrFry]

You can un-orangepeel powder coat. Same way you un-orangepeel clear coat/paint.

oh reeeeaaallly?
that was my next question actually.
every powdercoat i have seen has been pretty hard - so i assumed that sanding it would be fruitless

Metal is harder than powdercoat, and you can sand metal

good point...

[MrFry]

ok, so i made some phone calls (i work with a nationwide dealer network for our products, and i guess you could say - i know some people) - and found a guy that is the know all of powdercoating
i'm stripping this #$%* off my tank and sending it down to him via one of our Sales Reps

i have to have it stripped and ready by friday - so it looks like i have my work cut out for me

[ProTeal55]

Looking forward to seeing it once all is said and done..

[mlinder]

I've actually been inspired by this to do my 'racing stripe'* in the polished metal, with powdercoat black sides, then powdercoat clear on top of it all.












* Adds 10 hp!

[MrFry]

Looking forward to seeing it once all is said and done..

you and me both 

...i need to start looking into a seat
i started to make my own but i realized my metal forming skills and tools are lacking

the plan was to then form the 'bubble' on the back and attach it to another base that sat on the rear cross member (the part that holds the fender) with hinges and a lock (i wanted me some storage).
well my attempts at forming the rear hump were futile - so i think i may have to fork over the money and have Benji make me one

[MrFry]

I've actually been inspired by this to do my 'racing stripe'* in the polished metal, with powdercoat black sides, then powdercoat clear on top of it all.












* Adds 10 hp!

hehe, the original plan for the tank was to paint it black with polished stripes down the side (similar to the pinstripes i added)
once i stripped it - i kept going and loved the look

[Rhonda750F]

Have you tried popin' the dent out of the top of the tank?  Or are you going to have that powdercoated as-is?

[MrFry]

Have you tried popin' the dent out of the top of the tank?  Or are you going to have that powdercoated as-is?

thinking about that right now
i don't have the tools to do it - and i am wondering if a dent-pro place can pop it out for me (and if so, how much $)?

there are smal 'pinhole' dents around the tank that i don't think can be easily taken out without cutting, so i'm not worried about it being perfect

[ProTeal55]

Bondo the dent - put a sticker over it and call it a day ! 

[MrFry]

Bondo the dent - put a sticker over it and call it a day ! 

if i were painting the tank - i would (that was the original plan - sans sticker). But seeing as the entire tank is polished.....