Topic: 1976 CB550 cafe project finished!!

[rachet]

This is one amazing bike!  I also have a 500 that I would like to "cafe" out and your's is a true inspiration.

Rachet~

[jesus freek]

Amazing absolutly Amazing! Im doing a 550 also. How did you mount your cafe seat section ,and what did you use for the seat,and how is that mounted to the pan? Some may look at it and think its uncomfortable I think it looks practicle. ;)Thx in  advance. Looks like a BOTM contender here.

[lendog]

Killer job! love everything about it! where did you get your clip-ons from?

[void909]

thanks for the link. i found them

[freezingprocess]

Amazing absolutly Amazing! Im doing a 550 also. How did you mount your cafe seat section ,and what did you use for the seat,and how is that mounted to the pan? Some may look at it and think its uncomfortable I think it looks practicle. ;)Thx in  advance. Looks like a BOTM contender here.

Thanks man- There are two seat pans actually. I "sandwiched" one in between the layers of fiberglass for support, and then the cushioned seat pad has its own sheet metal base and is detachable.

First, I laid the first couple layers of fiberglass to make the seat (which is a whole-nother post that I will do in the future). Then I made a 16ga. sheet metal pan to fit the seat portion, and welded four bolts (heads cut off) to the bottom of it at the corners. -Drilled corresponding holes in the fiberglass, and set it on top, with the bolts coming through the bottom. Then I glassed 2-3 more layers over the whole thing. You just have to make sure you drill/cut holes in the metal so the glass touches itself from either side of the sandwich.

For the seat part- same thing. Metal pan(thinner gauge), bolts welded to the bottom, upholster the whole thing, then drill corresponding holes through your seat section and bolt it on.

Check out my flickr page. It's got some pictures of the seat before I did any body- work on it. I put a light behind it so you can see the metal inside.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14429764@N03/sets/72157602235789797/

Killer job! love everything about it! where did you get your clip-ons from?

http://www.whaccessories.com/Handle%20Bar%20Telefix.htm

They're the "racers". They took about a month to get, 'cause he has to order them from Germany, but worth the wait.

[nate33]

wow. really nice. is that the dolphin tank? did you go metal of fiberglass?

[drackett_19]

Here are some more pictures of the rear sets and tach mount for drackett_19.

Thanks for the pics. That tach fits in there perfectly, i'll be adding this to my "things to do over winter" list. 

[freezingprocess]

wow. really nice. is that the dolphin tank? did you go metal of fiberglass?

Thanks Nate- It's the fiberglass dolphin tank.

Here are some more pictures of the rear sets and tach mount for drackett_19.

Thanks for the pics. That tach fits in there perfectly, i'll be adding this to my "things to do over winter" list. 

Yeah- It would fit perfectly tight in that concave section if you grind just a little material off of those mounting tabs on the tree. (There is a little space that you can't quite see in the pics I posted). I got the tach after I had already painted the top tree, so I opted not to grind and re-paint.

[jesus freek]

I just checked out the flicker page,nice job. The cafe seat section I bought has a upholstry pan.I took it to an auto upholsterer and got quoted a whopping $232.00 to have it done. NO WAY. I think what I am gonna do is pick up a passanger pillion with some suction cups and go that route. As for mounting it ,Im scared to drill through the pan for fear of vibrations and it cracking.  Michigan roads SUCK. Not sure yet but I'll get er figured out.

[olds-cool]

Nice job on your bike.  I love the way the tank sets it off.  Even better than your bike is your willingness to share information!  That's what makes sites like this one great.

[bob978]

looks great. and the wiring job looks nice too. cant even see a wire on it. even when ur standing next to it. good job man

[jason teamshralp]

your bike looks awesome. one of the best ive seen in a while. I want to make some rear sets for mine as well. where did you get the pegs from again?

[Joel]

Once again, very nice work.  It's a great looking bike.   

Are the stripes a shade of green?  About what fraction of the stock battery size is your new battery?

[freezingprocess]

your bike looks awesome. one of the best ive seen in a while. I want to make some rear sets for mine as well. where did you get the pegs from again?

Thanks Jason-
They're aftermarket Suzuki pegs:

http://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=12810

Once again, very nice work.  It's a great looking bike.   

Are the stripes a shade of green?  About what fraction of the stock battery size is your new battery?

Haha. Yeah, the stripes are Duplicolor self etching primer. I couldn't find the olive green that I wanted in a spray can elsewhere. The battery is actually a tiny bit bigger than the stock one, but only by about 1/4" (depth, I think)

[Joel]

Wow, that hump must be bigger than it looks.   

That tail light looks really good on it.  Have you looked for any LED lights to put in there?  I've seen some right-angle models for sale.

[pokepilot]

The bike looks amazing.  I'm just getting started on a 77 CB550 & my first task is replacing the original tires.  Where did you get rims and spokes for the 120/90-18 rear and what size tire are you using on the front? 

Thanks. 



nw

[freezingprocess]

The bike looks amazing.  I'm just getting started on a 77 CB550 & my first task is replacing the original tires.  Where did you get rims and spokes for the 120/90-18 rear and what size tire are you using on the front? 

Thanks. 



nw

Thanks nw... The rims are stock. I had them bead blasted and powdercoated by a local guy who only charged me about $80 for both. Spokes are stainless steel from Buchanan's: www.buchananspokes.com. - Pricey but well worth it in my eyes, since they will never rust  (fingers crossed). Front tire is 100/90-19.

Btw- Good luck on your project- good looking bike to start with.

[paulages]

great looking bike.