Topic: CB750K7 Nine Lives Cafe Racer - au revoir

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

One of the reasons for the front end swap was the wobbly stock front and the AP brakes. My prior builder fabricated a 2-piece aluminum bracket that unfortunately flexes. With enough repetitive braking there was a significant risk the bracket could snap with the brakes falling into the spokes. Not an acceptable risk for me. Also, the brake calipers were too wide to fully seat onto the discs.

With the GL front, I should have a plug and play dual disc solution.

[RustyOlive]

good lord... looks like a recipe for a broken neck just waiting to happen!!! =(

 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

good lord... looks like a recipe for a broken neck just waiting to happen!!! =(

Leaky gaskets, loose bolts on engine mounts and shocks. All kinds of wrong. Failure to line the tank properly resulted in the waste of a beautiful paint job, too.

[RustyOlive]

yikes!!! in better hands now

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Just picked up the tank tonight from my painter, and it looks sweet.  I will take some better photos soon.  For now my iPhone photos will have to do.
House black with ice pearl checkers ghosted in along the spine:




I can't stop looking at it!

If you are in the SoCal area and are looking for a painter, look up Andrew "Bondo" Babish in Orange, CA; 626-419-6646.  He paints for Jay "Lossa Engineering" LaRossa.  Great guy - super reliable and talented!  Check out how the checker follows the edge of the filler panel to the spine of the tank.

[iron_worker]

The paint looks amazing. True talent and skill are shown there.

And yes, whoever designed that caliper bracket did not have any concept of the forces involved during stopping.

IW

[SF]

realy nice job there

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

The paint looks amazing. True talent and skill are shown there.

And yes, whoever designed that caliper bracket did not have any concept of the forces involved during stopping.

IW

Thanks for the comment on the paint.  I'll pass it on to my painter.

As for the caliper bracket, it was a two-piece design made out of aluminum.  Aside from looking shiny, it flexed in all directions.  With enough repetitive stress on the bracket from braking forces, I did not feel confident it would hold up.  Due to the width of the calipers, the calipers could not fully seat onto the discs (you can see them riding above).  They looked great if the bike was a paperweight, but I did not believe they were the best recipe for a functioning motorcycle.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

realy nice job there

Thanks, SF.  The credit belongs to the painter.  I just told him what I wanted and sourced the parts.  Bondo really did a fantastic job.  He worked to replace portions of the tank where rust had pin-holed the tank and did an outstanding job on the bodywork.  The checkers are really well laid out.  They even wrap around the edges of the flip top panel on the tank. 

Bondo took over the paint when my other painter went MIA a few months ago, after languishing the better part of a year.  He never asked for money for the tank until it was completed.

[SF]

wow sounds like a few guys here could have used him! what are you doing with ap calipers now that you cant use em?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

wow sounds like a few guys here could have used him! what are you doing with ap calipers now that you cant use em?

Bondo (Andrew Babish) is a good guy.  I highly recommend him.  626-419-6646

As for the AP Racing brake calipers, they are off the bike and in my spare parts collection.  I'm not sure if I will have a project to use them any time soon.  They are vintage magnesium racing brakes; I also sourced new pads and pad clips, so they are good to go if I decide to use them.  PM me with an offer if you are interested.  They are 4-pots, so they should stop better than the current AP line of "Classic" 2-pot calipers (http://www.apracing.com/product_details/motorcycle/brake_calipers/solo_and_classic_machines_plus_sidecar_2_piston_caliper/cp2696-38e0.aspx).  The only problem in using the vintage AP calipers with Honda CB's is the clearance from the spokes!  The new ones with pads are about $450 (a pair) shipped from the UK to the USA.  The magnesium ones are kind of unobtainium, but AP still makes the pads.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Real progress today:
The engine was fired, and NO LEAKS!! 
The GL1000 front end is coming together.  Just need some new fork seals.  The fork lowers were sandblasted and powder coated, and the forks were rebuilt with Race Tech emulators and springs.   

Some more shots of the tank:





Love those knee dents!

[Tews19]

I am not a fan of checkered design on a tank but yours I really like. Subtle yet eye catching?? If that makes sense...

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I am not a fan of checkered design on a tank but yours I really like. Subtle yet eye catching?? If that makes sense...

Thanks, that was the whole idea.     I wanted it ghosted so it would not be "in your face."  It's very subdued.

[Tews19]

Very cool!

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

The new GL front end is coming together, and it's looking good:




New forks assembled with Race Tech internals (I'm planning to add a set of preload adjusters fabricated by Rob aka Voxonda):



Telefix fork brace (German goodness -- "You know the Germans always make good stuff!"):



Freshly powder coated brake parts and my kick-ass, super-light phenolic pistons:




I also replaced the oil lines with the anodized AN fittings because they kept leaking! I decided to swap them out with Cycle X replacements (not more line leaks):



The bike fired and idled fine with no leaks!  The next things to come: tuning the carbs and finishing the assembly of the front end.  After the carbs are sorted, the exhaust will be sent out for ceramic powder coating.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

The GL1000 forks are mounted.  I used a GL1000 stock bottom triple, combined with Dime City Cycle's billet upper clamp, including DCC's mounting brackets for the ignition and gauges; universal mount gators; Telefix fork brace, Motolanna die cast aluminum fork ears, Tarozzi high-rise clip-ons.  The GL1000 brake discs have been swapped in place of the CB750 discs; El Cheapo aka Anubis Cycle aka Tom Neubauer drilled and resurfaced the GL1000 discs (and did a great job).





The DCC triple clamp brackets worked great with the stock ignition and gauge bracket:







I am waiting on some pre-load adjusters from Rob aka Voxonda to replace the stock GL1000 fork caps:





Unfortunately, the Tarozzi high-rise clip-ons do not hold their position well -- apply enough vertical force and the bars move!     The mating surfaces are not grooved on the pivot secured by the front-facing allen bolt, so there is nothing locking them into place, no matter how much you tighten the bolt.  The one bolt (albeit a sturdy looking one) is not enough to hold the clip-ons in position.  Bummer! 

I've decided to replace them with Vortex 37mm clip-ons.  They do not have the risers, but they will stay in place.

[brandEn]

WOW, you got some nice parts! Everything is looking great. I am thinking the fork ears might look better swapped around though?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

WOW, you got some nice parts! Everything is looking great. I am thinking the fork ears might look better swapped around though?

Thanks, Branden!  I am feeling like the project is finally coming together for real!  I'm on the fence about inverting the fork ears.  They are designed to slant downward, as pictured on the Motolanna site and the fork ears also have die cast marks L and R.  That said, I might flip them upside down.

What's left:
- Tune carburetors.
- Adjust steering stops (fabricate new steering stops) for the wider GL1000 forks so they don't bash up the gas tank.
- Ceramic powder coat the exhaust.
- Rebuild brake calipers and mount onto fork legs.
- Replace fuse block with blade fuse block.
- Fender???
- A few odds and ends.
- Some other things I forgot, I'm sure.

[Tews19]

Love the pipe.. Can you post a video of it when it is running?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Love the pipe.. Can you post a video of it when it is running?

Will do. 

FYI - The pipe was manufactured by Don Kistler at The Power Pros in Placentia, California.  Don is a no-BS, straight-talking good guy.  He manufactures the Yosh replica 4-1 pipes for a few vendors.  The Power Pros develops and manufactures high performance exhaust systems.

[Tews19]

It looks like moto gp werks... mind if I ask how much?

[Retro Rocket]

It looks like moto gp werks... mind if I ask how much?

It is....   Chris got him to make them in the first place....

[Tews19]

It looks like moto gp werks... mind if I ask how much?

It is....   Chris got him to make them in the first place....

very interesting.  I did not know that..

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

It looks like moto gp werks... mind if I ask how much?

I think you can get them from Chris for about $500.  Carpy sells a similar but simpler design for $300.  Chris's replica has more features.  I believe Jay LaRossa also sells them occasionally.  It's my understanding that Don manufactures all of these pipes (for these vendors).  And, yes RR, Chris did have Don manufacture the replica -- see page one of the build thread.