Winter Project Almost Done, Need Some Advice

[6 Fingered Man]

So I bought this 350-4 last year and decided to build a café bike over the winter. It is getting close to being wrapped up. It’s all wired and ready to run but I have a couple details left to sort out.

Here's The Bike

http://picasaweb.google.com/ajkouraf...S9ktbX8v74ogE#

1. Battery - as you can see I left myself no place to mount a battery. I removed the electric start and will kick start the bike, so I don’t need a lot of juice. I want to mount a small battery in the tail section. Could I mount something like this or will it not work on a motorcycle? Battery Link All it has to do is give me enough to start it right?

2. Rear brake - I moved the foot pegs back and inverted the shifter to give me gp shift and a much better riding position. The down side is I can’t come up with a good way to get the rear brake to work. I have an ad up to try to get some real rear sets but if that does not work?

3. Exhaust - The stock cans are junk, without them the piped terminate at the foot pegs, which could get a bit warm. Anyone know a place that could bend me some extensions I could clamp on and get then to the back?

4. Blinkers - 35 year old bike, NH inspection, do I need them?

5. Any other suggestions would be great. This is my first old bike and first café.

[catamount]

Sorry to threadjack, but could you tell me (a) what you painted the frame with and (b) how you polished the parts? The polished parts look good! Did you coat them with anything to protect?

[6 Fingered Man]

Sorry to threadjack, but could you tell me (a) what you painted the frame with and (b) how you polished the parts? The polished parts look good! Did you coat them with anything to protect?

I painted the frame with standard automotive paint and clear out of a can. Its all in the prep you can get spray paint to look decent. The polishing I do with a lot of sanding, I 320 the paint off, then 400 grit wet the scratches out then 600 then 800 then 1000 then 2000 then use a buffing compound and buffing wheel on a air drill and then some mothers aluminum polish. Its a lot of work but worth it (best to do while drinking).

Thanks for noticing

(no i did not coat the polished parts but i did clear coat the brushed parts)

[spicy]

lookin' good.

can't wait until i have a place with a garage so i can have a project to tinker on -- really want a small-displacement CB-4 to cafe out.

[6 Fingered Man]

lookin' good.

can't wait until i have a place with a garage so i can have a project to tinker on -- really want a small-displacement CB-4 to cafe out.

Garage would be nice here to I did it in my basement, gettin her in and out is not fun. the dirt bikes are easier.

[catamount]

I painted the frame with standard automotive paint and clear out of a can. Its all in the prep you can get spray paint to look decent. The polishing I do with a lot of sanding, I 320 the paint off, then 400 grit wet the scratches out then 600 then 800 then 1000 then 2000 then use a buffing compound and buffing wheel on a air drill and then some mothers aluminum polish. Its a lot of work but worth it (best to do while drinking).

Thanks for noticing

(no i did not coat the polished parts but i did clear coat the brushed parts)

Thanks for the info!

The reason I ask is that I plan on doing these exact same things to the '78 CB125 I recently purchased.

Noob question: what parts did you "brush" and what did that involve? For instance, this is how she currently looks -- do you have any suggestions for cleaning up the engine & case?

[-jro-]

wow, bike is looking sick!!! you should post this in caferacer.net project build forum, those guys would go bananas over it and def hit up caferacer for some advice too, my dad is on there and we just did some battling with my cb to get the footpegs right and tinkering with the rear brake so he'd probably have a few pointers. Keep up the good work

[6 Fingered Man]

Thanks for the info!

The reason I ask is that I plan on doing these exact same things to the '78 CB125 I recently purchased.

Noob question: what parts did you "brush" and what did that involve? For instance, this is how she currently looks -- do you have any suggestions for cleaning up the engine & case?

I would not do any work to that thing, Just sell it (to me or DanK cheap).

I would do the motor, all the groves in the head and cylinder and all other small parts with a die grinder and some small sanding disks. Its a bitch to get in there with any thing bigger. Make sure you cover all the intake and exhaust ports really good first, the aluminum goes every where. Brushing it was evenly sanding lines in the aluminum and getting that "brushed" aluminum look. If you do that you have to clear over it because it will quickly oxidize.

And remember wet sand primer and base coats, It will help. And use heat appropriate paint, engine paint on the motor exhaust paint on the exhaust caliper paint on the brakes and so on.

[markbvt]

Bike looks good.

If I were you I would run a battery in the tail section. I don't know if that one you posted will work or not. You could also look into the lithium-ion batteries used in some dirt bike dual-sport kits. Or if you're really feeling ambitious, you could try converting the bike to run without a battery.

As for the exhaust, don't run it with open pipes because IMO it's obnoxious and doesn't look right. I would run something like this muffler from JC Whitney:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/I...D:100000142712

--mark

[6 Fingered Man]

wow, bike is looking sick!!! you should post this in caferacer.net project build forum, those guys would go bananas over it and def hit up caferacer for some advice too, my dad is on there and we just did some battling with my cb to get the footpegs right and tinkering with the rear brake so he'd probably have a few pointers. Keep up the good work

Thanks, will do. Ill try and get it up there tonight. Did you get it done with the stock pegs?

Bike looks good.

If I were you I would run a battery in the tail section. I don't know if that one you posted will work or not. You could also look into the lithium-ion batteries used in some dirt bike dual-sport kits. Or if you're really feeling ambitious, you could try converting the bike to run without a battery.

As for the exhaust, don't run it with open pipes because IMO it's obnoxious and doesn't look right. I would run something like this muffler from JC Whitney:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/I...D:100000142712

--mark

Open pipes are obnoxious but cheap, hadn't given Lithium any thought don't they tend to explode? I would love to convert it to run with out a battery but unless I am mistaken that's a lot of $$$$ What would I need to do it? nice find on the pipe. Have to do a 4 into 2 type setup.

[clutch]

Good job 6FM,

I love seeing new fire breathing from old steeds.

Thanks for sharing.

[stoinkythepig]

That's really cool!

Planning to put ther airbox back in? It'll run better with it.

Epping Auto Salvage has an exhaust pipe bender. I bet they could rig something up to a muffler for ya. Failing that, try Skip's Custom Exhaust in Plaistow.

Rear brake needs some one-off billet solution. I'd figure that out last.

That battery should be OK, igniton systems don't have much drain. If there's a ballast in the ignition system, you may want to remove it and go for a lower voltage solution.

I like blinkers, but I suspect you can legally leave them off. LEDs would be cool.

[Evil_Weasel]

i had a race NSR running without electric start. it had a 12V commercial fire alarm battery. basiclly just enough juice to complete the circut and make starting a bit easier. not sure if that would work on a bike with lights and road gear but they are small, cheap and light wieght.

[6 Fingered Man]

That's really cool!

Planning to put ther airbox back in? It'll run better with it.

Epping Auto Salvage has an exhaust pipe bender. I bet they could rig something up to a muffler for ya. Failing that, try Skip's Custom Exhaust in Plaistow.

Rear brake needs some one-off billet solution. I'd figure that out last.

That battery should be OK, igniton systems don't have much drain. If there's a ballast in the ignition system, you may want to remove it and go for a , lower voltage solution.

I like blinkers, but I suspect you can legally leave them off. LEDs would be cool.

No air box, I have some cone filters on the way. Ill try Epping It does not have to be fancy I will just wrap it in header wrap. Thanks for the battery input for 9 bucks cant go to wrong unless it burns some other part up.

I fitted 2 amber led's in the tail it looked looked a gay robot. I pulled them out before ever wiring them onto the bike.
As for the rear break if i have to ill just get rid of it. I'd love to find a way to hook it up but if I cant, I cant good riding position comes first.

Ballast in the ignition?? explain please.

[6 Fingered Man]

i had a race NSR running without electric start. it had a 12V commercial fire alarm battery. basiclly just enough juice to complete the circut and make starting a bit easier. not sure if that would work on a bike with lights and road gear but they are small, cheap and light wieght.

Awesome, just what i wanted to hear some one who actually did it. Thanks you rock.

[Evil_Weasel]

glad i could help...that's a bad ass project by the way. she is looking good. i bought a CB550 that i was planning on cafe' racering...but some how i traded it and now find myself owning yet another track bike.

[6 Fingered Man]

glad i could help...that's a bad ass project by the way. she is looking good. i bought a CB550 that i was planning on cafe' racering...but some how i traded it and now find myself owning yet another track bike.

HUH... too bad. If you run into another keep it.. or let me know ill find something to trade ya

[stoinkythepig]

some ignitions are designed to run on reduced voltage so that when the starter is cranking, and drawing the battery power down, the ignition still gets "normal" voltage. Once the starter is disengaged, the battery voltage goes back to 12+V and the ignition system would be over-powered. To prevent this, there's a ballast resistor that's in-line with the igntion system when the starter is not running.

[6 Fingered Man]

some ignitions are designed to run on reduced voltage so that when the starter is cranking, and drawing the battery power down, the ignition still gets "normal" voltage. Once the starter is disengaged, the battery voltage goes back to 12+V and the ignition system would be over-powered. To prevent this, there's a ballast resistor that's in-line with the igntion system when the starter is not running.

Cool thanks, learn something new every day, I'll look into it.