The Beginnings of a Little Cafe Racer ..... GS250 Twin ...Cafenated

I started the seat pan (holds the seat foam and is wrapped with vinyl). I taped off the seat area to protect the seat and so that after the glass hardens...I can remove the pan easily.

First flayer was fiberglass woven cloth. I than added 4 layers of fiberglass matting and after the last layer....I used extra resin to smooth things out a little more.

Once the glass hardens... I'll remove the seat pan fron the seat and use an angle grinder to trim the pan about 1/8" smaller than the seat. This gives me enough room for the vinyl.

I got a little more done today....I primered it.....and I actually like the flat black look!

[quote= tell me how to hide all of the electronics. where do you stick them i don't have any hidin places on my bike i don't think. plus you should be done with that bike by now whats really going on?
be goo and god bless

J.W.Napier

BTW likin the little twin so far, great job[/quote]


This one is taking me longer than usual...just because of work....and the summer surf calling my name!....lol

Heres some pics of how I cleared out the wiring and electronics. The flat bar that I welded to the frame in the beginning of this project was my main mounting/grounding point for the rect/reg electrics.... the battery fits nicely under the seat hump... I also relocated the battery ground to the angle iron of the battery tray.

Been wathcing the transformation... you do some nice work! I am planning a similar transformation to the GS400 for MY girl and your work with the seat, battery and wiring will act as a template.

I have posted a link to this thread at www.dotheton.com as I am SURE members there will be insterested in your work.

Thanks for keeping a record of the build!

Thanks Dan! first time seeing that site. Looks like they have some AWSOME builds on there!

you know how i like your projects:-D, but you have got to tell me how to hide all of the electronics. :shock:where do you stick them i don't have any hidin places on my bike i don't think. plus you should be done with that bike by now whats really going on? 8-[
be goo and god bless

J.W.Napier

BTW likin the little twin so far, great job

Hey J.W..

I painted the underside of the frame last night...just waiting for it to completely dry before I put the electrics back in. I'll post a pic of how it's laid out.

What tape do you use? For that matter, what matting (brand, coarse thread, fine thread, etc.) and resin do you use?

If I can move into a place that has a decent size garage, I've been thinking about building a vacuum table and playing around with 'glass and carbon fiber. When I had my Shadow I was missing a side cover. I borrowed one from a friend that had the same bike and another friend made a mold and fabricated one for me using a vacuum bagger. $35 vs the $160 the dealership wanted.

I use 3M blue masking tape just because it's easier to remove the tape when I'm done glassing.

For fiberglass matting I'm not too picky here I usually just use "Bondo" brand matting...Its a medium grade. or Home Depot has some matting that I use as well. Sometimes I use fiberglass woven cloth (its stronger but takes way too many layers to get the thickness I need.

I usually buy a gallon of "Bondo" resin (about $32) and a gallon of "Bondo" filler ($15). This much resin is usually enough to build at lease 3 seats.....It's cheap and readily available at Home Depot. I used to buy "West Systems" resin....but Its way too expensive for the type of projects that I do.

I have a small Vac Bagging system that I made....But I never use it for my seat projects. I get a lot of people asking me why I don't just make a mold a nd mass produce my seats. The reason I don't do that is because I want each one of them to be a one-off....so I shape each one according to the bike. Every single seat that I've done was just shaped by eye.

Been wathcing the transformation... you do some nice work! I am planning a similar transformation to the GS400 for MY girl and your work with the seat, battery and wiring will act as a template.

I have posted a link to this thread at www.dotheton.com as I am SURE members there will be insterested in your work.

Thanks for keeping a record of the build!

where do you stick it?

I am leaving it completely open so that you can see straight through. It makes for a cleaner look. No wires, electronics, or battery in the center.All you see is motor and air pods.

you know how i like your projects:-D, but you have got to tell me how to hide all of the electronics. :shock:where do you stick them i don't have any hidin places on my bike i don't think. plus you should be done with that bike by now whats really going on? 8-[
be goo and god bless

J.W.Napier

BTW likin the little twin so far, great job

What tape do you use? For that matter, what matting (brand, coarse thread, fine thread, etc.) and resin do you use?

If I can move into a place that has a decent size garage, I've been thinking about building a vacuum table and playing around with 'glass and carbon fiber. When I had my Shadow I was missing a side cover. I borrowed one from a friend that had the same bike and another friend made a mold and fabricated one for me using a vacuum bagger. $35 vs the $160 the dealership wanted.

Indeed it is. Nice as usual man! You make it look so easy, I am finding it quite the opposite :-D

Does that tape help keep the styrofoam from dipping? Was wondering why you masked that.

Thanks!!

The tape prevents the fiberglass resin from melting the foam. The chemicals in the fibglass resin eats most foam like acid. Once I'm done glassing....I remove the foam and the tape.

Indeed it is. Nice as usual man! You make it look so easy, I am finding it quite the opposite :-D

Does that tape help keep the styrofoam from dipping? Was wondering why you masked that.

Today I got to finish glassing the seat......adding filler and smoothing it out. I filled the tank badges smooth.....added some clubman bars... Now its starting to take shape. :-D

So what do you do in lieu of side covers? Just leave it open? I was going to have to fabricate some side covers for my bike but a fellow GS'r came through with a set I can paint. Mine were missing when I got the bike.

I am leaving it completely open so that you can see straight through. It makes for a cleaner look. No wires, electronics, or battery in the center.All you see is motor and air pods.

So what do you do in lieu of side covers? Just leave it open? I was going to have to fabricate some side covers for my bike but a fellow GS'r came through with a set I can paint. Mine were missing when I got the bike.

Just a quick question, will the regulator/rectifier get enough cooling under the seat? Of course, it doesn't get much breeze under a side cover, so this may be a moot point. I've often thought about mounting a computer cooling fan to the regulator to minimize overheating.

I won't be putting the side covers back on....so there will be more circulation than before. Regulators are meant too take the heat.....thats why they have lasted for over 25 years....I don't think I have ever had a problem with a reg/rect overheating unless it was going bad to begin with. I wouldnt bother putting a computer fan over yours....it probably wont do much in an open air circulation situation. but I'm sure it wouldnt hurt anything for you to mount one.:-D