Another cafe racer........

[yaddy]

So i decided to have a go at making my own front brake lines, i bought a "made to order" rear line but that's no fun is it............

Here's the materials i used, bottom lines are the same length but the top line is a good 5 inch shorter than stock




In this one you can see the clear heatshrink going on, i prefer to have the covering on there just to keep everything smooth and try to eliminate any chafing / rubbing on the front guard and forks.




1 finished bottom line




1 finished top line, i went with the black braid on the top to "hide" the line amongst the black braided cables and wiring


I was really surprised how easy it was to make these lines up. I was a little hesitant about going this route, thinking i might get leaks or something but they sealed first time, they give plenty of feel in the lever too. I'd be more than happy to use this system again in the future, time will tell though if any leaks are yet to come through hard braking etc.

[yaddy]

First ride today! I went about 200 feet down the road and back, just to check all the gears worked, brakes, clutch, controls etc.

The bike feels dead tight and pukka in all areas, it actually feels quite nimble too. I've never ridden it before but didn't expect too much, i think it's gonna be a fun bike to ride about on (despite being "just" a 650)

Everythings working spot on, apart from the engine, it's a bit of a dog at the minute. Ticks over ok, but when you gas it up, it drops the number 4 cylinder, it comes back in when off the gas though. I'm presuming (hoping) it's just a setup issue, these carbs have been in pieces and have had no setup whatsoever as yet, standard mains with pods and pipe do NOT mix well so i hear. I know i've got a long way to go with the engine settings but for now, it was all about getting the bike together really. I know i'll make my end of July deadline now, that was the main issue.
I've got a list of little jobs still to do but nothing of great interest, just bolts to change out for stainless, a new sidestand to find, headlight if i ever find one, bars to swap possibly, paint to buff up, casings to final polish and other small bits n pieces.

Here's some more pics of how it'll look when "out n about". I've grown to really love the way it sits, i know it's not everyones cup of tea but i'm a very happy man indeed.

Huge mega thanks to everyone on the forum for helping to get it this far, whether you posted any comments or not, you all helped in a huge way just by being on here. So give yourselves a huge round of applause and soak up some pics of your work, cheers guys, much appreciated

[yaddy]

[yaddy]

[dohc]

WoW

[Dignan]

Gorgeous bike. Close attention to detail, too.

[midnightcafe]

three months and you did this

Excellent job, what an inspirational build!

[DMorris]

Soooo Nice!

Yaddy,

I stand by my previous statement. This bike could be a factory special; it is so well integrated. Just beautiful. Everything works together from a design point of view.
I wish you lived next door. In fact, the house next door is for sale. I'll help you move in!

Like I said before, I'm just getting back into bikes. Before kids, my wife and I used to tear up the roads on my GS1000E.( best passenger I ever had - totally at ease on the back of the bike ) Then one day, after the kids came along, I decided that my lack of restraint relative to my right wrist meant that I should hang it up for a while. The kids are 28 and 26 now and I have a very clean '85 GS1150E on which I am relearning the old skills and reflexes -- with a big, silly grin on my face! The wife has decided that she would like to ride her own bike so she is taking a riding course and once she has finished that, we will be picking up something appropriate for her to ride while she develops her skills.

The only problem ( what a wonderful problem ) is that I want to build a bike and I think I would have the forum members howling if I started
hacking at a pristene GS1150. So, I am on the hunt for at least two more motorcycles.

I'm thinking '78 or '79 GS1000E (nostalgia) as a starting point for my build. ( I have absolutely nothing against the smaller bikes but I'm a big guy - 6'5" and 320#- so I need the physically largest bike I can get to start with) I am not completely decided on the flavor of my build. I am drooling over what you have done; its just so tasty and a style I've wanted to build for a very long time.
I am also considering something even a little more old school nostalgic -- I have a picture around here somewhere of what I have in mind.

I'm so inspired by several of the builds on this forum -- doublenickel's, agemax's, nvr2olds and yours (plus several others) Like I said, I 'm putting up inspiration bikes on a bulletin board in my garage and from them I am planning my winter's work. I can't wait!! I intend to draw heavily on input from the members of this forum and on the technical expertise of friends at work ( I work in machine tool maintenance at Boeing's Auburn fabrication division ) to help me find the best answers to the problems that develop in any project like this.

Well, so much for my plans for now. I just wanted to tell you again that I admire your build very much and plan to steal ideas from it shamelessly.

I would love to have some hi-res copies of theses last pictures (jpeg) if you can find the time to send them to me.

Best, Don

[nvr2old]

That's really a beautiful bike. Nicely done Yaddy. I love how clean it looks with no side covers and all the electrical stuff hidden. Very cool, indeed.

[Zooks]

Speechless!!!

[Bribird]

Hey brother, you totally did that bike right!! I really dont see anything that you could have done better... well other than the big headlight... but thats an easy add on, once you find one. I will keep my eyes open for one on this side of the world for you.

Great work there Yaddy!!

[Colin Green]

Damn!!!!!!!! That is art.

Congratulations, you have made a great bike into an awesome Motorcycle statement
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.
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[yaddy]

three months and you did this

Excellent job, what an inspirational build!

A bit over 3 months actually, more like 4 1/2 months, i stripped the bike in February this year. Thanks for the comments though.

I would love to have some hi-res copies of theses last pictures (jpeg) if you can find the time to send them to me.

Not a problem Don, pm me your email addy and i'll send you some pics over, no sweat. Remember though, you have to return some pics of your bike .


Thanks for the comments everyone, much appreciated

[Bad Kaw]

Now that is some great work. Nicely done!
-KR

[Clayton!]

Stunning