T8's 750 Cafe Racer Project

[Spiff]

Oh, forgot about the kick :-P cool, I might look into this as opposed to the universal kits they sell online. Might be a cheaper option too :-)

Awesome thread, just read through it all!
I'm curious about the gsxr rearsets, did you use the gsxr shifterarm? Did it bolt right up to the GS750 with the correct number of teeth and all?

Keep ut the good work !

Thanks! Yeah I did use the stock shift arm and it seems to line up. I mocked it all up before I took the motor out and it tightened up really nicely and seemed to grip correctly. Give it a try. These rearsets work great because as long as you set them up right they clear the kickstart too.

[Spiff]

Awesome thread, just read through it all!
I'm curious about the gsxr rearsets, did you use the gsxr shifterarm? Did it bolt right up to the GS750 with the correct number of teeth and all?

Keep ut the good work !

One More Pic of the Corral

The garage looks a lot better with two bikes in it! Threw some old dirt bike bars I had laying around on the XS400 just to replace the nasty swoopster ones that came stock on it. Also was able to use some of the old GS stuff like the MC for the front brake to get it working again.

Smart thinking man, just got caught up on the build since I haven't been able to get on here in a while. Bike is looking sick! If you need I think I have the schematic of the wiring diagram you are looking for and can drop ya off a copy.

I think I may need that diagram when it comes time to throw the motor back in. Thanks mlymanz!

Rear Brake Set-up

I forgot to mention when I was at Warp-9 the other day talking to Rob he was stoked to inform me that for my rear wheel rotor pattern ONLY they just built a full floating rotor that matches the front! He'll swap me for the one I have for $40. Not bad! He showed it to me and it's awesome. I'm stoked for it now and I'll be sure to post some pics when I get it. Anyways here's how the thing's shakin' down.

This is how the stock unit started out


After de-tabbing just to make it workable


This is where it would mount up stock but as you can see there are some major clearance issues. It would have fit but the biggest problem is that it is a floating caliper and as the pads wear the clearance that it has disappears. If the pads were to wear at all it would start to hit the shock.


Here is about where it will all mount up when I'm done. For those of you wondering why I don't undersling it, it's mainly because of where I'd have to route the brake line as well as it just looks funny with the caliper because of it's shape. Trust me, I mocked it up haha

Ok so I've been working on the seat some more kind of widdling away at it night by night. I know it looked close to being complete by the pics but there was a lot more to be done. The front portion that fits up against the tank has been most of the work but the cowl also needed some work so it would be symmetrical. I also have been thinking about all the rake and trail I have taken away and how it is going to quicken my steering tremendously. With this may also come adverse handling behavior aka tank slappers. SO I bought a 2007' GSXR steering damper and will be retro fitting it. I also have the rear brake situation to solve. It ALMOST worked out to where I could use the stock caliper bracket with no mods besides an offset bracket. I figured the shocks may get in the way before mounting them but hoped for the best. After mounting them my thoughts were confirmed. The caliper just needs to be moved from in front of the shock to behind it. I thought of a few solutions but decided on cutting up and modifying the stock caliper bracket, drilling/tapping a hole in it and running a heim set-up to the swingarm. It should hit a few birds with one stone and also be pretty tough. It minimizes the machine work necessary and just simplifies the whole rear brake set-up. I talked with Ben this weekend and we should be doing a lot of machine work within the next two weeks or so because he is out of school for the break. I took the carbs apart and cleaned them although they were already spotless (the guy I bought it from wasn't lying when he said he just cleaned them!). I already have the new shift linkage built and ready to go so all I need to do to finish up is.

Steering damper and necessary bracketry
Headlight brackets
Foot pedals
Re-weld the outer shock mount brackets to make them pretty
Finish seat and cowl
Add necessary brackets for seat and misc.
Rear brake heim set-up

I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple things but these are the big items. Springtime ought to be right on time for this little baby to be back on the road!


Here's the GSXR steering damper


Here is the shaping that's been happening








Still not done but getting closer to laying some glass

I'm not sure which one mine is.. I just know it's an 'E' model. Is that the same as an EN? Ha I'm embarrassed I don't know!

In other news I picked up my new motorcycle this weekend. 1980 Yamaha xs400. I'm going to build it into more of a brat/cafe bike that I can take around the fields and hills. Since it's a twin and my bike is a one seater I figured it would be great for a chick so when I invite a date on a motorcycle ride she can be taken by surprise when we pull up to the garage and I give her one for herself haha. If she's gonna be with me she might as well know how to ride! I don't want to end up with a chick who makes me sell my motorcycle

Smart thinking man, just got caught up on the build since I haven't been able to get on here in a while. Bike is looking sick! If you need I think I have the schematic of the wiring diagram you are looking for and can drop ya off a copy.

What do you need? I have one for the N & EN and one for the LN.

EDIT:Here is one for the N & EN. The only difference I can see is the fuel gauge.

[ATTACH]21050[/ATTACH]

I'm not sure which one mine is.. I just know it's an 'E' model. Is that the same as an EN? Ha I'm embarrassed I don't know!

In other news I picked up my new motorcycle this weekend. 1980 Yamaha xs400. I'm going to build it into more of a brat/cafe bike that I can take around the fields and hills. Since it's a twin and my bike is a one seater I figured it would be great for a chick so when I invite a date on a motorcycle ride she can be taken by surprise when we pull up to the garage and I give her one for herself haha. If she's gonna be with me she might as well know how to ride! I don't want to end up with a chick who makes me sell my motorcycle

I'm diggin' it too, man.

Thank you all for the kind words! It means a lot to me that so many folks are diggin' what I'm doing. Didn't do a whole lot to it this weekend because it's pretty much time to clean the carbs and I'm dreading it. I did, however take it for a gravity assisted, 7 mile long ride today. Got up to 45MPH with the rolling chassis. I just felt out the braking capability of the front brake, the footpeg position, and the stability of it as a whole. It rode very nicely and tracked straight. I'm stoked to throw the motor in her and put it through some corners under power. Lastly, I am bringing on my second bike project this upcoming weekend. My uncle is GIVING me his Yamaha XS400 fo freeeee. I'm stoked! Anyways, yup, I just wanted to thank everyone who has been following my build!

It's looking great T8er. Keep up the good work!

oh my god, I'm so tired, but this bike is so inspiring.

its good to see someone with a sense of proportion! very nice work going on here.

[nvr2old]

Nice job. I like the line that fades into the tail..well done.