T8's 750 Cafe Racer Project

I pulled an all-nighter on Friday attempting to get a better finished product on the CNC mill. I feel like I have got a process now that seems to work ok. It's been producing a better surface finish and a more consistent part. Also, I drew up a quick headlight ear and had Ben 3D print it for me so I could check the fit and look on the bike before I went through all the work it takes to machine two. I am learning that making one part is pretty simple, but making two parts that go together is TOUGH. The surface finishes have to match and the tolerances have to be tight for them to come out looking like a good match. Anyways, I'm really learning to appreciate all the work Ben did for me in the past because now I'm doing it all on my own and it sucks ha. Though, there's not many feelings better than taking a cube of aluminum and turning it into a tangible form of your ideas. My project should be picking up some steam now that I can machine my own parts and because I have three other project bikes that I'm pretty motivated to get to.

Thanks guys! I'm at a critical time in my life so sometimes the bikes take the backseat, unfortunately. For the time being they are back on the upper end of the to-do list. I bought a new brake MC the other day that should help with brake performance on the front end. It was a 1/4 of the price of what I originally paid for the bike but it was on sale and well.. this bike doesn't really have a budget anymore ha. It's taken long enough that, when I need or want something for it, being frugal doesn't really happen anymore. I originally swapped a CR450 MC because it's just a single sided setup and also so I could get some matching Warp9 left and right handles but the CR450 MC interfered quite a bit with the GS750 stuff on the handlebars. This radial MC will clear everything really well and be a lot easier to bleed. I'm going to fill and bleed the brake system this weekend. I also sandblasted the upper triple clamp I just finished machining in preparation for some new black paint.

[Chuck78]

Lookin' good man. Keep up the progress, & try & pull some late nights here & there to get that thing ready for spring! I may have to check that thing out in the next summer or two if I'm out west. Need to visit friends in Boulder & maybe go as far as Cali/Big Sur/Sequoia if I'm lucky. On bike.

[steve murdoch]

I am going to need your address so i can send some parts i need cleaned up.
Only 25 or 30 pieces, i promise.
Sure does give it a trick look.

Good work man.

I was just like you many years ago starting in the field.
Staying late after hours and working in the shop is where you grow the most.
Keep up the good work.

Not only do I feel bad to you guys for not being on here more but I really feel bad my bike is still not done. I have been pretty busy with my new job but I am finally able to take R&D jobs from start to finish without help. Most recently (last night) I faced the front of my top triple clamp. I could have done this by hand with an angle grinder or on a sanding belt but I figured it would be a good time to experiment with the machinery I have access to. I started by making a fixture for the triple clamp that turned out really nice, then once I clamped the triple tree onto the fixture I machined the face down. It was a little stressful to throw a part in the CNC machine because once you start the program there's really no turning back haha. To my delight it turned out great and I'm happy with the finish! I'll be working on it more over the next couple months because it is winter here. More updates soon!

[Chuck78]

Hi,

do you know if the 79' 750 exhaust works on a 79' 850? i want to buy an aftermarket exhaust for my 850 but i don't like the ones that fit my bike. i've seen some 750 exhaust that i like but not sure if it fits.

Yes, same fit, same aftermarket pipes from Mac and Vance & Hines fit both models.

Marving makes a really nice flat collector 4-1 up swept road racing pipe that I'd love to have.

Hi,

do you know if the 79' 750 exhaust works on a 79' 850? i want to buy an aftermarket exhaust for my 850 but i don't like the ones that fit my bike. i've seen some 750 exhaust that i like but not sure if it fits.

So, it's been a while and I have been extremely busy. I just got an internship with the same company my buddy Ben works for. This means I no longer have to go through him to make my parts. I can just do them all myself from start to finish! It also means all of my projects had to be moved about 30 miles away which is convenient in some regards but a pain in the butt in others. The bad news is the bike will not be done this riding season. She will undergo her last winter under the knife and I'll have a finished product ready to hit the road in the spring. Anyways, I have been able to make a couple of parts to fix my steering damper situation. It seems to be a good solution and I'm excited to road test it. The only problem with it now is the little protrusion on the right side of the bottom triple clamp because it hits the damper spacer. I planned on finishing the casting marks out of the lower triple clamp anyways so it will be an easy job to do before I do that. My goals at this point are to make some headlight brackets, wire up the engine, bleed the brakes, get a new throttle twist, and probably get a shorter clutch cable. Once it's all hooked up she should fire up. As far as welding goes I need to relocate the petcock and rearsets, make some brackets to hold the seat, and find a good muffler to finish the exhaust. Lots of updates to come!

Like I said, we'll see what happens. The bike at this point is very adjustable, hence the bare frame Also, I did not say I'd be riding on the street trying to drag peg ha. I do not condone unsafe or illegal street riding and am sorry if I ever said anything that would suggest that I do. The street is not the place to test a bike's limit or your own. Bottom line is that this bike is, for lack of better words, an experiment. I have taken my time on every detail. I have measured twice and cut once.. and there have been things that didn't work, so they got remeasured, rethought, and redone. My pegs are also about an inch longer than stock pegs, unfortunately. I'll probably be changing them out for a pair of stock GXSR pegs as soon as I can find some. The rearsets ended up where they are due to some lean tests as well as the long pegs. The last thing I want is to build a bike that handles how it should and the only hangup being that a peg or the exhaust scrapes midturn. I live relitively close to a good race track and intend to run the bike hard there before making anyadjustments. And for those of you thinking about my tires right now, yes the current ones are rains, BUT I'll put some drys on before track day

[mmattockx]

For me the whole point of this bike was to build something that handled better so if those pegs aren't getting close to dragging (even as high as they are) I haven't done my job

Your pegs look significantly higher than the pegs on my GSXR1000 and I have never managed to touch those even on track days. If you are getting close to dragging your pegs on the street you are either Kenny Roberts or are going way, way too fast on the street.


Mark

I have sat on it and they are definitely high but I'd rather start high and lower them as needed. That is also part of the reason I haven't painted the frame at all yet. For me the whole point of this bike was to build something that handled better so if those pegs aren't getting close to dragging (even as high as they are) I haven't done my job We'll see how it handles though and make adjustments from there. But yeah, I agree they are high. Not by accident though

Have you sat on it and actually been ableto put both feet on the pegs.?? They look up pretty high.

Just a quick shot from the garage today. I didn't actually work on it today but I was able to stare at it for a minute while I worked on my truck. Just a glimpse of how the exhaust fits up. I should get more time after next weekend to work on the bike. I've had a bunch of fishing tournaments this month so it's been tough because my weekends are spent out of town.

Man, that is really looking good.