Cafe part duh

[musicman]

So I'm apparently screwed up in the head, just a tad, or a lot, leaning more towards a lot I guess. Aside from my 9 second turbo 5.3 camaro build I'm still playing with this goofy little Suzuki, why I dunno, I just like something about it I guess. I promised myself I wouldn't touch the thing mod wise again until the Camaro was done... well that didn't go well. I'm also stopped on the Camaro, need to wait for tax returns to buy the big dollar stuff. The other day I watched the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I got all excited about cafe racers again.

So some back history, just to remind you, and me about picking a path for this thing and sticking with it

Day one, a little over a year ago, bought for $200

Deposited a bit over $1000 in parts into it, both in needed repairs to get street worthy again and make it look a little "cafe-ish"

Started riding it to work and back in the summer daily, and came to miss having a windshield, so it became this:

My thought was I could ride it in the colder months, but I haven't, prefer the heater in my car. On top of that I bought this, and almost stopped riding the old red turd all together:

So here we are to current time. I'm left with a wonderful old Yammy that I can't get enough of, a project race car running me completely broke, and an old Suzuki that I didn't want to ride. I thought about selling it, but it's not worth anything, and I still "liked it" in a strange way. Then I saw the movie I mentioned, and immediately missed the cafe configuration. But if I was going back to the Cafe thing, I wanted to be more serious about it this time.

I have a ton of parts in the mail, so I'll keep posting with pictures as things roll in. But as of tonight I'm here, it'll change colors again, it's going to get a mini speedo and tach, rear fender, my diy seat will be re-done entirely (new foam, cover, and gel pad professionally). The exhaust is going to get some stubby mufflers too. Much to do yet! But I like how it's looking already.

 

[musicman]

So I worked a little more on the old turd again, got the rear fender mocked up (off a gs1000), tail light mocked up, it's a flat bottom though so I need to find some black foam to use as a spacer. Also started working on the electronics, cut a piece of flat bar to mount stuff to, so far so good. Still need to mount a new electric turn signal flasher since I'm going to be running LED's this time, the little relay up front is going to be for the accessory feed (3 10a fuses). After a while of stewing on ideas I'm also going to paint the rear fender red, the chrome is nasty on it. Won't be cutting any brackets off the frame, not this round. Eventually the bike will come apart for powder coat but that will be 2014 probably, too many projects with priorities, need to wrap this one up.

 

[Syd]

Hi Musicman - I like what you have done to the GS. I'm currently pondering a similar mod to my 1980 GS 1000 G. Could you let me know what year the rear fender came from as I want to replace my plastic one with a steel fender. Has the seat been modified from the stock seat or did you source that one? Any other tips that you may have would be great to hear about.

Cheers - Syd

 

[musicman]

I think the fender came from a gs1000, a 79 model. Doesn't really fit the 550 frame but I made it fit, got it off ebay. My seat is a homemade one that I had a friend cover for me, it's built out of the stock seat pan. I go back and forth daily about liking it and hating it, this summer I'm going to strip it back to bare metal and send it out for a professional cover, with proper foam and a gel pad (have back problems, it's too hard right now). The cut out in the back used to have a tail light, but I didn't have a back fender then, when it gets re-done I'm going to get rid of the cutout.

Some pics of the seat build:

 

[musicman]

Painted the rear fender yesterday, I like it so far. Also mocked up the tail lights (LED's on the seat). I bought the clear ones, but they stick out like a sore thumb, so I'm going to order the ones with smoked lenses. Also got the electric flasher in, need to order a small battery, mini gauges, find somewhere to put the huge honda r/r (thinking under the swing arm), got some painting to do, tuck the wires, and still waiting on the HID kit. The mirrors are by Third Eye, impressed with the quality actually, seems like they should work pretty good.

 

[MAJikMARCer]

I really like the painted rear fender. But the seat definitely needs to be remolded a bit now, IMO. I'd pull it down, more like the other 'bullet' shaped rears on cafe bikes. Something to mirror/complement the rear fender shape.

Here is just a real quick Photoshop. It's subtle but it helps:

 

[musicman]

Couldn't agree more, I don't know how to make a shape like that though out of sheet metal without all the tools, an english wheel is on my list of "stuff to buy"... Might explore fiberglass options this summer when I strip the seat back apart. The seat pan is also the wrong shape in the back. Oh well, yeah it would look better I just need to decide how to do it, LOL

 

[Road Rash]

I like the seat, especially with the newly painted rear fender. I think if the taillight was sunk back into the seat's rear recess a bit, it would help it, as it stands (the seat, that is). Marcer's idea works well, too. The third woulda been to maintain the seat without the fender, but maybe stretch the trailing end of the seat cowl back a bit further. Just an idea.

 

[tkent02]

I love the painted fenders, I'd love it more if the seat ended right behind the part you sit on.

 

[musicman]

I love the painted fenders, I'd love it more if the seat ended right behind the part you sit on.

Lol, lemme guess, seat looks L'ish doesn't it

Kinda struggling to grasp what your saying though, are you talking no hump at all maybe? Or a smaller shorter hump? It has.me thinking though, gonna toss the stock seat on tomorrow and see what it looks like, got some new ideas rolling in my head.

 

[musicman]

Or maybe chop the seat where the hump starts? The funny thing about using the gs1000 fender is its longer in the front then the 550 one, so one could actually run a stubby seat and show more fender off...

 

[tkent02]

That's more what I'm getting at. Maybe cut the seat right after the raised part starts? Or an inch or two back?

Not sure, but you will figure it out.

 

[musicman]

I see what your saying now, need to wipe the dust off photoshop and play around tomorrow. Not a flat seat just a shorter hump. Hmmm...

 

[tkent02]

The red fender is great though. Really sets the bike off.

 

[musicman]

Thanks

 

[musicman]

I think we're on to something here... been a while since I even touched photoshop, haha. My 2mp camera sucks, takes worse pictures than my phone, oh well, $5 at goodwill, can't complain too much

 

[Road Rash]

Ah! There ya go! Looks pretty nice. The rear fender aids this look.

 

[Guest]

Lot nicer looking.

 

[musicman]

I do like the smaller seat, kinda sucks though because it takes away space for a battery. I've thought about going kick-only but then I couldn't run the HID. Not the end of the world though, I could toss the kit on the FJ and run a standard bulb in the Suzuki.

Actually, I think that's what I'm going to do, then I don't need to mount a starter 'noid. Simplifies things even more!

 

[subid]

I'm just glad to see you pull a trailer with an old Corolla station wagon:lol:

I have one just like it, 210,000 miles and going strong.