GS 750 Cafe Project I think...

[yaddy]

Was yours covered? I wasn't expecting it to fall apart, I was mostly concerned about it being too hard. It should have the advantage of being water resistant too.

Hey Beaver,

No, it wasn't covered. Mine was just glued onto the fibreglass seat unit. It never had a hard feel to it though, you didn't really notice tbh. It just seemed to rub apart from use, but dead easy to replace. I would expect it to be a very harsh ride on the road, you don't encounter the same sort of lumps and bumps on a track.

 

[Beaver]

Thanks for that yaddy...

Well I have finally got my mobile to talk with my computer so I have some more pictures.

I got my clubmans in the mail the other day and mounted the about 5 min after. This also included removing speedo, tach and mirrors. Luckily in a flash of brilliance I found our Dymo machine at work and labelled all the wires for future reference, I was so proud of myself.

Wow, I felt like I got a whole new bike! I can understand CK a little better now. Clubmans really change the look and the feel of the bike and with the instruments gone it was hard to put words on. I like riding it even better now than ever before.

Christmas lights. I have ordered Leds, a little more inspiration from beergood, and will construct a little flat panel so that I can still see what is happening while I am riding. I want to keep indicators as I am too lazy to stick my arm out and like keeping my hands where they are usefull, I also am dreadfull at remembering to rurn them off if I don't have a friendly little reminder.

I had bought new brackets for lowering the front light but I actually like it more where it is. When you look over the bars it sits just in the arch of them, continuing the line, nice aesthetics.

A friend is helping cut and weld the frame on Tuesday to shorten it and make a mount for the new light and I will start fiberglassing on Saturday. I have decided to also go with the original tail, but make it a little smaller. It will also be removable, making an extra 5-6 inches of seat available. The plan is to glass a mould of the old tail and then use it to make an exact copy of the original. How I make it removable I have no idea just yet, first things first. My other dilema is how to make the tail work together with the light...

 

[Beaver]

Question:

Once you have removed speedo/tach cables, can you do anything, should you do anything to plug the holes (at the engine) where you took them from?

 

[beergood]

Question:

Once you have removed speedo/tach cables, can you do anything, should you do anything to plug the holes (at the engine) where you took them from?

I have seen this debated elsewhere. I didn't when I took off my tach a few years ago and haven't had any problems.

 

[Beaver]

Oil leaks again...

When I got the bike it dripped from the gasket for the cam covers. Replaced that, problem solved, but it still leaked a little from the rubber plug at the end of the cams. 4 of those come from Z1 yesterday, problem not solved. Does anyone have any tips here?

The gasket is new, the rubber plugs are new, but the oil just can't be stopped...

 

[TheCafeKid]

Teflon tape. Wrap the underside (the round part) of those cam end plugs...should stop it up nice. Ive had the same set on my 77...prolly SINCE 77...teflon tape did em up nice..

 

[Beaver]

Couldn't find any tape today, got some Loctite gasket gunk instead. I am in the middle of painting the pipes at the moment so I haven't fired it up to see if it worked or not, fingers crossed...

 

[salty_monk]

Put them in with same silicon, gasket gunk stuff.

Dan

 

[erch]

Hi, sorry to barge in as a new member and all but I've been reading alot here since I started doing a restoration/modernization of my dad's '77. Seeing as how I've been going for the poor-man's cafe look I thought I'd post here instead of starting a new thread.


My question first off, is what are those wrappings I keep seeing on old cafe pipes? I've seen a few up close but never with the designer/owner nearby to tell me. I had assumed they were fiberglass wrappings to keep from burning your leg but like the BMW on page 1, you can see the pipes are out of the way of your leg anyways. I'd assume that anything you're wrapping on your pipes would only insulate them and cause overheating but I see them on alot on old GP air-cooled bikes as well... what's the deal?


and in return for information: pics!



I've pretty much been concerned with getting the thing running for now since it's been in a horse barn for 25 years. It's running on 4 now but I think it's a little lean still, with the K&N pods and swapping the 97.5 main gets for some 110s from my bud's '92 Katana. Got some Clubmans on there, seat's currently at the re-upolster getting the front seat lowered and the back seat tapered to meet the rear fender closer. Off to get new shocks and steel-braided brake lines today. I was toying with the idea of replacing the headlight with dual chrome round ones for a cafe/streetfighter mutt look.

when it arrived:

now:

stripped (kinda):

 

[Beaver]

It increases the heat of the gasses coming out of your pipes and therefore their velocity making the flow more efficient, plus they look cool If you can find them from industrial suppliers then they are way cheaper than MC shops....

YaY!! I get to answer a question

 

[beergood]

The header wrap also in theory keeps heat from the pipes from blowing back on the engine. I expect this result is actually pretty negligible. The most practical benefit I have noticed on my bike is that it makes checking if a cylinder is firing a lot easier. You can actually touch the header pipe to see if it is hot. An experiment that you don't want to perform with bare pipes (as I accidentally learned years ago).

By the way erch, I have seen this start a fight on here before, but I am going to say it anyway: your clubmans are on upside down.

 

[salty_monk]

Look like they are about 80 degrees out of whack to me (they should be close to pointing down at the floor with the grips below the mounts) but if it's comfortable for him like that... who cares, it's his bike

Dan

 

[beergood]

Oh, I know. I wasn't really carping, I've just seen that mentioned on here a few dozen times, so I thought I would be the first to spring the inevitable, but in a cheeky manor.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/search.php?searchid=1046586

To me upside down clubmans look to put your hands in about the same position as properly mounted superbike bars, but look really awkward at the same time. Superbike bars look good if mounted correctly, as do clubmans. Incorrectly mounted bars just create a little bit of frizzle fry in my brain. Kind of like looking at someone wearing their shoes on the wrong feet. Sure, they aren't my feet, but it still is somewhat troubling.

Comfort is the most important thing to some people, aesthetic to others. I float in the middle. To the people that say comfort is the only thing that matters, I always say: "Then why aren't you wearing pajamas right now?"

 

[Beaver]

YaY!! I finally got my pods in the mail and got them mounted!! Oh joy

I wouldn't say that they are up and running perfectly yet, it sounds a bit like a bowl of ricies sometimes, but it could be worse. I did try to sync the carbs after without too much success though. I used the Motion Pro sync tool - http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1689 but found no change in the levels when I adjusted the screw on the side of the carb. Is there something I am just not getting? Is it the result of buying tools that are just too cheap?

 

[beergood]

Assuming that you have the same basic carbs that I do, I am guessing that what you are adjusting is the air mixture screw.

To sync the carbs you need to adjust the slide aperture, which is done by adjusting a screw/nut combo under the top carb caps. Kind of a pain to do. You will need to remove the tank and come up with a way to get fuel to the carbs.

 

[Beaver]

Ha ha, I had a feeling I was probably doing something fundamentally wrong I forgot to take my manual with me so I was working off BikeCliffs online PDFs...

 

[Beaver]

Just a wee update:

I haven't got any pictures just yet (I know that is always the best bit) but I have made some interesting progress and finally have a little time to post.

I never had any really big plans for doing too much to my 750, I wanted to keep it simple and mostly cosmetic. But while shopping for parts for modding my GS1000 I managed to get the wrong forks ('83gsx not '88 gsxr) and also found someone selling an 1100 swingarm with bushings for a 750, so I thought 'why not?' My bike has just had mounted a whole front end off a ?83 GSX 1100, which all went very smoothly aside from the bearings at the bottom of the steerer. A bit of measuring and shopping on Z1 and a week later my problem was solved.

I am nearly finished with the coil relay mods and various electrical mods spelled out by basscliff. I have also replaced the coils with Dynatech 2.2 ohm coils and new leads. My bike now starts in the first 5 seconds or less rather than before it often managed to drain the battery without ever starting.

I have also gotten my hands on the original header pipes off a 750 (my bike came with a Marshall) and am in the process of setting them up as straight pipes. I have bought some baffles for them and a little fiberglass packing should I need it. I just need a friend to help me with welding and extending the pipes and I am done. I am amazed at the sound the bike makes now, I never would have thought it possible for my little 750 to sound that evil. If I can get the baffles to just take the edge off the sound and make it a bit more road legal I will be a happy man.

I am now just trying to source the small bits and pieces that I am missing on the new swingarm as it came completely stripped of parts and then I will begin on the rear end.

The fork is also REALLY soft. I have no experience with motorcycle forks, only mountain bike ones so the only things that I can think of doing about it are changing the springs or new oil in the forks. I can't imagine it being springs as it is a smaller bike than the 1100 and I am not a heavy rider. But I am curious as to how hard it is to change the oil in the forks on these things?

I should have pictures after this weekend, promise

 

[Beaver]

I have been promising a picture for a while. My excuse to myself being that other than my mobile I don't actually have a camera.

The photo is taken by a friend. Unfortunately it won't be the gsxr wheel I am mounting but the gsx 1100 rear wheel that fits the front. I am just without a tyre for now. On the bright side I don't think I will be having any problems with chainline. But my chain is too short with the new swingarm. Is it just a question of a new chain?

Another problem I have encountered is a rear wheel spacer. The gsx 1100 wheel came without any parts other than bearings. Fortunately everything from my gs 750 rear fits on it with the exception of the spacer pictured here

It pushes the wheel too far to the right so that the brake doesn't sit properly. My question is, is it as simple as cutting/machining a bit off this spacer so that it all fits? I don't want to do anything too drastic before I get a second opinion on it.

Cheers

Angus

 

[salty_monk]

That's the spacer that goes into the sprocket hub from the other side.... The bit you have in the oil seal now will come level with the seal when inserted from the other side. Take a look at the fiche online or the manual & you'll see what I mean.

If that one is outside what do you have on the inside??

Dan

 

[Beaver]

Sweet, cheers! I was a little perplexed... :-k