GSX400f - "WesCaf?" - Build - Melb/Australia

[nikosg]

Hey guys!

My names Nik - 23y.o from Melbourne Australia.

So ive had this baby for a year - my first bike indeed!

Doing a cafe style build...Eventually i will do my own body work in the next few weeks, and possibly a Wes Cooley blue/white colour scheme for her too. Those are the plans for now...

To date, she has had little aesthetic changes, just clip on bars, new mufflers and wrap... oh and red club plates (*cheap rego woo woo!*)

Money so far has been put into new stator & R/R which i fitted myself - a nice learning curve...and a few other maintenance issues to keep her running smoothly.

We had a "Dyno Day" a week or two ago (as part of "Melbourne Cafe Racers" group - great bunch of guys and gals) where we got to dyno our machines for a $50! 31Hp at the wheel and the air fuel mixture sitting pretty damn good for now so got a bench mark to start from. Hopefully another dyno day will be organised later on in the year!

Anywho, the parts box has been slowly filling up over the past six months, and now with a short break in between final year semesters at university, what better time than to attack! and in winter!

In this box - New shocks and front springs, headlight, digital speedo, LED lights, front master cylinder, SS brake lines and a few other little bits are all ready.


Here are some pics to keep you amused. . .

How she is currently, before we begin changes. She is pretty in my eyes... Just going to touch up her makeup

Some nice lines on this baby Katana

Old Shocks - may aswell be a hard tail...

New shocks! Ikon 7614 series at 14" custom length

Prepping the wheels

Tank off - with a very unpleasant site at the front end.. not looking forward to that :s

Koso digital Speedo... this is going to make a HUGE change to the overall proportions and lines of the bike... very excited to fit this.



So far some shout outs to Pete, Jimmy, Dan who i spoke to today, and a few others, thanks for all the advice so far! And for everyone really, have learnt a tonne going through this website! BassCliff as well... invaluable site. Thanks to him and all those who contributed to it.

 

[Woodsy]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Guest]

Nice one Nik, glad to see a build thread at last!

I went on a dyno day with the Katana boys the other week... 32hp from my wee beastie but my AFR was shockingly rich, hopefully have that pretty sorted now.

Keen to see her come together, especially as to what you do for pipes...

 

[nikosg]

^ haha its either custom made stainless steel - or those marving ones. That is literally my only option Pete!

 

[nikosg]

Forgot this one -
Doing a quick mockup for the new spoked rims

 

[Guest]

Custom stainless or Marving... man both options sound good!

Can't see the mock up pic though...

 

[GateKeeper]

Forgot this one -
Doing a quick mockup for the new spoked rims

now that is funny.....
:lol::lol::lol::lol:

.

 

[nikosg]

ok guys just finished reinstalling the front forks/wheels and rear wheel...

i have a feeling my front forks or something is a bit bent (which i always suspected)... it doesnt seem to line up straight with the triple tree which is more evident since ive removed all the gauges :s hasnt been an issue riding but have always felt like my left arm is a bit more forward when travelling straight...



quick question... is there info somewhere that will help me tension the chain and set up the rear wheel properly? think we did it right however would like to read over something...

couldnt find anything on bikecliffs site other than a the procedure on a shaftie... (maybe i missed it Ls )

any help? pics to come

 

[boingk]

Hi there mate, good looking bike and sensible plan of attack. Great to see someone going over the basics rather than just wanting to look good / go fast.

I would leave about 30mm of slack in the chain at its midpoint when its on the sidestand. This works for most bikes and if it feels too loose when riding you can always put a bit more tension in - putting too much in first time will stretch your chain prematurely at the very least, costing you money later on.

To make sure the rear wheel is in alignment I generally just eye the markers on the adjuster, or failing this true the wheel with a long pole such as a broomhandle - put across the rear wheel as close to the axle as possible this will make it very easy to tell if your wheel is out of alignment.

Cheers - boingk

 

[gearheadE30]

On that note about adjusting the chain - I would also sit on the bike to compress the suspension and check tension while you're on it. I usually shoot for about 3/4 inch of slack when sitting on it, maybe a tad more. The general rule is it's better to be a little loose than a little tight, because due to the location of the sprocket relative to the swingarm pivot, the chain will actually become tighter as the suspension compresses.

Also, the bike looks great! Love the wire wheel mockup haha.

 

[Guest]

I used the string line method to align mine.

Two axle stands placed in front of the front wheel with a bit of thin rope or string long enough to go from one stand, all the way around the rear wheel and back to the other stand.

Pull the stands in and forward so the line is tight either side and runs parallel to the front wheel (ensure the front wheel is straight).

Check position of rear wheel and if it is closer to one side or the other, adjust away.

 

[nikosg]

thanks everyone for the input. found the markers on the chain tensioner and lined em up as best as we could. Lucky for photos too, had them from before we removed the rear wheel so i set it up to where it was located previously

Will sit on the bike and try that too as I have lengthened the rear suspension too.

 

[tfb]

Good work so far Nik!

Don't trust the markers on the swingarm for wheel alignment... I've never had a GS/X where the markers were anywhere near accurate.

So instead, use the string-line method (outlined in above in earlier post).

Bat on,
Mike.

 

[nikosg]

not sure im quite following that method... and what can i substitute with axle stands?

 

[redstedman]

Welcome to the site. SWEET lil 400 four. We didn't get that over here. 2 yr bike? Kinda rare I think. Spokes will look great on the little feller.

Personally I wouldn't chop that one up. Cafe a twin. Lose the wrap & put a good header on it w/ a can. Fine high rpm hotrod. Love the tank.

 

[boingk]

Two soup tins or house bricks. Tie string around them, then have the lines go parallel (same measurement at front and back of bike) all the way around the rear and back along the other side. It will be obvious if its out of line.

Alternatively just lay a broomhandle/pole/etc along the side of the rear wheel, pointing backwards. It'll also be really obvious if the rear wheel is skewiff... the broom will point off to one side or the other.

- boingk

 

[tfb]

Yep, what boingk said.

What I do is use a long straight length of steel square-tube, and hold it firmly against the sides of the rear tyre. Then, having done a little arithmetic (ie. working out the difference in the tyre widths, and dividing by 2), I know how far the tubing *should* be from the side of the front tyre, if the wheels are in line. Then I just adjust the orientation of the rear wheel using the chain tension adjusters, until I have the tubing the correct distance out from the bottom of the front tyre.

I know that prob. doesn't make that much sense in print... but suffice to say that there are a number of tried and true methods for aligning the rear wheel correctly.

In fact, lots of folks use a small laser pointer attached to the side of the rear sprocket, and use that to make sure that it's 'pointing' straight at the front sprocket. Note that this method assumes that your sprockets have the correct spacers, etc.

Just find something that makes sense and works for you.

 

[nikosg]

thanks for the info guys! i understand

some pics of the new painted wheels and forks (with new springs and fork oil)

bit daunting all that wiring lol

 

[tfb]

So the front tyre looks like a Metzler Lasertec... but what's the rear tyre?

Some good looking work there, very neat stuff. Don't worry too much about the wiring; it's not that complicated!!! (until there's something that bamboozles you, that is )

 

[nikosg]

Pirelli City Demon lol

my mate always gives me ****... saying im a city fag (he rides on sports demons)... but he loves the tread pattern

rear was changed for roadworthy... front was changed a few months after. probably not wise on different tyres but oh well.