New Member working on an 81 GS450L Brat-Style Cafe Project

[Guest]

For inspiration... yeah go that W650... very nice!

And JimmyR's 1100G... that thing is awesome and I can't wait to see it finished...

The first inspiration pic is definitely a bit average compared to others...

 

[nvr2old]

I like the Brat style if it's done well. The inspiration bike is pretty cool imo. The E tank would look great if you sectioned about 2 inches out of the middle of it right where the emblems mount. Weld it back together and, viola...much sleeker looking..and a very subtle mod.

 

[Good Times]

Can't wait to see the next step in the build.

 

[Guest]

I like the Brat style if it's done well. The inspiration bike is pretty cool imo. The E tank would look great if you sectioned about 2 inches out of the middle of it right where the emblems mount. Weld it back together and, viola...much sleeker looking..and a very subtle mod.

Interesting thought Larry, the thought never even crossed my mind! That would definitely work...

 

[T8erbug]

Not that you even wanna mess with that tank (it's pretty cool) but nvr2old's idea of sectioning the tank is a pretty good idea. I am building a cafe racer gs750 and I sectioned about an inch or so from it and it totally transformed the look. http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=185716

 

[dkletter]

Progress Pics!

Progress Pics!

I had an extra L tank and after mocking it up on the bike I agree that it will work alot better with the lines of the bike. It was badly dented though and had a horrible paint job. So I spent the weekend getting it ready for new paint.

L tank mock up

Stripped, fixed, and primed the L tank this weekend:

The stripping took most of a day. There were at least 5 coats of paint and several coats of primer. I had to take it all the way down to the metal to get at the dents with bondo.

The girlfriend helping me strip it. :dancing:

Ready for bondo!

Ready for primer

Garage Paint Booth Set-up

Ready for Paint! It will be getting a glossy grey paint with red pin striping.

I'll be using this product for the final coat. It polishes to a glossy shine and is resistant to gas and oil:

http://www.repaintsupply.com/mobile...07E424768287B&jsessionid=2a30afd8216c752c6a11

I also removed the exhaust headers and old exhaust wrap. I will be cutting those straight pipes off and installing Dunstall-style Reverse-Cone mufflers.

I haven't decided how to treat the header pipes. I was thinking of wrapping them in new tan colored header wrap. But I may sand them down to the metal and paint them black to match the frame. The dunstall mufflers will be chrome so I want the headers to look good with the new mufflers.. Opinions??

Tonight I will be welding on the rear seat hoop and a new mounting point for the L tank since the previous owner decided to cut it off... pics to come..

 

[dkletter]

Oh, I also have a new chain on the way since the existing one seems to be the original from 1981.. Any tips or tricks on replacing the chain on these old bikes?

 

[Guest]

Looking good! And good choice on clear coat, you don't want a drip of fuel ruining your paint job...

I'm not a fan of wrapping pipes unless there's a need, so black would work well with the chrome mufflers, and Dunstall style is always a good choice

No special tips on the chain except make sure your sprockets are good to go as well.

 

[tkent02]

Might as well go with an endless chain, the swing arm bearings probably need to come apart for cleaning and grease anyway.

I'd go with the black pipes and chrome mufflers... That always looks good.

 

[Good Times]

The bike is looking really good. I like the L tank. Good work on that.

I think you should probably go ahead and propose as well. But then again if you get married then that will be the end of her working on your bike.

I like the idea of ceramic coated pipes, but I don't know how rough things are under the wrap.

 

[hjacobmiller]

Good work!

Watch your bars on the tank after you get it finished. The stock controls are a little bulky with the shorter drag bars.

 

[JimmyR]

Wow that tank is a huge improvement. I really like what you're doing with this bike. And the back of your girlfriend's head is nice too.

If you like the look of pipe wrap then go for it. I wil never understand the negativity towards it. Black always looks like a cop out to me, but that's just an opinion and you never know it may work out great! If you go black then make it as matt as you can I reckon. There is a micaceous paint used on pot belly stoves - it has a metallic matt kinda finish. If that can handle pipe heat it might look good.

 

[Guest]

I went ceramic coating on my exhaust and it's absolutely awesome, I would do it again in a heartbeat...

The reason I personally don't like wrapping is you just don't know what's going on under there, is it trapping moisture and causing rust? That's about it really...

Having said that, there are definitely cases where wrap just suits a bike perfectly...

 

[JimmyR]

I wonder... I have heard many times about wrap trapping moisture, but I wonder how true that is? Surely every time you ride the pipes would get hot enough to evaporate any moisture well and truly, and unless you get caught in a tropical downpour where is this moisture going to come from? It kinda makes sense then it kinda doesn't! In the right place I think it can look perfect. Pipes don't always have to be black or chrome.

I am thinking the ceramic you have Pete would be perfect for my bike. If it was easier for me to remove the headers I would have that done to mine right now!

 

[Guest]

If you were running the bike every day I don't think there'd be too much of an issue. Over time humidity will get moisture in there if it's not run regularly and a lot of bikes with wrap aren't daily riders, it's usually done as a design exercise. That means they sit for long periods of time and that's where my concern would come from.

Don't forget this is just opinion though, I have no facts or evidence to back this up

I must agree on your black or chrome comment though and sometimes it would definitely be good to see something a little different...

Tranzac offers ceramic coating as an option and I got him to get it done for me, but for a stock replacement exhaust like yours he may have assumed you would want to stick with chrome...

 

[JimmyR]

I may get my headers either rechromed or ceramic'd one day soon if I can ever get them off the bloody mufflers!

Anyway I'm looking forward to seeing what to dkl will do with his bike next. Come on dkl - this is your thread!

 

[dkletter]

Wow. Thanks for all the comments!
I welded a metal hoop to the frame to support the new seat last night. The hoop turns up slightly at the end. It looks really good and pulls off the look I'm going for well! I'll post pics as soon as I finish cleaning up the welds and painting the seam.

It's exciting to see the bike coming close!

As far as the headers go, I don't think the wrap is huge issue when it comes to rust.. It may be because I live in Colorado and there is relatively low humidity here, but the last owner had header wrap on the pipes for at least 18 months. I removed that old wrap several days ago and there is very minimal rust on the pipes.

I will throw the wrap on when the rest of the bike is finished and decide then.. It's not hard to take the wrap off and do a ceramic coating if the wrap doesn't perform well or looks bad with the bike's color scheme..

 

[dkletter]

http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2011/6/15/2006-triumph-thruxton.html

Here is an example of a bike that pulled off the header wrap well in my opinion.

 

[JimmyR]

Yup I have to agree. Mufflers are good though!

I did the welded loop at the back of the frame under the seat too. Yup it kicks up a bit to follow the seat and I reckon it looks damn fine. You really are kicking along in this build. I reckon you are going to end up with a very cool ride there.

 

[Guest]

Yeah that Trumpy works well with the wrap, but those pipes are far too skinny for that bike... but again just another opinion... I need to stop that

Looking forward to seeing pic's of your progress actually, be good to see how that loop works.

Glad to hear you didn't inherit any rust issues on the pipes too, makes things so much easier. I hear Colorado is dry so shouldn't be too many dramas there I would imagine...

Jimmy, your seat is awesome and just works oh so well on that beast...