'81 kz440: brat cafe build

?the ex500 swingarm we used slid in with just i bit of grinding on both sides. the tabs for the center stand were close... but yeah, longer is what we will need. id also like make them a little heavier and maybe a gusset? :-\ not sure yet.... how did you get the top mount done? could we see a pic of that? and basically its just make sure its vertical as far as the angle of the shock is concerned... never really messed with a mono shock before.

thanks for any help....
 
yeah, the angle is nearly vertical. i went to a local dealership and found an ex500 in their showroom, then got down on the ground and took a bunch of pics and inspected how they come from the factory before i did any work installing it. i think there's a pic of the final top mount somewhere in here, but i'll pm it to you so you don't have to scrounge for it. let me know if you run into any problems and i'll do what i can to help. sorry i don't have any tech specs for you or anything, i just kinda thought about it and looked at if for a long long time, then went and did what seemed like it would work best. luckily, the hole in the swing arm that the shock goes through is pretty small, so it doesn't leave much room to set the the angle of the shock way off in any direction.
 
so i ran into a little problem that i think i've figured out, i just wanted to see if anyone from the online world had any knowledge to add. i have every major thing ready to ride on this thing, and it was turning over and everything. however, it was getting pretty weak trying to start it, so i hooked it up to my car while trying to start it. didn't turn the car on, just hooked it to the battery for a little extra juice. i went to start it, it cranked once, and now i'm getting nothing, it won't turn. no blown fuses or disconnected wires (that i've found in my searches, at least), just won't turn over.

that is until today when i gapped the two points on the starter solenoid. when i do that, the bike turns over. now from what i've read, by gapping it like that, i'm bypassing the solenoid and in essence running the positive battery terminal directly to the starter motor, which is turning fine. does this mean my starter solenoid has gone bad, or is there something else amiss??
 
what helmet is that in the 3rd picture down on your original post?? looks like it says moto J on it but i tried googling it and came up with nothing..

great work on the bike. i keep thinking about doing a similar fork swap and rear swing arm swap on my kz400 but i honestly love the old bike look. so its hard for me to decide.
 
my helmet is a bell moto 3. and yeah, it's a tough choice as the old standard forks and dual springs definitely look fine. i saved the forks and wheels off it, so i'll be able to use them on something else someday.
 
How are you joining your 2into1 collector to the headers. Is there a sleeve or something that is joining the pipes where you have the pipe brace mounted to the frame? Great looking ride you've got there.
 
LeChu said:
Did the zx6r front rim bolt right up to the gsxr forks?? Or did you have to machine spacers??

no machining needed. i just bought a gsxr axle and spacers off a 2007 model, and it all matched up perfectly.

on another note, a BIG thanks goes out to moderator Tim for helping me with my starter solenoid. he had a brand spanking new one laying around that he graciously sent me for the price of shipping. now i'm back in business and ready to get this thing running. sorry for no pics lately.
 
SON OF A GUN! I got the new starter solenoid in and it still won't work unless I gap it. anyone have any ideas? the solenoid is brand new, I don't know what the problem could be. gonna spend the day checking my wiring I suppose... ::)
 
well doggonit...when i ran into the problem above, first thing i checked were the fuses. everything looked up to snuff, so i got crazy checking EVERYTHING in my electrical system to no avail. then the other day a guy on kzrider tells me that the old glass tube fuses can seem fine, but fail internally due to vibrations and stuff. so i figure whatever, it's worth a shot. and boy was it, she's turning over now! i'll be trying to get her started again this week and hopefully be riding her by next.
 
glad i just read this ....i have tried 2 solenoids and neither worked none of them were new tho....before i spring for a new one i'm going to try a new fuse

Thanks My Man
 
got the bike running the other day, so that's a good sign. made up a fender and mounted it today.

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Very cool man. You should cut those glass fuses out of the equation. They suck... Replace them inline blade fuses. Cheap and simple upgrade.
 
compoundcycles said:
This is looking awesome. Keep it up. Those tires Kendas?

one's a kenda k761 and the other is a shinko 705. i think front and rear respectively.

VonYinzer said:
Very cool man. You should cut those glass fuses out of the equation. They suck... Replace them inline blade fuses. Cheap and simple upgrade.

what a coincidence, i just got a kit in the mail today and got it all put in! got the ATM style fuses. i'm very happy with it. it looks fresh (not that anyone will ever see it) and should be a lot more reliable.
 
so i was on the fence about the front fender. i like the idea of it, but maybe not this execution per say. plus, it was originally intended to be a rear fender. so i mocked it up on the rear today. gonna make another one for the front, but i'm not sure what to do with it. run it high, dirt bike style? closer to the wheel? idk, i'm still up in the air about it. but here's some pics with my ideas to finish up the back.

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