(Not really) The slowest project ever - CM400T

Hey,

I haven't really been posting on this forum and so far I've been posting my progress on caferacer.

Well, I'd like to share my progress with you all, it's a very slow project since I'm too busy to work on it most of the time. I am however trying to finish it in the next 3 weeks or so - at least that's my goal.

Here are all the pictures of the progress so far:

There are no before pictures, but this is what it looked like a few days after I picked it up:









At first I had this grand idea that I want it to look more like a sports bike, so I modified the frame to match the seat style I wanted to use.









Then I fabricated the seat pan, here's the result I got:












The tank doesn't flow with the lines of the seat, so I will be changing it once I figure out exactly what I want...

I painted the frame and the wheels, got some new tires on and this is what the bike looked like a few weeks ago:

With the seat and tank slightly raised:


Without the seat:


Measuring height for new shocks:



This was taken yesterday:







I still got a lot to do on the bike, but I'll try to keep both forums up to date.

Here is a pic from Page 8:

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T

Good effort man, that rear cowl with the LEDs is magic! Looking very clean, be good to see what it ends up like.

Cheers - boingk

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T

i want to see pictures of the kitchen floor!

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T

Uniac said:

i want to see pictures of the kitchen floor!

Click to expand...

ahaha, he's referring to me being dumbass and carrying my motor through my kitchen while holding it by the carbs. The carb mounts broke and the motor made a giant gaping hole in the tile... It's been fixed =)

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T

That is looking soooo good man. I can't wait to see more. I especially like the engine paint scheme. Keep it up!

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T

Looks great!!

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T

Some updates:

Finished sanding down the fins, they came out alright... the fins are a bit thinner than on other bikes and it's hard to get the lines perfect because of that. I used 120 grid for sanding.

Now, I need advice.
Below is a picture of a '96 GSXR seat as a mock-up. This type of seat is one of the options I'm considering. Having a seat like this will likely mean that I'll either:
a) need to chop the frame down even more and have it as a bit of a bobber style in the back
b) make a cover to the end of the frame and perhaps hide the battery in there...




Here's my other option:
Staying with the seat I fabbed before and modifying my tank a bit. The seat is too low without any padding, so I carved this out a while ago, and it's actually very confortable. I also kind of like this look, it's a bit more sporty, but I think it suits the bike. The biggest problem is the tank as it doesn't match the style now. Just to mention I will modify the bottom lines of the seat a bit more in the future to match the frame cut-off better.





Here's what it looks like with me on the bike


What do you guys think? Should I go for a short solo seat or stay with the style I made earlier?
If I go with the short solo, then what can I do for the back of the frame to make it look good?
If I go with the seat pan I made earlier, should I modify the tank or get a new tank, or just leave it as is?

Thanks.

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

I like the solo seat. I wouldn't change a thing.

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

Personally, I really like the look of the seat you made, along with the existing tank. Especially with the LED integrated into it. It will be hard to top that.
Good luck!

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

GIJoeBob said:

I like the solo seat. I wouldn't change a thing.

Click to expand...

I wasn't really clear, both seats are solo. So lets just call them GSXR and Custom. Which one?

Or if some of you don't like either and would prefer cafe style seat please let me know as well =)

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

Alchemist said:

I wasn't really clear, both seats are solo. So lets just call them GSXR and Custom. Which one?

Or if some of you don't like either and would prefer cafe style seat please let me know as well =)

Click to expand...

I like the last one you posted.

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

Its funny you put this up there cause I was looking at my seat situation about an hour ago and again had the gut feeling that this bike looks best with a solo bobber type seat on it. The frame lines are just too weird to get it to look good with a cafe seat. I vote for the GXSR seat. That low clip on front with a bobber-esq seat is just so cool looking.

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

I like the foam seat with the current tank. If you were to change anything from the current setup, I'd keep the custom seat and swap on a larger tank from a bigger bike.

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

i like the seat you made. maybe try to find a boxier tank. cb400F ish or cb200

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

I like the seat you made with the current tank. If anything, I'd a little more foam to the front side of the seat near the tank so it can blend alittle bit more into the tank, but really like the look with the tank and the tail. Keep it!

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

I'm for the bobber style GSXR or one along those lines. The thing I love about CX's is that fat back wheel and the way the frame rides so high with a bob tail, maybe you could trim a back fender in to a small tongue to cover the messy left over frame? It'd be a shame to waste all the good work on your tail piece and LED's but there will be other bikes. You look like your having fun, keep at it!

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - NEED OPINIONS (bottom of p1)

Updates!

I remember someone asking me for front tire size... front tire is 110/90-18

Thanks to my good friend Derek, my gas tank was sandblasted by a pro and then it was sitting in my house for 2 weeks - started to rust again. Today I had a chance to clean it all up and paint it.

The paint I used was Metal Flake. I don't think there was any colour in it really, I just put copious amounts of this stuff until it started looking looking solid consistency. It's BRIGHT under the sun. I love it.

90% of people agreed that the tail I made better suits the bike, so I went with it. Thank you all for voting.
I also need to mention that the rear light is not all the way in, because once it clips in I'll have a hard time removing it again. I put it in just to show you guys.

Here are some pics:







I also got a new speedomoter, it's got turn-signals, oil sensor, gas gauge, emergency lights, tach and speedo. As well as a bunch of really neat settings. It was only $129 also! I don't know why more people don't run these.

It's made by Acewell and I bought it here:
http://www.electrosport.com/street/speedometers.php






I also cut my fender, will paint it soon and throw it on the bike.

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - Paint and stuff, updates - P2

that frame could accept a bobber style of seat with springs and the like....that would be cool! but your seat and tail now and lookin rad too. How long are those shocks eye-to-eye and where you get em??

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - Paint and stuff, updates - P2

gribbs said:

that frame could accept a bobber style of seat with springs and the like....that would be cool! but your seat and tail now and lookin rad too. How long are those shocks eye-to-eye and where you get em??

Click to expand...

Thanks. The shocks are 365mm (14 3/8"") eye to clevis. I got them at partsnmore.com

Re: Slowest project ever - CM400T - Paint and stuff, updates - P2

That looks great! I love the combo gauge. I think I will look into that for my bike.