I want to turn my stock 74 CB450 into this...

Here's what I'm working with:


...a really decent '74 CB450 that I picked up a few weeks ago.

Here's where I want to go with it aesthetically:

I know I can't do it up as an exact copy of that bike, but after poring over hundreds of pics of bikes for inspiration this is the direction I want to go.

So, DoTheTon Hive Mind, I've come to you for help: will y'all point me to parts & pieces online and help me out along the way? I've got a few hundred bucks a month to put toward this project, and I'd like to be up and running before the end of the summer.

I'm not asking for mechanical help, but aesthetic direction, links to parts, etc. I'd like to start out immediately where every cafe-enamored noob starts: with a seat and tank. Any suggestions on where I can find ones similar to the one in the bike pictured above?

money or time... which do you have more of?

roccitycafe is a great place for custom tank/seat work if you have the cash. sean's work is TOP NOTCH.

or you can spend half as much and do it yourself 6 times over until you get it "good enough"


and rather start with "tank and seat" like every other "cafe noob" go the smart route and make the bike into a perfectly tuned stocker before you start messing with shit. you'll learn a lot about the bike and be a lot better off in the end.

trust me, that bit of info comes from someone whos perfectly clean cb350 was in a thousand different parts a week after purchasing it. clean it up, then start things slow. when you take parts off and get your mind flowing on ideas, it gets expensive quickly. very quickly; especially if you don't necessarily have the skill to do things yourself or decide to do a lot of motor work.

Uhhhh.....
Why don't you start with a crappy CB750?
You should be able to swap or sell a 450 in nice condition for more than cost of running nasty looking 750

+1

A nice original 450 should pull in a decent amount of $$$ nowadays.

And you do realise your inspiration bike is a 750, not a 450, right??

I want to turn my stock 74 CB450 into this...

I have more $ than time for this project, and here's why. In full disclosure, the bike isn't mine - it belongs to a friend. He's the guy making the decisions (and paying for them) and I'm the one helping him track down parts. He isn't online, nor does he care to be.

We are in the process of getting the bike worked over mechanically to run like new. I didn't mean in my post that we are ignoring the mechanics, I just said that I'm only coming to you guys for help with the aesthetics. As the bike is being restored mechanically, we want to track down and purchase all the parts that are available to take the look of the bike from what it currently is to something like the 750 I posted a pic of.

As to the size of the bike: Yes, i realize the bike pictured is a 750. My friend is a small guy, about 5'6", maybe 100 lbs. He doesn't need a 750. He needs a bike small enough that he can manage it, and fast enough that he can get on the highway with it. We found that 450 on craigslist and grabbed it.

Now, here's what remains to be seen: Is anyone here on DoTheTon going to be willing to help me with the requests I made in the OP? Where can I run down a seat, tank, lights, bars, cables, exhaust, etc. to accomplish what we want to do here?

Those parts ( tank and seat) look like they are from "Benjie's Cafe Racers"
http://www.benjiescaferacer.com/home.html

www.dimecitycycles.com has been a great resource for me.