1978 GS750 - Brat Tracker, First Bike

so i ground down and sanded the foam...



got the correct pigtail for the markers, grounded to the seat pan



hooked the hot wires for the run and stop light to a two part trailer connection and ran the wires between the foam and the pan





heres the a better pic of under than pan and how the two markers orient...



for the turns i drilled and tapped the frame to ground them and then ran the hot wires down the rails... im going to do the wires correctly eventually but for now everything is connected with crimp connectors and electrical tape as a cover... i think ill put some miles on it before i finalize it all



and if i go with the mexican blanket this is what it may look like... too busy...



but really i think ill upholster the seat because the form looks pretty sweet to my eye... the batting will help even out the tail section of foam which is cobbled together...

 
out in good light





my brother said he thought the bars mess with the flow... that they needed to be lowered, or switched out
input?
when he said that i thought the seat maybe needed more visual weight because the engine and tank are a huge portion... (one of the reasons people don't choose dohc bikes?)
so here is the photoshopped bike with more foam and more foam but the bump is mostly sculpted out





or no bump on the seat i have... but that doesnt do anything for visual weight...



i think i prefer some bump... what say you?
 
i was bothered by the tank end crimped together and not as wide as the seat where it meets the tank so i cut some off and pushed it forward then ground it out with an old flap disk to fit over the back of the tank







its not symmetrical (on the left) yet but when i stretch the seat cover over, i think i can work it out



then I added another layer by putting on 5 layers of a yoga mat (about 1.8" each) and then one more layer over the whole thing...
i used a utility knife to run along the seat pan
the tape is holding on places where the glue didnt stick as much... sprayed some more glue on and taped those spots...





i think im much happier with the extra layer... the seat now balances the tank a little better...
 




and i moved the mirrors to the turn stalks... not sure i like it at all but wondered where i could put them to get them off the bar ends...

 
I think that if you have someone cover that seat with some nice stitching, lower the forks internally an inch or two, and it'd look sweet. :D Nice job
 
thanks...
im going to try my hand at sewing a seat.. ive got some marine vinyl and batting ready to go... just need the time
my idea is to have smooth sides with some sort of stitching pattern on the top of the seat...

as for lowering... im thinking id like to lower the whole thing an inch or 2.. it sits pretty level right now... lowering just the front will make the tank look level but make the cradle off level... im thinking some stiffer, shorter shocks in the back in conjunction with the lowered front would do the trick
 
why are you going to lower it ? based on how it LOOKS, now, on the kickstand ?!?!?!
besides the rear tire already will crash into the seat base as it is........ FAIL
if you lower it/ruin the suspension don't plan on riding around corners at any kind of pace
 
does lowering the front and the back the same amount change the rake and trail?
if not, how does that affect riding corners?
if so, ive not built a racer, but a get around bike... if i ride foothills with gentle turns, im likely not going to see any major changes
 
cornering clearance, the bike doesn't have any to spare and you have already compromised the rear suspension, might as well run struts, hardtail it if you go lower in the back
 
what if i y the exhausts and bring them just outboard of the cradle and under the shift/brake mechanism right to the mounting point on the rear pegs?
i would think my fixed pegs would be a bigger detriment than the exhaust...

also i havent been riding very long so pushing the corners probably looks a lot different for you than me...
 
so i watched a youtube video and thought.. i think i can do that...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nVyPiPvR2g

my thought was bigger than my ability but i got close for someone who hasnt sewn much and has a sewing machine made by kenmore... i know ill have to do another, but its an honest first try

i started by trying to do straight lines, but quickly gave up as i wanted to try to get the whole thing done today...



so i decided to do something different with the top... i could lie and say i wanted to have my son be a part of it so i asked him to draw lines with chalk... but im not that great of a dad and not that gifted a liar...
heres what i came up with



but i came up a little short on the blocking panel... i originally had the top section going farther out but then i cut it like an idiot... had i stuck with my original plan i would have been able to stretch the front and not have this problem:



i went to joanns to ask a professional and she told me to try a sharper needle but that it probably wouldnt work to do the top stitch (to make sure the top and sides dont pull away)... my sewing machine wont do 3 layers of the marine vinyl so i left it without (not without trying 3 different size needles and a ton of string jamming up)

so then i fit it over the seat and it looked decent... so i started riveting





heres where i came up short and didnt know how to do the corners correctly... but you can see that i tried to do the top stitch...

 
Just tell people you translated your Dyno results to your seat.
Someone will buy that haha.
 
on the bike its definitely crooked and lumpy... it looks worse in person...
but its mine and i did it and i can do it again!



i need to fix the corners and fill the gap... probably should have kept my original idea and let batting go around the edge and back under.... [you can also see in the corner how i tried to do the top stitch a few times and just ended up swiss cheesing it]



the lady at joann's kept saying i had a "tension" issue... ill look that up on youtube before i do the next one



i needed to have stretched the left side more...



and i definitely pulled too tight on the rear once i riveted the fronts so i let it get pulled back... you may not have noticed the mistake up front as much if i had cheated the whole thing forward and inch...



heres how she sits... shes a monet but i love her

 
thanks...

maybe ill say its the tide table translated from my 7 favorite fishing locations...
afterall, i love riding to fish...
 
i thought about a sissy bar when i saw caleb owens' born free 6 bike...



but then the brat tracker looks more like a 60s triumph soft tail chop from the biker gang b movies minus the fiberglass bodywork...

can you think of a good example of a sissy bar on a bike of this style?

my tenkara rod packs super small... i was thinking worn leather bags as soft panniers for the tackle... if i could create a clip, the tenkara rod holder would fit along the seat line or on the tube from peg to shocks...
 
i ran out of gas on the way to work and my wife had to bring me some...
so i figured id graduate from the 1.9" speedo to the 2.5" speedo with trip and indicators.. add a tach... and then upgrade the headlight... i think it is more balanced up front...
when i get chance ill open the headlight bucket up and show the rats nest... im waiting on some open barrel connections to come in so i can attach more than one wire to a lead...
the only problem i have it that the clutch wire seems to bend lot across and around the tach and then a jog around the headlight and back by the neck...

before



after







then i rigged up a little phone mount to see if it would be useful for navigation and the like... well see... i havent ridden with it, but i hear they can vibrate like crazy...

 
SO I got tired of bumping my lights and them not working right, not to mention not being day-friendly... i imagine i need to get stiffer shocks, but i also wanted to put a little fender on the back...









the fenders a little crooked, so i may need to adjust that but im going to run it for a while and see what i think...

looking back to jan '13 i think its pretty close to what i wanted..

 
Re: 1978 GS750 - Brat style, first bike

Mad Ratter said:
Mine started out in a very similar look although a 550, very similar, I had the cast wheels originally but managed to score some early spoke ones, looks way better, good luck, this is mine at the mo, not quite finished, just a few small details.

stray_dogHDR2.jpg

Hey where did you get your seat done?
 
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