New member with some streetfighter meets cafe questions

Hi all, my project is as follows. I picked up an 82 GS 400 for $100 and then found out it was a 450. YAY I just picked up an extra 50cc! I ditched the front end and went with a 91 katana front end, brakes and wheel (looks bitchin) next was a speed hump "cafe style" seat and a sweet headlight with brackets to fit the 41 mm forks.

Here are my questions... to you street fighter guys, how and how much did it cost you to go from clipons to handle bars? what mounts/risers should I use? I'm using 7/8 " clubmans (I DON'T WANT TO HEAR OPINIONS ON THE CLUBMANS LOL)

next, I'm getting rid of the rear wheel to match up to the front. I'm looking for a suzuki style 3 spoke mag like off a katana. I'm hoping I can find as 3.5 inch by 17 rear and MAYBE squeeze it into the swing arm, otherwise I've got a GS 1100 swing arm that's a bit long but should fit. Anyone here every swapped swingarms? what am I getting myself into? The good news is that my brother works at a bike shop and is good with the "I need tools..help!" kinda moments.

Any advice would be appreciated, any parts you know of in Canada would be great too. Pics to follow once the parts come in.
Cheers,
Steve

got any pics sound cool!

For the handlebar conversion, get some dirt bike clamps. If the Katana top clamp already has holes (for the old clip-ons) you can just bore these out and bolt the risers up. If not you can drill the top clamp and bolt - just make sure you put a big washer or a plate underneath to spread the load.

A 3.5 rear rim will be pretty wide to line up the chain on the GS twin. I'm using a 2.5 (off a Yamaha FZR250) and I will need to widen the chain line about 1/2 inch to mate it up. Good luck with that one

And pics are a must!

Pics soon... promise!
Hill: I was also convinced that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that we'd be able to fit it, but my brother is a motorbike mechanic/restorer (THANK GOD) and he says we can do it... fingers crossed!

Did you end up using that FZR swingarm on your GS 450 project? I've been following your progress... looks awesome

RE: the handlebars : there are 4 hole in the upper tripple clamp that are bevelled on each side, spaced 4 inches apart, on either side of the steering tube. The grippy bits on my handlebars line up with them. Is there some sort of bar mounts that use the rubber crush bushings like old style bar ends ( you tighten them and they expand) ? Cause the less vibrations, the better.
thanks
Steve

SVSTEVE said:

RE: the handlebars : there are 4 hole in the upper tripple clamp that are bevelled on each side, spaced 4 inches apart, on either side of the steering tube. The grippy bits on my handlebars line up with them. Is there some sort of bar mounts that use the rubber crush bushings like old style bar ends ( you tighten them and they expand) ? Cause the less vibrations, the better.
thanks
Steve

Click to expand...

Hmmm...probably need a pic to understand the top clamp layout, although it sounds similar to newer CBR's - and you can buy adaptors for them..

DONT try and use rubber mountings on the top clamp - any movement here can lead to bolt / clamp breakage (and this is one place you don't want to risk that...). They need to be S O L I D. If the vibrations are bad, you can fill the bars with silicon or some other material to "weight" them.

Oh, as for my GS, I went with the original swingarm as opposed to the FZR. They were about the same width anyway ???

Keep the updates coming!