Holy cr*p it's a 1976 Honda CXRL650R street-tracking dirt-jumper! (and beer)...
- Thread starter osteoderm
- Start date
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
Erikh260 said:
Two Delirium Tremens tonight, but sorry, no pics... and as for the bike... beadblasted and primed the kickstand yesterday. Also no pics. Pretty much failing hard in the documentation department here.
namelesspenguin
New Member
WE NEED AN UPDATE!!! with pics. and beer. and pics. and moar beer!
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
I like sight-glass fuel-gauges, but I think 3/8" tubing and clunky NPT fittings look like ass. So here's my attempt to make a good idea look a little less shitty. If it works, cool. If it fails, at least it was cheap!
First, I turned up three 1/4" x 7/16" stainless tophat bungs, and threaded them internally to #10-32...
Then I did some very intensely careful measurements and layouts that totally failed to approach any sort of symmetry before drilling permanent 1/4" holes into my tank...
The tophat bungs go in like so (to be welded, of course)...
Then the fittings and hose:
The fittings are nickle-plated brass, sealed with Buna-N o-rings. If they refuse to play nice with gasoline, I'll swap to Viton seals. The threads are straight, not pipe, so the barbed end can be independently positioned. The tube is the same 1/8" PVC fuel-rated hose I've been using for carb vents, fuel lines, power jets, etc.
First, I turned up three 1/4" x 7/16" stainless tophat bungs, and threaded them internally to #10-32...
Then I did some very intensely careful measurements and layouts that totally failed to approach any sort of symmetry before drilling permanent 1/4" holes into my tank...
The tophat bungs go in like so (to be welded, of course)...
Then the fittings and hose:
The fittings are nickle-plated brass, sealed with Buna-N o-rings. If they refuse to play nice with gasoline, I'll swap to Viton seals. The threads are straight, not pipe, so the barbed end can be independently positioned. The tube is the same 1/8" PVC fuel-rated hose I've been using for carb vents, fuel lines, power jets, etc.
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
After a brief year-long schedule delay, reassembly begins...
The kickstand mount is on, and the frame is painted. Tank needs some weldering and paintering, and there's plenty of loose ends, but all the hard mounts are done and anything/everything that gets bolted on now is probably (hopefully) going on for the last time.
What I lack in fabrication, welding, painting, and assembly skill I make up for with creativity and general kick-assery.
I am pleased with the final tank placement.
I am particularly pleased how myphenomenally careful measurements utterly random flukey luck has resulted in exactly the minimum possible tank-to-fork clearance... I'm trying not to think about the sight-glass on the other side, so please don't ask me about it. Thanks.
Still working out a suitable mounting solution, but I'm all about this Chappy headlight...
Braaaap Baraaap Braaaaaap!
The kickstand mount is on, and the frame is painted. Tank needs some weldering and paintering, and there's plenty of loose ends, but all the hard mounts are done and anything/everything that gets bolted on now is probably (hopefully) going on for the last time.
What I lack in fabrication, welding, painting, and assembly skill I make up for with creativity and general kick-assery.
I am pleased with the final tank placement.
I am particularly pleased how my
Still working out a suitable mounting solution, but I'm all about this Chappy headlight...
Braaaap Baraaap Braaaaaap!
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
aaaaaaaaaaaand GO!
Another winner from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel, this is their Solstice d'hiver. Literally a Winter Solstice beer on this, the winter solstice itself. Good solid Barleywine-style ale, on the uphill side of 10% ABV. Whew! Glad I only bought two; any more and all bike progress would cease for days...
Another winner from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel, this is their Solstice d'hiver. Literally a Winter Solstice beer on this, the winter solstice itself. Good solid Barleywine-style ale, on the uphill side of 10% ABV. Whew! Glad I only bought two; any more and all bike progress would cease for days...
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
Cursh said:
I think so. I mean, it's Honda, and it looks like it, but I'm no expert.
I'll drink to that! At least i will once I restock the fridge...
&^*$%*&$% kickstands suck. Never again will I start a project with a frame that is lacking a viable kickstand mount. Never mention kickstands to me again. Just for that, pass me a beer.
Seriously. I need a beer.
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
The near-pathetic push to shovel another meager load of productivity into the bitter dregs of 2014 continues...
The paint still needs work. Not too much more, mind you, for I have suspiciously low standards. Not entirely sold on the idea of running the black rubber trim around the pinch weld, but it intrigues me. Sight glass makes me feel funny in my pants. Good times ahead!
Added these here super-sweet mega-custom steering-stop extender-screws...
...which seem to have resolved any fork-to-tank clearance unhappiness.
Old Hondas (or at least, poser new Hondas that want to look old) should always be red.
The paint still needs work. Not too much more, mind you, for I have suspiciously low standards. Not entirely sold on the idea of running the black rubber trim around the pinch weld, but it intrigues me. Sight glass makes me feel funny in my pants. Good times ahead!
Added these here super-sweet mega-custom steering-stop extender-screws...
...which seem to have resolved any fork-to-tank clearance unhappiness.
Old Hondas (or at least, poser new Hondas that want to look old) should always be red.
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
:Insert a clever comment about paint-remover fumes here:
Infill refinished with enamel, and the raised leter edges dressed with 400-grit. Nice, but not so nice that anyone will confuse this for a 100-point resto.
In a lucky fluke, I found M3x6mm flathead screws from McMaster in black-oxide coated stainless steel to replace the gory rust nuggets previously holding the tank badges on. I like black screws; you don't have to waste time disguising them with Sharpie.
Infill refinished with enamel, and the raised leter edges dressed with 400-grit. Nice, but not so nice that anyone will confuse this for a 100-point resto.
In a lucky fluke, I found M3x6mm flathead screws from McMaster in black-oxide coated stainless steel to replace the gory rust nuggets previously holding the tank badges on. I like black screws; you don't have to waste time disguising them with Sharpie.
NonFiction
New Member
Went back and looked for it and didn't find. (Not enough beer perhaps?) I'd love to hear a little about the finish on the frame and triples and other bits. I love that industrial bronzy machine tool looking stuff. Paint or powder?
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
This amusing little Yamaha Chappy headlight was one of the first things I picked up for this build. Never mind the useless 6V sealed beam and useless interior volume, it just looks so damn right...
It was always going to be fussy to mount. The 43mm XR forks have this necked-down section, presumably perfect for use with the standard XR rubber-band headlight/numberplate mounting scheme, but otherwise incompatible with any other clean clamp. My tank clearance is (ahem) minimal, so the headlight mounts needed to be slim; no funky hinged universal mounts with layers of shim material.
I like the LSL mounts, but they seem hard to find and crazy expensive. I went with these cheaper versions from Amazon:
Unfortunately, the clamps are too close together to fit anywhere except right above the lower triple-clamp, making the headlight way too low. Also, the ears themselves are too long, pushing the light too far forward. Lastly, with the clamps in one position, the ears are wider than the fender (mad spacers required to mount the light); mounted the other way, the ears were just a bit too narrow (requiring der bendernator action). Well, at least the clamps aren't without some merit, so I just had to jigger up some new arms...
Stayed up too late re-learning basic CAD, churned out a half-dozen cheezy designs, then trotted down to my local waterjetter this morning:
The arms needed an offset bent into them, and additional locating holes for the weird little Yamaha mounts, but otherwise the works came together very quickly.
The arms are taller, to span the necked-down fork tube section, and they keep the light reasonably tight to the frame.
Aesthetically, the light would look better mounted lower, centered between the upper and lower triple-clamps. Practically, the high(er) mounted light should throw the beam past the full-size fender a little more effectively. It also leaves room for a natty little toolbag, bedroll, oil cooler, and/or laser-guided potato-cannon... Stay tuned.
It was always going to be fussy to mount. The 43mm XR forks have this necked-down section, presumably perfect for use with the standard XR rubber-band headlight/numberplate mounting scheme, but otherwise incompatible with any other clean clamp. My tank clearance is (ahem) minimal, so the headlight mounts needed to be slim; no funky hinged universal mounts with layers of shim material.
I like the LSL mounts, but they seem hard to find and crazy expensive. I went with these cheaper versions from Amazon:
Unfortunately, the clamps are too close together to fit anywhere except right above the lower triple-clamp, making the headlight way too low. Also, the ears themselves are too long, pushing the light too far forward. Lastly, with the clamps in one position, the ears are wider than the fender (mad spacers required to mount the light); mounted the other way, the ears were just a bit too narrow (requiring der bendernator action). Well, at least the clamps aren't without some merit, so I just had to jigger up some new arms...
Stayed up too late re-learning basic CAD, churned out a half-dozen cheezy designs, then trotted down to my local waterjetter this morning:
The arms needed an offset bent into them, and additional locating holes for the weird little Yamaha mounts, but otherwise the works came together very quickly.
The arms are taller, to span the necked-down fork tube section, and they keep the light reasonably tight to the frame.
Aesthetically, the light would look better mounted lower, centered between the upper and lower triple-clamps. Practically, the high(er) mounted light should throw the beam past the full-size fender a little more effectively. It also leaves room for a natty little toolbag, bedroll, oil cooler, and/or laser-guided potato-cannon... Stay tuned.
osteoderm
Been Around the Block
NonFiction said:
It's paint; Rust-Oleum 248955 "Cast Coat Iron" high-temp engine enamel. The tins are Rust-Oleum 7466830 "International Red" tractor enamel. For prep, the steel parts are all bead-blasted to 80-grit and immediately shot with etching primer. The alloy parts are bead-blasted and/or acid-etched and shot with zinc chromate before etching primer. I'm a lousy painter, but at least I'm confident that I'm doing most everything I can to get the shit to stick.
