Honda CB650C cafe/scrambler-ish

schenk

New Member
Hi guys,

I've been lurking around for a while and decided it is time to share the transformation of my bike on dotheton as well. I copied my thread from another forum so lots to see in the first post. Im from the Netherlands so my English might be a bit sloppy sometimes ::)


This is me the first time I drove something else than my bicycle:



The #3 will be used later in the build as an hommage to the first bike I've ever drove.
This thread will be loved and hated by some of you. As this isn't a rare bike or whatsoever, I´m ´building´ this bike the way I like it instead of restoring it.
I bought the bike from a guy who made it run after sitting in a garage for ~15 years. Bike was imported from the US in 1989.
The bike wasn't looking really pretty, was running on original tires and needed a good clean-up.
Oh, and this is my first bike! 8)

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I started to remove the first parts and gave the bike a good clean.





:eek:





Both units will be removed and i'm going to install 1 small unit on the left side.

Ordered new Bridgestones BT45´s together with the first parts for the build. According to the shop owner it was still sitting on the original tires :-X











BRRRR





How the bike currently is:











Keeping the original sticker from Dick Bettencourt's Honda
Some of the T hoses in my carbs cracked while removing the carbs. I replaced both T's with original ones ($$$ :() but I'm having trouble assembling the carbs again.



The carb issue is fixed and working fine right know.



I wrapped the exhaust and while mounting it back on the bike, one of the studs broke :(



Started to reassamble everything again





Tank will get a clear coat this week.

Still have some issues with my front brake cylinder. The cylinder seems to be too small (its a smaller aftermarket) and not giving enough pressure. I've borrowed a CBR front brake cylinder to test this later this week

Beside the brake, I also need to fix my push/pull throttle and than we should be able to ride again! :)
Goal is to have it finished before the distinguished gentleman's ride..

Got my seat and started to work on the frame.



Little testing how it will look :D



Got my tank back, came out great with the clear coat!





The bike is ready for his test drive 8)



Rear fender will get the same clear coat as the tank. Should look pretty sweet I think.



The gap between my seat and side cover was annoying me more than it should so together with a friend of mine we decided to make a cover for it.







The weather was good so I took some pictures today. I also replaced the stock shocks today with some longer black ones.













I´ve driven the bike for about 60 miles now and he´s not running very well.
If the engine is warm, the RPM increase if I'm in neutral or while pulling my clutch.

Also, around 60MPH it hasn't got any power left.
I guess this is some false air? I will replace my (old) intake manifolds next week and see if that helps..

If anyone is attending the Gentlemans ride in Amsterdam.. See you tomorrow 8)

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I decided to replace the clutch as my bike wasnt shifting as it should.
Problem is that there is 1 nut I can't remove..

As I will replace the nut I tried to remove the nut with a redneck method, (hammer+screwdriver) the whole clutch is turning and not only the nut. No movement in the nut at all.
Does anyone have experience with removing this nut?

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So for the past year I havent been riding a lot.. The bike wasn't running very well and I couldn't figure out why. In the end I changed so much that the bike now basically had a full service. Which isn't bad ofcourse 8)

The bike is now running very well and I started to work on the bike again.

I didn't like the look and fabrication I made of the old seat so I decided to make some changes. As I really wanted to weld a loop on the frame I decide to get rid of the seat and start making my own seat and design of it. The guy from the upholstery did a very good job and made exactly what I had in mind. Its ´normal´ leather combined with a suede diamond stitched seat.

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The bike is now almost done for the 2016 Distinguished gentleman's ride, just some small details left :)
The Amsterdam DGR was a success with some fantastic bikes showing up.

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Due to oldtimer tax regulations in the Netherlands I'm not allowed to drive for the next 3 months. This gives me time to work on the bike again and have it ready before next season :).

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As I'm more into the scrambler/tracker style look, I decided to buy a slightly higher handlebar, replaced the headlight, black speedometer and minimized the stuff on the handlebar.

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This then caused another problem that one of my brakelines was too short as I ordered them exactly in the right sizes. As i needed to replace the brakelines anyway, I also decided to paint the calipers in the mean time.

As you can see a rebuild of the calipers was necessary as well..

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Wheels will be painted black as well. More on that later :)

Ciao!
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

Great bike mate looks sweet, love the idea of putting some of your first experience of two wheels into it best thing putting your own twist on things regardless what anyone else thinks enjoy the ride & ride safe bud
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

Nice work mate. This is the way more people should approach these projects, one bit at a time. The seat looks much better following the line of the frame.

Funny story, Bettencourt's Honda/Suzuki is still in business, about 30 min from where I grew up in Massachusetts. Before I moved I would source parts from there, and I still use the parts fiche on their website ;D Small world eh?
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Painted the wheels and mounted the wheels and calipers back on the bike.

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Already looking so much better.
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

Love it! That machine is looking sharp, man. That front fender is perfect and I'm really diggin' the bare/clear tank.
Nice polishing work on the Wings, too!
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

This bike is going to push up 750/900C models as more folk will wwant to build something like this out of an overlooked model.

Lovely job mate.
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

My first ride for this season is a fact! The bike runs like a charm.

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Will make some better pics soon :)
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

You sir, have outdone yourself. Fantastic looking bike. Very clean, very pleasing to look at. AND it seems utterly practical.
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

Thanks guys! Im pretty satisfied how the bike turned out.

Primary focus on the bike is making kilometers from now on :D
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

The more I look at it, the more I like those number plates/electrical gear covers.
How did you attach them?
 
Re: Honda CB650C cafe-ish

Cookie said:
The more I look at it, the more I like those number plates/electrical gear covers.
How did you attach them?

The sidecovers are original on the bike. The cover has 'pins' that you push into a rubber mount.
Visible here: http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cb650-1980-a-usa_model7223/partslist/F++16.html
 
Oh! So you've just attached a number plate to the original covers? Good idea
 
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