'73 CB 450 K7 - Cafe racer made in Finland

So I bought a Honda CB 450 K7 -73. The bike has 3000 claimed miles on it and is in quite good condition, it still has the original tires on (or so I was told). I bought it from a finnish dealer that had imported it from Michigan, USA in 2010. The bike has a tracy body kit on it so it has already been modified, good for a cafe racer project. Engine seemed to work fine and when I test drove it power seemed to be good. Maybe out of adjustment because it doesn't idle really easy and turns off after a while. Hopefully I made a good buy.

I have driven motorcycles for the last 10 years and at the moment I also have a Ducati 999. Also I am quite familiar with repairing bikes and cars so I think I will manage to complete this project. My only obstacle is time. Because I am studying in a different city where the bike is, so I only have time to work on the bike on weekends for now.

Had time to order some parts. After long consideration between the BCR Whale and Dolphin combo I decided to go for the Dolphin tank and seat combo, despite the fact that so many others also have them. But probably wont see too many of them here in Finland

I will post more photos as the project goes further. Plans are to remove at least the tank/seat, air cleaners and start to relocate the battery. I decided that I will do all the wiring, electrics and fitting of the tank/seat first and then totally strip the bike and get it blasted and powder coated.

Ok, so I had some time to start tearing of the bike. Didn't do anything else but took of the tank/seat combo and the airfilters. Noticed that the frame has slightly been modified to fit the tracy body kit. In the pictures you can see that part of the subframe on both sides has been cut of that connects to the main frame. Do I need to be concerned of this, can this effect the stiffness of the frame? And should I weld some pipe bits here to get it better?

I received the BCR combo last week and had some time to try on the tank and seat. Tank fits nicely but I will still have to make some modifications on the subframe to make the seat fit.

But before I start to strip down the frame I would need some advice with what to do with the cut subframe (seen in the pictures). Should I get the frame inspected for bends or is it possible to do them yourself? And the same thing for the swingarm, how should it be inspected?

Progress is really slow but coming along. The frame has now been welded and fitted with the loop, came out good. I will post pictures when I get them uploaded.

Now I have been fitting the BCR tank and seat on to the frame, not a perfect fit but quite good. My problem is that the surface of the seat doesn't contact the frame in every part. So I am afraid that water will get inside the seat cowl where the battery is located with the electronics. So I thought I would put a rubber gasket around the seat and it would also minimize vibration. In the picture you can see I have fitted the gasket to the seat but in the center of the seat the gasket surface would have to be continued because the edge is so narrow. What would you suggest to be the best way to extend this narrow edge so I can fit a gasket on it like in the front and back of the seat.

Okay so here are the pictures of the work that has been done to the frame. The welds were TIG-welded and we used tube that was a little bit thicker than the original frame tube. I also removed the oil and noticed that some fuel had mixed into the oil. Could it be that the floats on the carbs don't work and the petcock has been left open by mistake so fuel has gotten into the crankcase.

The bike is coming along again and the frame modifications are almost done. I fitted the electronics underneath the seat and got a smaller 11 Ah battery. I also bought the Tarozzi rearsets and I'm not quite sure how they should be fitted. Should I put a washer between the rearset and the frame or bolt them directly? And I noticed that if I tighten the bolt too much then the rearset pedal won't turn freely, so should I just tighten it a little bit? Which one of the rearsets are intended for the gear side, the one with the offset arm or the normal one? Some picture of the progress to follow.

My CB360 swingarm is at the shop now and they are enlarging the axle slots. I decided to only enlarge the "first part" of the slots so that I can use the original stoppers and adjusters.

I used the same mounting point for my rearsets, but I was concerned over the lack of structural support provided by the OEM passenger peg area. I decided to add a false base that would provide a broader flat face on which the rearsets would mount.





It also gave a longer length of mounting bolt to reduce the peg difflection if I stood up on the peg while running over train tracks or wash boards. Just something to consider

I like what you did to correct the forward part of the frame, im not an expert, but it looks like a solid correction. The rear hoop looks good as well, if you haven't yet, just make sure to jump up and down on your bike and make sure that the hoop doesn't hit the tire on full suspension compression. I ran into that issue late in one of my builds and had to make some last minute frame modifications.

Thanks for the advice guys. The mounting of cqyqte rearsets looks really pro, that is some good work and I'm sure that would be the best thing to do. I thought that I would put a big washer between the frame and the nut, that should also increase the structural support?

And JSJamboree, yeah I will test that the rear wheel doesn't hit the loop when I get my CB360 swingarm and have decided how long shocks I will need. Any suggestions how long shocks would be good for the CB450 with CB360 swingarm?

I finished mounting the gear side rearset. I couldn't find a washer that was the correct size so I had to make one, the dimensions were 10 mm hole ja 14 mm outside diameter. Now the rearset moves freely on the bearing when I tighten it up. It's strange that Tarozzi doesn't supply a washer for the rearsets because I can't see it working properly if you don't put the washer between the frame and the rearset.

In the picture you can see with what kind of washer I started. I might change the linkage to go under the pedal if that will work.