Nighthawk CB450 (New Age Bobber/Shortchop)

[zlittell]

Picked up a cb450 a few months ago and went from this should in theory run to using a pillow as a seat to rock it around the block.

love the cafes but i have no money and i mean NO MONEY but i can cut, beat, and weld shit so chop it is.

originally this was gonna be a long chop but i thought itd make a sweet little short chop for me to cruise around on behind the dads harley

wish i woulda started this thread from the beginning but better late then never

will be looking for the pics i had from when i found her on craigslist.

and going outside sometime tonight to take pics of her now.

also have a problem/question will post it up when i get the pics up so you can understand what im thinking.

pile of parts after stripping it down to just what i want

hit me up if you see something you want or need and we can prob work something out

-zack-

[zlittell]

alright i couldnt find any before pics which is sad but moving on

currently:


im liking where im currently at, thinking about drag bars to keep a nice sleek look.

now to my seat problem:



the second pic is my seat pan template. i think it adds to my sleek look as well
problem is i want to mount the seat over top of the tank and use that same bolt then heat it up at the fins and bend and shape them to kinda cover up the nasty open tank mount for a more finished look
i will be using 1/8in steel for the pan and am wondering if not having a hinge at the front is going to work.
i will have springs in the back but i dont think the plate is going to give... what do you think?

[VonYinzer]

You have a good start here I think. Why dont you trim the tank mounting tab? I dont think I fully understand what your going for with the seat. If you pulled the airbox and relocated some electrical stuff you would likely give yourself more options with the seat.

[ryanglade]

I think he is going for a seat that will cover the airbox etc that looks like it sticks up a little.  I agree with Von, it you removed the airbox and stuff directly under the seat it looks like it will give you better lines to complement a solo saddle seat nicely.

This looks like it might fit really nice
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-Saddleman-H-D-Sportster-04-06-Solo-Seat-0804-0085_W0QQitemZ220584606180QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotorcycles_Parts_Accessories?hash=item335bddf9e4

you could easily go with something a little more universal like this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-Solo-Seat-Black-Motorcycle-Harley-with-springs_W0QQitemZ360249132699QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotorcycles_Parts_Accessories?hash=item53e085869b

Overall I like your direction

[VonYinzer]

Ya... And after rereading your talking about the seat pan being directly mounted to the frame, and sprung in the rear, right? Thats a no - no. The seat will not last, and youll end up snapping/ripping the metal at the mounting point. Imagine that going down at 60+mph on the highway... Not fun. You have to hinge it somehow. Using a standard solo seat would work well, but seeing as your not hardtailing it why not just attach the seatpan your making directly to the frame and shape some heavy foam to look good? Cover it with whatever material you want and your done.

[zlittell]

that was another option a direct frame mounted seat but all the old timers around the house kept saying that i should make it as comfy as possible if the option is there.

i thought about cutting the pan about 3-4in back and making it hinge there?  would that also be an option?  i love the spring seat look and feel like mounting it to the frame directly is the easy way out.

and i definently am not looking to pay $130 for a seat that isn't a design of my own when i have all the tools and people available to help me easily make my own.  i dont even have to get the metal or cut it.
my dads buddy is doing me a favor and cutting out a few of the basic rectangle shape of my seat so i can play with a few designs (bending the fins, cutting and welding the fins at desired angle, and then no fins.

and a cousin upholsters boat seats for bass pro so i got a favor coming in from him as well

edit:
what problems will i have going from airbox to pods with the carbs.  im trying to stay away from carb work as much as possible.  and how much will welding new straight pipes to the headers change the way the engine runs? wont some recalibrating in the air/fuel ratio area will this cause or will i be ok.

i am an electronics guy not an engine guy so im trying to make this a nice baby step into my life with motorcycles lol

-zack-

[VonYinzer]

Do an image search on google for "bratstyle". Theres some killer seat ideas on there. My thing with the sprung and hinged solo seat is that its kinda goofy lookin on a bike with a swingarm. That said, I dont know exactly what your envisioning for your custom seat so I dont want to say yours is no good. Could be badass. It has to be hinged if its not attached directly to the frame though. Your asking for trouble otherwise.

As far as removing the airbox and running an open exhaust... Its not a big deal. A lot of guys say its a pain in the ass to tune and the bike will never run right again... A lot of guys say its simple, and the bike runs fine.
You will lose some mid-range but it should pull just fine and cruise at speed with no issues. If you want a custom exhaust you should run some sort of baffle though. You can make one. It will greatly improve the performance of the bike, and although I dig loud, straight pipes are too loud. The small displacement bikes sound better through a proper exhaust IMO anyhow. For the pods, just buy good ones (K&N, Uni, etc...). You will have to rejet most likely to get the best performance from the motor. Its SUPER SIMPLE though.

[zlittell]

well i have decided to make the seat hinged and ditch the airbox.

i might convert her to a hardtail this upcoming winter and do not want to recreate a seat.

also going to put a lollipop style baffle in the straight pipes but i am concerned if this bike is gonna be overly loud.  its only a 450 so i dont think itll be a problem but i dont like being a pain in the ass.

even though i dont think itll be a problem since the pops rides a heritage with vance and hines pipes and shes pretty loud (but its a good sound and doesn't rattle the neighborhood)

id rather not rejet till the winter so im hoping that the pods will be fine till then that way i can rejet when i put the pipes on as well (pipes will wait till the winter season when i stripe her down and paint her)

[dcwp]

I don't know much about the later models so I could well be wrong, but isn't that a cm450?  Maybe they merged at some point so just ignore me.

Anyhow, if you have the original seat pan, there are a couple of rubber grommets that rest on the cross support above the airbox that you haven't cut.  You may be able to incorporate them into a custom design.  Maybe more difficult sprung.

Also, the carbs on the cm bikes are super easy to work with, non-adjustable needle and float, etc. 

Looking good!  Keep us posted

Dan

[thompsonmx100]

check out gravel crew they do a lot of bikes with swingers and direct mount seats http://www.gravel-crew.com/

[Maritime]

well i have decided to make the seat hinged and ditch the airbox.

i might convert her to a hardtail this upcoming winter and do not want to recreate a seat.

also going to put a lollipop style baffle in the straight pipes but i am concerned if this bike is gonna be overly loud.  its only a 450 so i dont think itll be a problem but i dont like being a pain in the ass.

even though i dont think itll be a problem since the pops rides a heritage with vance and hines pipes and shes pretty loud (but its a good sound and doesn't rattle the neighborhood)

id rather not rejet till the winter so im hoping that the pods will be fine till then that way i can rejet when i put the pipes on as well (pipes will wait till the winter season when i stripe her down and paint her)

One of the guys on here put a briggs and Stratton lawn mower muffler inside his pipes to queit them down.  I have the same motor with straight pipes ending in emgo shorties.  It is not too loud but still louder than I want for driving to work early in the AM etc.  so I am going to pick up 2 of the mufflers and hide them in the pipes.  You might want to try just the little mufflers if you are doing no visible exhaust.  Ditching the huge ass crossover lightens the bike and wakes it up quite nicely. 

Chop looks good.

Cheers,

Maritime

[mrkil]

thats sweet te frame comes pre-konged for you 

i would do a solid mount seat and maybe a hoop around the back of the seat to tie the shock mounts together
or mount a fender between the shock mounts

kind of like this Bratstyle bike

[CrescentSon]

I'd add a little plate to the rear to up-sweep it a little and fiberglass a pan. You can always throw some sort of foam around the airbox to create a little space before laying glass.

[Hot Rod Troy]

I'd add a little plate to the rear to up-sweep it a little and fiberglass a pan. You can always throw some sort of foam around the airbox to create a little space before laying glass.

This would look killer!

[zlittell]

haven't replied in a while with the school semester ending.  I cleaned the carbs out completely and now she runs amazing.  So now im just finishing the little things.  I really like that seat idea you showed i might do something with the extra plate in the back.

one question i do have is about the front shocks:
they wont hold air for long and oil is leaking out the tops so i figured id pull them apart and rebuild them.  This has been the hardest part of bringing this bike back to life so far.  Does anyone have expierance with rebuilding these shocks.  How did you get the locktited bolt out of the bottom do i really need to remove the bolt or can I pull the C clip out of the top and just replace the oil seal.

-zack-