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Sup yall. Just introduced myself over in the new member introduction forum. My name is Ben. Down South in Charleston, SC, USA where i haven't seen a lot of cafe racers around town. Hoping to share some photos and learn from those with superior bike smarts.
My first bike and my first build forum so I'm here to learn, listen and share. Found this 1981 GN400 barn burner in Savannah, GA about a month ago. Stock except for modified seat and inverted dirt bike bars. Put about 2000 mi(ran good...little back fire when downshifting) on it before deciding I wanted to take the cafe racer another level. I'm currently further along in the build but wanted to post pics in chronological order to get the most accurate input from anyone interested in helping my rookie ass out. Thanks.
First job i decided to tackle was removing the stock airbox and battery housing. Then de-tabbed the frame. Removed carb and attached K&N. My plan now is to get it back up and running and not worry about rejetting the carb until later.
FYI Back end of bike is in good shape. Adjusted the rear tire to tighten the chain and that's about it so most of my focus is on the front end.
Cleaned and polished motor as much as possible without removing from frame. Removed front forks(bike is now hanging from my shop rafters via rope. removed paint from tank....polished it up. kind of like the brushed metal look. any suggestions on a clear coat?
I don't think you can beat that clear coat, closest you will get to professional quality. I have used it and it worked amazingly. Expensive, but worth it. Oh and you MUST wear a real respirator mask.
Thanks Rich and Macbethpoe. Worked on the forks last night:
-Cleaned and polished the lower forks
-Drained out nasty old oil and replaced with new oil.
There is a lot of play in these forks. they have compression springs. i spoke to an older guy at the dealership about how to stiffin them up without disassembling the whole fork. he said just put a little piece of like-diameter pvc between the top of the spring and the fork cap. i still want the front lowered, but i think i'm going to achieve that by running the forks up through the 3tree and attaching clip ons.
Just got some parts in from DCC. went with clip ons, Biltwell kung fu's (which kinda match the mags), some new headlight mounts, and a bar end mirror. Gonna start putting the front end back together tonight!
Also the electrical is not too bad just print out the wiring diagram and study it before you tear into it. While my CB is apart I'm making a custom harness too
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