'70 CB450 Build...For the Wife

[nathanhouse]

So I guess I'll give just a bit of history first. I know most everyone just scrolls down to the pics then moves on but it makes me feel good, so here goes.

I bought this project '70 CB450 for my wife last Christmas complete with sissy bar, leather bags, ape hangers and highway bars. All in all I think it was a pretty good deal off Craigslist here in Charlotte NC for $350. The guy I bought it from build barns and also removes old buildings as well. He said that many times property owners want him to tear down an old shed or barn and tell him he can have or throw away whatever is inside! (could be a real good deal...or a pain in the ass, depending) So he ended up with this bike for free and kept it for about a year, that's when I showed up. Typical CL bike, no key and no title. Key wouldn't be that big a deal but I was a little worried about the title. I ended up fining a guy near Detroit a that did a nation wide search and for 50 bucks scored me a title and I had it in my hand about 9 days after I paid him to get it done. I came in his name so I had to still get it transferred but that's a lot easier in NC than trying to track down the PO who might not even be alive! The bike was pretty complete but wasn't running (didn't know why) had compression, spark plug hole I had to repair, and crank case was full of gas also the last time it had been inspected or registered was 1977! I let it sit for a while and worked on other stuff first and worried about the engine later. This past April I was laid off of work so I've had a lot more time to work on it but no money. Seems that's the way it always goes. But I've managed to get a few things done here and there and figured it's about time to start a build thread...
Like I said this bike is for my wife who is about 5'1" 105 so some of the changes on the bike a specifically done for her, if it was for me it would be a little different... I'm 6'4" i.e. I would have rear sets and lower bars and a little different seat. SO onto pictures...

Here it is the day I brought it home minus the saddle bags and sissy bar.

Kinda blurry but the newest inspection sticker

While at the International Motorcycle Show in Greenville, SC this past Feb she saw this Triumph Speed Triple R and knew that's the color she wanted. I think it'll be a really great color on this old bike.

Tank before sandblasting

Tank after sandblasting

Some of these things I did a while back so I'm playing catch up with this post

I sent the tank, side covers and both fenders to a friend of mine in Kansas City for paint. We went to school together when we were both working on our Automotive Restoration Degrees and he was cool enough to offer to do all the paint for free! He won't even let me pay for the paint!! So thanks Chris!!!!

Wheel all cruddy
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn288/nathanhouse82/CB450
/IMG_1807.jpg

Sandblasted hubs. I also had the chrome on the outer rims stripped so it would powdercoat better. You can powdercoat over chrome but I didn't want that black chrome look on the wheels for this bike esp since the hubs wouldn't look the same if the wheels stayed chrome

Sandblasted hubs

I just picked up the finished powdercoated parts yesterday and was very very pleased with the work. Only coast me 70 bucks to have it done too, I thought it was reasonable

Well I guess that's all for now. I do have the seat done and the forks but I'll post up on those later. This is getting kinda long anyway

 

[SrgtBear]

Nice! I'm going to be jealous of your wife's bike pretty soon. Powder coating is so worth it despite the price. Good luck with the rest!!!

 

[nathanhouse]

Thanks! I keep telling her that I'm going to want to ride her's more than mine. I really want a smaller cc bike. One project at a time is all I have money or space for so maybe after I finish her's. This is what I have now. 1982 CB900F pretty good shape but dirty. I've done a lot to it slowly since I got it a couple of years ago. It's not a cafe but I like it.

 

[Flugtechnik]

Awesome! Another 450 in the area. It looks nice and crusty, ready for a refresh. Great start!

 

[BigBSBusa]

That's gonna look nice! I'm sure it's nice to have your wife for a riding partner.

 

[cbcafejunkie]

I cant wait to see what becomes of this bike. I want to rebuild a 350 for my girl, but she also really likes the vespas...... snicker snicker

 

[bikeboy]

It's not a cafe but I like it.

I like it too. I have 2 of these and an 1100F I like 'em so much. And just for fun, like you, I have a 'tiddler' to work on as well. A cb400F - but I love these twins as well, Good work so far. I'll be watching this for sure.

cheers
ian

 

[nathanhouse]

I put the carbs back on the CB450 the other day and made a gas tank out of a 20oz water bottle and fuel line and I couldn't get it to run except for about 3 or 4 seconds with a shot of starter fluid. So, I had air and spark but obviously no fuel... I took the carbs back apart and and found that one of the previous owners had no idea how to set the fuel float level. After a quick adjustment and re assembly I put them back on the bike. Now I'm sure that the motor has been cranked and started since the last time this bike was inspected/registered but it had not been inspected/registered since 1977!! After I put the carbs back on it took about two turns of the engine and this happened!!!

1970 CB450 Start

WOOHOO!!!
I love when stuff goes right and works like it should! I still have other adjustments to make i.e. check timing points and fine tune idle screw and throttle cable but so far its off to a great start! I'm waiting for something bad to happen now bc that went so easily...
Too bad the DOT won't let us drive around a bit with no mufflers, it sounds wicked! ;D

I had this posted over in 1800-cafe-help but I don't now how/if I could move it so I just posted it again, it probably goes better in this forum anyway.

 

[nathanhouse]

Like I've said before a few of these things I've already finished I just didn't have a build thread at the time so if any of you were hanging out over on the tanks and seats forum you may have already seen this.

If I had to do it over again I would do a few things differently but all in all I'm pretty pleased.

The idea with this seat project was to DO IT ON THE CHEAP, lower the seat height just a bit to accommodate my wife, use the original seat pan without too much cutting and welding, and to do the final upholstered vinyl myself.

-I did the whole seat for less than $50!
-I lowered the seat height by about an inch believe it or not.
-Obviously used the seat pan with only four one inch welds.
-And I did the final cover myself with the help of Wayne at Wilgrove Upholstery, he didn't charge me for his help.

If I were doing this for my own bike it would probably get a completely home built seat with the more traditional metal or glassed rear hump.


This is the original seat how it came off the bike.

When I removed the cover I found that the mice that made a nice home inside!

All foam removed and seat pan sandblasted. After looking around at other people's seat projects I realized just how good a shape this pan was in! most others that I saw were rusting around all the holes and the sides were very often almost gone!

The foam and glue that I bought to make the seat shape

This is the original rough shape I came up with. Also notice the narrowed front nose so she can stand up and touch the ground a little easier.

This is the final shape I ended up with. I had to slope the hump in the rear because the drastic 90 degree angle would have been very hard to cover without making several panels, and after I did I think I like it a lot more.

A closer look at the rear hump. I used an electric knife to get my basic shape and a palm sander with 80 and 120 grit sandpaper to smooth it all out.

This small little shop is only about a mile down the road from the house and Wayne was very helpful in giving me pointers and helping me pull the final vinyl cover on.

I bought this thin foam material and the vinyl from Wilgrove's. The thin foam helps to smooth out any imperfections and makes the holes in the sides of the seat pan a little less noticeable.

The bottom of the finished seat! Vinyl pulled and trimmed and pan painted. Since the original hold down tabs were removed from the front when I narrowed the pan I used aluminum rivets to help the glue hold the vinyl in place. You can see one on the upper side to the left of the rubber mount and along the bottom.

The top side. I had the vinyl folded and sitting in the spare room for a few days until I was ready for it, DON'T DO THAT! That is one of the things I would have done differently. You can see the small crease on the slope because of the folding.

One other thing I would have change is the nose. I thought I had a decent amount of foam built up at the far end of the nose but once you pull the vinyl down tight it slopes it downward quite a bit. So next time I know to put a lot more foam at the front for a proper nose.

Well there it is. Like I said, I'd change a few things if I had it to do over again but nonetheless I'm still happy with my first shot at upholstery and trim since I finished school more than seven years ago.

 

[chris73cb175]

the seat looks great. i was wondering are you using the original latches that were on the bike. I need to thin my seat but width wise. trying to figure out something about the latches.

 

[nathanhouse]

the seat looks great. i was wondering are you using the original latches that were on the bike. I need to thin my seat but width wise. trying to figure out something about the latches.

Yeah I'm using the original seat latches and hinge. If you look at the left side profile pic of the seat you'll see where I had to notch the very front of the side of the seat for the seat release lever. Mine has a rear hinge so I don't know if it would be different on a side hinge version... If you narrow the nose like I have be mindful of the frame bars that run under the seat. I HAD to narrow this one as much as I did so it would fit my wife better, however the seat is actually a little more narrow than the frame bars under the seat so you can see them. Not really a big deal to me b/c I had to do it and I don't mind it anyway but I'm sure that on some of the bikes around here it might really mess up the aesthetics and line of the bike. If you look closely you can see the bars underneath

 

[chris73cb175]

thanks for the photo. i will sit tonight and look at my seat and see if something comes too mind. keep up the work. i'm trying to get my lady to want to ride but no go right now. i'm sure after i take her out a few times she will be opened up to learning how to ride. keep up the work

 

[nathanhouse]

Update: Got my wheel bearings in from Dime City Cycles a couple of days ago and didn't waste too much time getting them pounded in. I love going out to the mail box and finding shinny new parts in there! Nothing real awe inspiring here just wheel bearings being put in but I figured it's being built so it goes in the build thread! ;D

I gotta say that I was really pleased with DCC. They had the better prices than Ebay and quick delivery, great to deal with. So if you looking for something support the locals! (at least local to this site!)

 

[BigBSBusa]

Coming along nicely!

 

[nathanhouse]

I took the sprocket cover off a while ago and have been trying to decide what to do with it as far as cool vents. After a light bulb type idea went off in my head I came up with this...

First I found the relative center line with a pair of dial calipers and marked it. Then I used a compass to draw the lines moving outward. I measured with the calipers and marked equally spaced lines to set the compass.

I decided to use a .250 endmill to drill the holes and wanted the distance between the holes to be at least half the diameter of the hole. So I measured out .125, set my compass and marked all the lines where the holes should go.

I set it up in the Bridgeport and away we go!

Since it has a very small tip I used a starter drill to pinpoint where I was going to drill. That's all I did with it, since I was using an endmill I didn't have to have a pilot hole.

Milling

After all the holes were drilled

Then it was off to the buffing wheel!
The polishing didn't come out as well as it could but I used red ScotchBrite, then 600 grit, then 1000, then the buffing wheel.

 

[SrgtBear]

Looks great man.

 

[nathanhouse]

I totally forgot I had this! I think I remember picking up this 1933-36 Chevrolet tail light some years ago when I was working at a restoration shop... I was planning on using the original tail lamp off of the 450 but I think I'll try to rig up something for this. I'm thinking LED's?!
What do you guys think? I was thinking low, maybe right above the axle or maybe off to the left but just below seat height? I'll have to mount the license plate underneath it to meet inspection since I have to have it lit up.

 

[nathanhouse]

Re: '70 CB450 Build...For the Wife (Forks)

I took the forks apart and cleaned them up, sandblasted the lowers put in new seals and new fork boots. I wanted to leave the lowers just a bare aluminum color so after sandblasting I washed them up and cleared them. They turned out more of a gray color than I thought it would. I think I still like it and it'll still look good with the rest of the bike when it's back together but I was a little surprised about the way it turned out.

 

[bikeboy]

Re: '70 CB450 Build...For the Wife (Forks)

I think I still like it and it'll still look good with the rest of the bike when it's back together but I was a little surprised about the way it turned out.

that tail light is awesome! You've got to figure out a way to use it.

Those forks do look a little odd? Maybe just the lighting, but as long as they look silver rather than grey, then they should be OK. I think I would have gone over them with a fine scotchbrite to give them a brushed appearance, but as long as they look like metal you're good. Clear coat does some weird things sometimes eh?

Looking good.

ian

 

[nathanhouse]

Wheels!!! I got my spokes in the mail last week and started to lace up my wheels. I had never done this before but I figured that if I just took it to someone to do it for me I would never learn! Plus this way I saved a few bucks to put toward tires, mufflers, levers, aluminum stock.... So, the rear wheel went great, no problem at all, took about 15 minutes to get it laced. The front however took me a while. I finally figured out that I was starting in the wrong hole and that threw everything else off. I did get it all done and I'm pretty pleased. I know a lot of guys have been doing the black wheel and hub with polished spokes but it looks just sooo damn good!
I ended up getting a set of spokes off ebay. They were out of Thailand but were supposed to have been made in Japan. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with them. They seem to be pretty good quality and they look nice. I still have to true them and ride around on them but so far so good. Also the price was nice, $90 shipped for front and rear spokes.

You can see I have some in the wrong place in the picture below.

And a few of the rear

I think they will look even better in natural sunlight but it was 530am when I took these this morning.