Tschiffely
My hands are my life
Re: 76 XL250 "Cafuro"
Diggin it! Keep it up!
Diggin it! Keep it up!
76 XL250 "Cafuro" - DONE WITH PICTURES!
- Thread starter Mark in Seattle
- Start date
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
Re: 76 XL250 "Cafuro"
a bit of a slowdown as family flu and upcoming vacation week are shifting my priorities temporarily. I'm giving myself the deadline of the August Backfire meetup, I think its aug 17th. The parts are mostly all there just need the time to assemble, I'll keep crankin! Thanks for all the comments - you all have some awesome bikes too!
a bit of a slowdown as family flu and upcoming vacation week are shifting my priorities temporarily. I'm giving myself the deadline of the August Backfire meetup, I think its aug 17th. The parts are mostly all there just need the time to assemble, I'll keep crankin! Thanks for all the comments - you all have some awesome bikes too!
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
Re: 76 XL250 "Cafuro"
This is an idea I had for awhile. I found this material and wanted to try transparent fork boots. It is hose designed for material handling like woodshop dust collectors. Its pretty well made with thick wall material, but ts not quite as flexible as a rubber fork boot so we'll see how it holds up. the lower went right over the dust seal with a ring clamp, on the upper end i had to design a polymer bushing to grip the fork leg. I like the look its unique, hopefully it will look good on the bike!
photo by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
This is an idea I had for awhile. I found this material and wanted to try transparent fork boots. It is hose designed for material handling like woodshop dust collectors. Its pretty well made with thick wall material, but ts not quite as flexible as a rubber fork boot so we'll see how it holds up. the lower went right over the dust seal with a ring clamp, on the upper end i had to design a polymer bushing to grip the fork leg. I like the look its unique, hopefully it will look good on the bike!
photo by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
Re: 76 XL250 "Cafuro" - Roller
She is wheels down and I finally sat on her - Phew! The seating position is OK, I'm not doing rearsets yet so its not too aggressive. The bars are lower but not like clubmans, my arms only go slightly downward from level, since the seating is dropped as much as the bars did the perch is similar but the whole thing is lower. The bike is also dropped nearly 2" from the new shocks and sliding the forks up in the tree. The bad news is that back cowling is too large, she looks fat in the tail (this is the most forgiving angle shown). I suspected this might be the case as the rear hoop is huge, I knew I should cut and weld it. I'll do that on cowl #2 since I already decided this one is version #1. Its all good, I'll slap this one on to get it out for riding this summer and can do a new one over the winter. Sorry for the crappy shot I need to go back to the real camera
IMG_3087 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
She is wheels down and I finally sat on her - Phew! The seating position is OK, I'm not doing rearsets yet so its not too aggressive. The bars are lower but not like clubmans, my arms only go slightly downward from level, since the seating is dropped as much as the bars did the perch is similar but the whole thing is lower. The bike is also dropped nearly 2" from the new shocks and sliding the forks up in the tree. The bad news is that back cowling is too large, she looks fat in the tail (this is the most forgiving angle shown). I suspected this might be the case as the rear hoop is huge, I knew I should cut and weld it. I'll do that on cowl #2 since I already decided this one is version #1. Its all good, I'll slap this one on to get it out for riding this summer and can do a new one over the winter. Sorry for the crappy shot I need to go back to the real camera
IMG_3087 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
Re: 76 XL250 "Cafuro" - latest update
We went on vacation for 10 days, and then I spent the last 3 racing to try and get enough done for our august Backfire cafe night. I got a ton done, threw a a straightpipe on, she runs and rolls, but I have no lights and a few other issues with brakes, etc. so I won't ride 'er tonite. I'll take the Interceptor down and keep cranking, it's VERY close now, time to think about graphics, etc. Photos coming soon
We went on vacation for 10 days, and then I spent the last 3 racing to try and get enough done for our august Backfire cafe night. I got a ton done, threw a a straightpipe on, she runs and rolls, but I have no lights and a few other issues with brakes, etc. so I won't ride 'er tonite. I'll take the Interceptor down and keep cranking, it's VERY close now, time to think about graphics, etc. Photos coming soon
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
Re: 76 XL250 "Cafuro" FINISHED...sorta
After I decided to slap some temporary plain white paint and parts on to get some riding in, I got everything together, and she ran well with my backup fuel tank. - so I switched to the painted tank and....(you know whats coming)... she wont bleeping start!!! AAAAAAAUUUGH! Ok so its the ole spark/fuel/compression WTF routine. In the meantime here is a crappy phone pic of the basic form. I created that temporary high pipe by chopping off the front of the stocker and having an auto muffler shop weld on a back section. Then I bolted in one of those silencer tubes from the bike shop, it didn't do much she is still plenty loud! I'll probably still go with a low pipe, but for the 20 bucks I spent it actually looks pretty good. Thats a universal chrome heat shield to keep some leg burn minimal. Obviously the kickstarter is a little long for this pipe layout, I'll address that later. The battery/side covers are also temporary from some stainless mesh screen just wired on. I plan some better ones. (I prefer side covers currently to the open triangle with hidden battery right now, that could change) No turn signals (not planning to run them), no mirrors yet, no headlight yet (I ziptied on an LED headlamp run off batteries to be legal and its WAY brighter than the 6volt stocker, I'm tempted to make that the permanent solution), tons of small stuff that can wait until winter to work on. I'll get it running and then post proper pics - cheers
photo[6] by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
After I decided to slap some temporary plain white paint and parts on to get some riding in, I got everything together, and she ran well with my backup fuel tank. - so I switched to the painted tank and....(you know whats coming)... she wont bleeping start!!! AAAAAAAUUUGH! Ok so its the ole spark/fuel/compression WTF routine. In the meantime here is a crappy phone pic of the basic form. I created that temporary high pipe by chopping off the front of the stocker and having an auto muffler shop weld on a back section. Then I bolted in one of those silencer tubes from the bike shop, it didn't do much she is still plenty loud! I'll probably still go with a low pipe, but for the 20 bucks I spent it actually looks pretty good. Thats a universal chrome heat shield to keep some leg burn minimal. Obviously the kickstarter is a little long for this pipe layout, I'll address that later. The battery/side covers are also temporary from some stainless mesh screen just wired on. I plan some better ones. (I prefer side covers currently to the open triangle with hidden battery right now, that could change) No turn signals (not planning to run them), no mirrors yet, no headlight yet (I ziptied on an LED headlamp run off batteries to be legal and its WAY brighter than the 6volt stocker, I'm tempted to make that the permanent solution), tons of small stuff that can wait until winter to work on. I'll get it running and then post proper pics - cheers
photo[6] by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
76 XL250 "Cafuro" ON THE ROAD - WiTH PHOTOS!
I finally rode her today! Here are some pictures in the temporary trim. She came out mostly tracker so I'll need to post some pictures over there too. Lots to do yet, need to figure out the whole front headlight thing, shorten the clutch cable, get a digital speedo and fabricate the side covers. Also design a proper throttle cable setup. But she runs and rides, its loud and raw and fun as heck. I think I've already decided to flip the white paint to black, that will change the look a lot. (I still need proper camera shots to fill in the white details). My verdict: I give the design a "B+", I like it - but its a little too clean. However I'm VERY stoked to have it on the road! Now I can play with it a bunch to make it even better. Would I do another complete bike? Ugh, the prospect makes me ill right now, but you never know.... A HUGE THANKS to all the great builders here on DTT and everywhere who gave me ideas, inspiration and technical help!
right side small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
left side small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
flat bars small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
engine detail left small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
front quarter small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
rear view small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
front small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
I finally rode her today! Here are some pictures in the temporary trim. She came out mostly tracker so I'll need to post some pictures over there too. Lots to do yet, need to figure out the whole front headlight thing, shorten the clutch cable, get a digital speedo and fabricate the side covers. Also design a proper throttle cable setup. But she runs and rides, its loud and raw and fun as heck. I think I've already decided to flip the white paint to black, that will change the look a lot. (I still need proper camera shots to fill in the white details). My verdict: I give the design a "B+", I like it - but its a little too clean. However I'm VERY stoked to have it on the road! Now I can play with it a bunch to make it even better. Would I do another complete bike? Ugh, the prospect makes me ill right now, but you never know.... A HUGE THANKS to all the great builders here on DTT and everywhere who gave me ideas, inspiration and technical help!
right side small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
left side small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
flat bars small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
engine detail left small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
front quarter small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
rear view small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
front small by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
76 XL250 "Cafuro" - NEW "Tron" Seat pics
Finally got the 1" seat foam from Airtech. After seeing that the flat sheet of my temporary pad was a little boring, I decided to cut some shapes to echo the bars so that "look" would be brought into the bike somewhere else. to make them I drew the pattern on the back side of the sheet where the carrier covers the sticky, and then cut them out on a bandsaw with a small-tooth blade, then I rounded the top edges on the bench sander. It is pretty unique, I like it, several people say it looks like "TRON", which I totally get. Definitely ties into the bar motif which works - and as a bonus its much more comfortable! Another of my weird ideas, its fun to play around with this stuff. I'm hugely looking forward to riding her to Backfire tomorrow night, the weather looks great. See all you Seattle riders out there, look for me in my bright yellow Suzuki logo shirt and say hi. (I know its a Honda, but I'm a graphic designer and the Suzuki "S" logo is still the coolest!)
IMG_3464 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
IMG_3469 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
IMG_3465 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Finally got the 1" seat foam from Airtech. After seeing that the flat sheet of my temporary pad was a little boring, I decided to cut some shapes to echo the bars so that "look" would be brought into the bike somewhere else. to make them I drew the pattern on the back side of the sheet where the carrier covers the sticky, and then cut them out on a bandsaw with a small-tooth blade, then I rounded the top edges on the bench sander. It is pretty unique, I like it, several people say it looks like "TRON", which I totally get. Definitely ties into the bar motif which works - and as a bonus its much more comfortable! Another of my weird ideas, its fun to play around with this stuff. I'm hugely looking forward to riding her to Backfire tomorrow night, the weather looks great. See all you Seattle riders out there, look for me in my bright yellow Suzuki logo shirt and say hi. (I know its a Honda, but I'm a graphic designer and the Suzuki "S" logo is still the coolest!)
IMG_3464 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
IMG_3469 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
IMG_3465 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
crackerman
Been Around the Block
Diggin the Shinko 705s on your bike. Picked up a pair for under $100 for my kz750 build.
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
Hey AZ, nothing new to report except I reached the limits of my abilities so I dropped it off at Twinline for a rewire with proper lights and a custom low pipe. I'm also pulling the tank to play with some graphics, probably some mashup of bare metal, black linework, and 70's airbrush chopper. Then I also have to do side covers. All of it will happen more in the spring, in Seattle; bike is fer summer and SNOWBOARDING is fer winter!
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
76 XL250 "Cafuro" - New Pipe pics
Finally got to take a rip but it didn't last long: Got the bike from the shop and the new low pipe looks killer, totally transforms the look into tracker. They used a headpipe from a BSA I saw on their shelf and liked, and I bought a Supertrapp shorty silencer. Runs and sounds great now. Unfortunately I had stripped the tank to bare steel and done some hand-painted type, but when I stripped it I took off a small patch of bondo that apparently covered a pinhole leak! So when I filled it up it was weeping and so was I, shortest ride ever. I took it back to the shop and when he tried to weld it a few days later it burned through, so Its back to the drawing board, tank-wise. Anyway here is a shot
rightside contrastshadw by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Finally got to take a rip but it didn't last long: Got the bike from the shop and the new low pipe looks killer, totally transforms the look into tracker. They used a headpipe from a BSA I saw on their shelf and liked, and I bought a Supertrapp shorty silencer. Runs and sounds great now. Unfortunately I had stripped the tank to bare steel and done some hand-painted type, but when I stripped it I took off a small patch of bondo that apparently covered a pinhole leak! So when I filled it up it was weeping and so was I, shortest ride ever. I took it back to the shop and when he tried to weld it a few days later it burned through, so Its back to the drawing board, tank-wise. Anyway here is a shot
rightside contrastshadw by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
Here is a more recent photo with the side covers completed
3-4 rear.edit by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
3-4 rear.edit by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Mark in Seattle
You must go too far, to know what is far enough
couple people asked about the throttle, I just recently changed it. Here was the original system using twist with a shaft underneath and collars welded on:
Throttle version 1 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
underside
Twist throttle by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
twistie
Twist throttle by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
The twist throttle worked fine but I really wanted totally flat bars, so I cut off the collars and shaft system, welded the twist section back to the main bar, and installed an ATV style thumb throttle. This is the underneath view
Thumb throttle by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
pretty simple setup, I just built one based on the ATV style
Thumb by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Here is the top view, I've ridden it and it works just fine!
Top view by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Throttle version 1 by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
underside
Twist throttle by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
twistie
Twist throttle by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
The twist throttle worked fine but I really wanted totally flat bars, so I cut off the collars and shaft system, welded the twist section back to the main bar, and installed an ATV style thumb throttle. This is the underneath view
Thumb throttle by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
pretty simple setup, I just built one based on the ATV style
Thumb by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
Here is the top view, I've ridden it and it works just fine!
Top view by Mary Mack & Mark, on Flickr
