'81 Suzuki GS450 Cafe Build. An Odyssey

[thekeezler]

Nice bike man. Working on my GS650 with similar intentions. Havent done too much yet but so far its basically been stripped, i've cleaned the old carbs, added pod's and re-jetted and some painting... next step the seat and tank. Any tips on hammering the tank? That part kind of scares me.

 

[barnabasantioch]

Thanks keezler. The tank was fairly simple. This was the video that inspired my direction...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou-1adqRyVU

My biggest suggestion would be to bondo adequately. By that, I mean get a very large bondo spreader, and spread from back to front, not bottom to top. That way it prevents heavy bondo lines. That would have made the process much simpler for me.

 

[thekeezler]

Thanks for the tip and video, i'll give it a shot next weekend.

Out of curiosity did you rattle can your tank or use a sprayer? Did you use coating to protect the paint against gas spills?

 

[barnabasantioch]

Rattle can all the way! I use an engine enamel wherever gas or oil may come in contact with the surface. Also, it's good to wet sand multiple times and apply a few coats of engine enamel clear coat. You can pick a selection of colors at Auto Zone, or the like. The color that I chose wasn't available in an engine enamel, so I just went with a regular enamel and applied about 5 coats of clear, wetsanding after every couple of coats.

 

[Legionnaire]

Hey I was wondering what your speedometer/tach ratio was, I want to buy some aftermarket gauges, but have no idea which ones to get I also have an '81 GS450! So whatever you use will probably work for me!

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Hey barnabasantioch I love the way the bike is progressing, those T wheels were a good call!
I found your thread back in March but must not have posted so I didn't see any updates until this morning.

Hey I was wondering what your speedometer/tach ratio was, I want to buy some aftermarket gauges, but have no idea which ones to get I also have an '81 GS450! So whatever you use will probably work for me!

Everything I have found says Suzuki ratios are Speedo = 2240:60 and Tach = 4:1. I'd like to get some aftermarket clocks on mine too but really like the red backlight on the stockers

 

[barnabasantioch]

@Legionnaire - I bought a 1:7 ratio tach, since Dime City said that is what is used for most engines under 550. Unfortunately, Hoosier, who evidentially likes to do research before blindly purchasing, is correct. I don't feel like I'm running at 10,000 rpms@ 45mph.

@Hoosier - The lights on most of those aftermarket gauges are fairly easy to swap. I bought a set of red backlights for mine, since my speedo came stock with a blue light, and my tach with a dim white. Looks a little odd.

 

[barnabasantioch]

Just for clarification... Everyone else who embarks on a custom build does, at one point, have the desire to kick the bike into a pile of gasoline and flick a lit cigarette (because these projects can turn non-smokers into smokers) into the puddle of flaming destiny.

Everyone who reads this forum is welcome to bring marshmallows.

So... I may have miscalculated the distance between my rear tire and my new jagged seat bracket. My calculation fell short by the derivative of two rear shocks with busted seals, and the fact that I just, plan, suck. I didn't go too deep into my tire, so it may be salvageable, but I will certainly have to re-think my bracket layout.

Budget Cafe my Arse!

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Damnit all to hell!
Hang tough... a rear tire ain't as bad as it could have been.

 

[Flugtechnik]

Oh man, that looks like a tragedy waiting to happen. Looks like you need to redesign that bracket.

 

[peteGSX]

Yeah that just plain sucks... however I think it's safe to say it's better to find it now than when you're hootin' down the road thinking all is good with the world

 

[Legionnaire]

Hey barnabasantioch I love the way the bike is progressing, those T wheels were a good call!
I found your thread back in March but must not have posted so I didn't see any updates until this morning.


Everything I have found says Suzuki ratios are Speedo = 2240:60 and Tach = 4:1. I'd like to get some aftermarket clocks on mine too but really like the red backlight on the stockers

Sorry to bog up your thread with talk about other stuff, but is 1:4 and 4:1 the same for tach ratios? Thanks so much for the info I have been looking for it for ages!!

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Yep that's what you want... I guess 1:4 is what I meant... sorry for the fat finger.
I am under the impression ratios are spoken "__ to one" as in "four to one" not "one to four" even if it isn't a nice round number. Rear end ratio of 4.11:1 are common and simply called "Four elevens"
.

 

[thekeezler]

Hey barnabasantioch,

I am just wondering how you mounted the rear part of your tank? This weekend i'm gonna be chopping off the factory tank mount to lower it so it lines up better with my seat. Any tips is appreciated.

 

[barnabasantioch]

I'm assuming your tank has 2 vertical bolting mounts.. The L model (mine) actually has a single horizontal bolt mount underneath the tank, so I'm just using my stock mount.

 

[barnabasantioch]

So, the bike has been sitting unchanged for a while, but I've got a trip next weekend, so I figured it was time to step it in gear and finish the seat. I was planning on doing a removable cowl, and I may revisit that at some point, but really just had to get it road ready. For my seat pad, I used a dense foam from one of my wife's many yoga mats (with her permission, of course) as a base layer, and purchased a lawn and garden nu-foam cushion from Michaels arts and crafts. Used a 1/4 sheet of MDF to attach it to, and ultimately glue to my seat pan.

 

[barnabasantioch]

And for those wondering... Yes. That is a pink stuffed pig in the first picture.

I'm happy with the way it turned out. If I would have done anything differently, I probably would have overhung the padding on the front of the seat pad to sit flush with the tank, but it feels nice on the bum. Ready for our vintage bike camping trip next weekend!

 

[barnabasantioch]

Here she stands "basically finished." I had to abandon the removable cowl for the meantime to get it on the road, but may revisit the idea once I have time, so it will remain a "brat cafe" Couple of other very minor things, such as replacing my gauges with basically identical ones (got the wrong ratio for my tach, and pulled the wiring out of my speedo, which is impossible to disassemble to re-solder) I'll probably get some more glamour shots if I decide to sell it, but for now, this is what I have.

In retrospect, I would have done 12,429,022 things differently, and probably spent $500 less, but as my first build I am content. I went on a trip this weekend with a 72 CB450 and an 88 Honda Hawk, and for the first time ever I received more compliments that the restored CB450.

 

[thekeezler]

Good job, looks nice man. And I hear you, my bike is becoming a bit of a money pitt as well...

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

...my bike is becoming a bit of a money pitt as well...

Your better off not keepin track!

Bike does look good barnabasantioch