'83 CM400 - Cafe Build

[sarabando]

Hi All

Bought this '83Honda CM400!


030920121226 por sarabando, no Flickr

And I am gonna try to get it to look a bit like this:


cm7 por sarabando, no Flickr

I don't have much tools, money or even a garage, just a parking space. Total rebuild is out of the question.
taking in account that this bike is one of the ugliest I have owned it won't be hard to get it to look nicer.

 

[sarabando]

'83 CM400 - Cafe Build

First thing: Take care of the front end.

made myself some clipons with the material I had


100920121235 por sarabando, no Flickr


110920121240 por sarabando, no Flickr

got it looking like this:


HPIM7302 por sarabando, no Flickr

took of old speedo and tach,

installed new speedo


HPIM7275 por sarabando, no Flickr

cut the headlight supports and inverted them.

this was the result:


210920121260 por sarabando, no Flickr

 

[sarabando]

New seat mock up


260920121281 por sarabando, no Flickr

starting to look more like a cafe racer...

 

[rattpunk]

Damn, that was a quick transformation! It's nice to see what a bike like mine can look like in the right hands 8)


Eagerly awaiting the rest of this.

 

[onetruepunk87]

Eagerly awaiting the rest of this.

I'm with rattpunk, can't wait to see the end results of this one.

 

[Sonreir]

I hope your welding skills are pretty darn good. Losing one or both of your handlbars at the ton isn't something I'd like to experience!

 

[crazypj]

Yep, they look really scary
You don't have enough weld area in my opinion?
Have you tried to break/bend them?
Using even low tensile nuts will give a very brittle weld (or area next to weld)

 

[sarabando]

The welding is fine, shit design though already ordered new clipons. will probably arrive this week.

Working on seat supporting. kind of tricky.

 

[crazypj]

Thanks, we don't want you to get hurt

 

[sarabando]

This is going kind of slow. baut have to take in consideration that if I need to make something for my bike I have to measure at home and then build/weld during my lunch break at home.

Been working on the seat. Trying to get it in position.



031020121305 por sarabando, no Flickr


041020121316 por sarabando, no Flickr


041020121315 por sarabando, no Flickr


041020121312 por sarabando, no Flickr


Don't mind the dirt hehehehe

 

[sarabando]

Thanks, we don't want you to get hurt

Fear no more


051020121326 por sarabando, no Flickr

 

[sarabando]

New speedo en choque mount.
New clipons.

 

[sarabando]

Today it looks like this:

 

[fresh_c]

That's looking pretty good. Time to lose that rear fender!

Also, I would suggest replacing the hardware that come with those clip ons with something a little stronger. I broke a screw and decided it would be wise to replace everything.

 

[sarabando]

Still waiting on a tail light to scrap all of the back side.

Also, I would suggest replacing the hardware that come with those clip ons with something a little stronger. I broke a screw and decided it would be wise to replace everything.

What do you mean? replacing all the bolts?

 

[fresh_c]

Still waiting on a tail light to scrap all of the back side.

What do you mean? replacing all the bolts?

Yes. Chinese fasteners are notorious for being weak.

 

[sarabando]

Progress in photoshop.

It will be like this. I think black is the color.

 

[sarabando]

Phase 1 complete.

Phase 2 will be painting and some other small details.

For the next few months will not be working on the bike, only riding it .

 

[sarabando]

some more pics

 

[sarabando]

Before and after