cm450e cafe bobber

[Prometheus Birdsong]

Howdy,
New to the site and new to motorcycles, this will be my first build. Picked the bike up about a week ago and have done about as much as i can for now until i find space and time to paint it, somebody with lots of woodworking tools, and possibly somebody who is into welding.

Here's how it looked when i picked it up (minus the sofa-sized seat already)

Here is where it is now (turn signals have been chopped and shortened so that they sit flush with the headlight mounts, just need to get the wiring done on them)

The plan as of now is to repaint it a deep royal blue to compliment all the chrome, fashion the seat out of either some nice ash or pine, replace foot pegs with some nice polished elk antler tips (sounds stupid, might be stupid, looks cool in my mind though), mount a brake light and turn signals, and to try and clean up the gauges and whatnot.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Please install some non-stupid looking handlebars.

 

[Not_a_sunbeam]

Welcome to motorcycles. I think you will have serious turning and tank bonk issues with those bars, not to mention severe rider discomfort.

 

[Prometheus Birdsong]

Well at first the bars were flipped just for fun, but i decided that they actually looked alright and distinguished the bike somewhat from every other cafe style bike. I still may change them out, but its not a priority. They slightly interfere with turning, although only at low speeds -the only time when you actually have to turn the handlebars- but nothing substantial, and are actually pretty comfortable to ride with (they are low enough and far enough back that you can rest on them). But, we shall see. What i liked about cafes when i came across them was the uniqueness of the bikes, yet the more i delved into it the more i found that everybody had the same "unique" bike, i.e. clip on's, bar end mirrors, pod filters, etc... and so i intend to preserve a certain amount of uniqueness, and not to create the same thing that has been made over and over before.

 

[xb33bsa]

those bars do look cool like that,and probably puts you in a real comfortable position as well,carry on

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

i decided that they actually looked alright and distinguished the bike somewhat from every other cafe style bike.

Seriously?

 

[xb33bsa]

he has got to be joking NOBODY is that fuking sTupid ;D you would crash hard riding with bars like that
or maybe he doesn't even know how to ride

 

[VonYinzer]

No need to be a complete dick. A schmuck, maybe. Asshole, perhaps.

What these guys are trying to say is that running those bars is a VERY bad idea. Its dangerous, its not comfortable (trust us on this one), and it looks odd, though that's you're prerogative. As far as everyone's bikes looking alike... You'll have that. Fact is, if you want to build a "cafe" or a "bobber" you kind of have to play by certain rules or you're not really building either style of bike. Know what I'm saying?

Anyway, change the bars before you kill yourself and welcome to DTT.

 

[Prometheus Birdsong]

Well i appreciate all of the deep, heartfelt concern. To hopefully set your worried souls at ease, I can assure you that I have ridden it and (believe it or not) is just fine as far as comfort goes. As far as the safety: first, again, i have ridden it, and did not feel the least bit uncomfortable. Second: consider ape hangers... Riding with your hands over your shoulders is dangerous if anything is, yet people seem to do just fine with them...

I'm going to go ahead with this project, if you don't like it, you can let me know, and i will most likely weep, and scorn myself for such "sTupid" conduct, and i will most definitely change my build in order to satisfy those who are not pleased. For validation is what is dearest to us all, is it not? Well, I'm certainly not posting this project for validation, simply for the fact that i appreciated the build threads of other bikes, and figure that ideas are ideas, and the more access we have to ideas the more we are capable of forming our own ideas. Put simply: I'm using the internet as it was designed to be used.

I do understand the idea though that a given concept has certain attributes which are necessary to it, and the label "cafe bobber" was intended to connote "something approximately a cafe racer/bobber", rather than one or the other. Again, not too worried about fitting any group with the bike, simply with utilizing some creativity. Besides, I'm sure the first cafe bike was deemed ridiculous by many, as well as pretty much anything else that seriously diverged from the norm for that matter.

Anyways, any ideas as to how to go about lowering the headlight without a: inverting the fork cover, or b: having to cut and weld the fork covers?

 

[Prometheus Birdsong]

Also, just for some fun: Aplhadog, what is your conception of truth? regarding, "science is true whether you believe in it or not". More directly, what dictates truth and what does it entail? If you have the truth, please share; all of humanity would be humbled.

 

[brad black]

Put simply: I'm using the internet as it was designed to be used.

good luck with that.

change the description to special, special covers anything you want it to without the need to conform to anything. well, other than the opinions of everyone who posts in this thread, of course.

can we replace the fork cover? otherwise invert or cut.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

change the description to special

As in licking windows on the short bus?

 

[Not_a_sunbeam]

OP,Heretofore I shall refer to you as "Bob", for you are certainly no Prometheus.
Bob,I strongly suggest that you get some real seat time with your choice of upside down cruiser bars, away from innocent people, since you refuse to listen to experience.
No need to submit here, but at least be honest with yourself. There is a reason why the limits of cafe configurations fall where they do, and it's not really a fashion choice. I haven't seen bars anything like flipped cruiser bars other than on straight line land speed rigs. Stay safe.

 

[brad black]

As in licking windows on the short bus?

ambiguous enough to cover all bases without being directly offensive, whether intended or un.

i'd kind of be interested to know how it steers like that. couldn't be any worse than some of the crap I've had to ride over the years.

 

[oldskool]

we are just concerned of your safety. Don't let your pride write a check your ass can't cash.