Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450 DONE AND RUNNING!!!!!

[Garage_guy_chris]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Ok so its been awhile and ive been retarded busy with a new job, haven't had much time to work on the bike but have made some progress last weekend (long weekend) i got my new exhaust sorted which i was quite worried about the bends cost me $100 and i didn't wanna mess them up also if i couldn't pull off what i had in mind i donno what i would do as there aren't any commercially available exhausts for the bike. but anyways heres some photos, enjoy

First thing i did was replace the hoop thing in the rear frame,

a few weeks before i bought some 1 5/8" dia 16g exhaust mandrel U bends from the local performance shop with the intention to make a exhaust, my concern was i needed two pipes perfectly mirrored which i knew was no easy task only working with u bends once before making the exhaust for my rice powered corolla.

first thing first, i needed exhaust collars for the engine, i didn't intend to use the factory pipes or butcher them for the collars so with the aid of my little newly aquired 9x20 lathe i made 2 new collars out of some DOM steel tubing, took a while to machine but came out perfect and flawless.

then like an idiot i got into my building groove and forgot to take pics but heres the pipes while im mirroring the end section

heres the close to finished product with the shorty mufflers i got a stone age ago,

Now im over the hump last bit of fab is the seat pan then its time to break it down for paint and finishing

 

[valvesprung]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Really lovin the fab work mate

 

[CresentSon]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

<<<<Impressed!

 

[Garage_guy_chris]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

OK Now Ive gone and built a gauge mount and im not sure what to think of it, im on the fence, to me its kinda breaking up the lines of the bike, kinda over complicating it what do you guys think? Be honest! I donno if i should scrap it or not. Im on the fence?!?!?!

Heres without the Fairing thing

 

[valvesprung]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450 (OPINIONS NEEDED PG 3)

I dig!!

 

[thompsonmx100]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450 (OPINIONS NEEDED PG 3)

First I want to say great fab work. You do nice work. I dont like the flyscreen. With that said paint might help sway me. Otherwise its hard to tell how it will actually work with the rest of the bike. Keep it up.

 

[CresentSon]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450 (OPINIONS NEEDED PG 3)

I think the top should be thinner and more rounded. as it is it just looks like a plate laid there. Some contour along that edge would help it flow. Grab a poster board and play with some shapes. You'll find something you like.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450 (OPINIONS NEEDED PG 3)

DUDE! Awesome fab work, serious... I hope you are a welder by trade, if not you missed your calling.
As far as the ultra mini fairing goes, mehhhh, I dunno. Hard to tell without being inside your head for the finished look. Go head and finish it up but keep it removable, in case you change your mind.

 

[rockcitycafe]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450 (OPINIONS NEEDED PG 3)

don't dig it... i think the angle is screwing it up, should be getting narrower as it goes up, otherwise, looks kinda like a crown for the headlight... maybe you could fab a little mini fairing that would mount at the headlight ears and taper as it went up

 

[Garage_guy_chris]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450 More Progress

Between everything going on not a whole ton has gotten done, I have finalized all the sheet metal she has been re-wired with CBR600f4i switches and a harness derived from the same bike.

So here she is, all mocked up ready for complete tear down....

Bike, meet sandblaster, also meet epoxy sealer/primer.

More pics to follow soon as bike no longer exists as a entity of a whole, it is in probably 200 parts. some stuff has been painted and put away for a little later. My goal is to have her finished for the vintage festival thing at Mosport. but I donno. It was supposed to be finished months ago....

 

[mdfergus]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Its coming along nicely, did you say you used the whole f4i wiring harness? Or just the section for the controls?

 

[Garage_guy_chris]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Oh i used the whole harness infact were now fuel injected, lol. No really I de-loomed the whole harness then removed anything related to computers or ECU's then traced everything else and trimmed a little more relays and interlocks, What i did maintain was all the power feeds the F4i uses, I kept the logic setup minus the kickstand switch for the starter interlock, im using F4i master cylinder and clutch lever too so they tie right in. Basically any wire that has to do with the switches was reused and remade. When i get around to it, i do indeed plan to draw out a diagram and I would be happy to share

 

[JRK5892]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

wow this sucker is intense! awesome work bud

 

[Staffy]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Great work matey. An idea with that bikini fairing: it may work better if you cut it at the lower point of the gauges then dropped the whole gauge assembly a bit. Just an idea.

 

[midnightcafe]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

nice work! which shop did you buy those mandrel exhaust bends??

 

[Big-D]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Man the bike looks great.

 

[Muggs]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

nice work! which shop did you buy those mandrel exhaust bends??

I can't speak for Garage Guy Chris, but Columbia River has an amazing assortment (mandrel-bends.com).
Do a search for Super Builder Kits.

Muggs

 

[Garage_guy_chris]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Ok im 99% they came from hooker headers http://www.holley.com/types/Tubing.asp, I got them at a automotive performance shop, (karbelt) for any Torontonians they are aimed at guys building there own headers for cars, reason is there fairly small diameter, not typical for an exhaust, but they carry larger dia meant for exhausts, I have also built a header back exhaust for my corolla for about $125

 

[Garage_guy_chris]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

Ok its been way way way too long you guys probably thought i feel off the planet. Im still here, had a rough winter and kinda lost the drive to work on the bike for a while, that and waiting waiting and more waiting for parts the ripple effect can't do that without this..... I will appologise the pics got a little sparce through some of all this.

Nudie Frame day finally came after the second worst thing i had to do sand blast the frame......

Soon after got it in 2part epoxy primer then a nice acrylic urethane top coat.

same for all the bits

next in prep for parts wheel time, just my way of not screwing up

Finally got into the tank and rear section, and alot of small stuff. at this point its getting cold and miserable up here in late october, Toronto so im slowly taking over the basement, so cars can be stored for the winter, can't park on the street... Sorry for the lack of photo's the painting was very time critical and messy.

DTT meet Ghetto paint booth, dont try and read it, you may get insulted, retarded friends, damn sharpies.....

Now im sick of deconstructing shit and wanna start seeing something resembling light at the end of the tunnel, so i tried out refurbing the forks, also tried out polishing too, messy messy messy

 

[bikeboy]

Re: Garage Guy Chris's First Cafe 71' CB 450

It has been a while, but you're doin' some great work


keep it up, there's light at the end of the tunnel once you start puttin' stuff back together.


cheers
ian