The "Bum" GB400tt build.
- Thread starter mokie
- Start date
mokie
Acting foolishly since '88
Re: The "Bum" GB400tt Cafe.
Right, done quite a bit but the camera has been elsewhere. Got the engine all sandblasted, ready for paint and cleaned up the wheels and forks. Still got the back brake to polish up but that shouldn't be too hard, its in pretty good nick. What I have got to show off though is a fuel cap I had stashed away from ages ago, before I even got the bike. It's off a Bristol Freighter, a big old post war freighter aircraft commonly described as 10,000 spare parts flying in formation. Tank will need a little bit of modification but it will look the bee's knees, no one will know what the hell this bike is once I'm done!
Gotta cut out the old cap and put a flat bit of steel over there for the flange of the new one to mount to.
Right, done quite a bit but the camera has been elsewhere. Got the engine all sandblasted, ready for paint and cleaned up the wheels and forks. Still got the back brake to polish up but that shouldn't be too hard, its in pretty good nick. What I have got to show off though is a fuel cap I had stashed away from ages ago, before I even got the bike. It's off a Bristol Freighter, a big old post war freighter aircraft commonly described as 10,000 spare parts flying in formation. Tank will need a little bit of modification but it will look the bee's knees, no one will know what the hell this bike is once I'm done!
Gotta cut out the old cap and put a flat bit of steel over there for the flange of the new one to mount to.
stroker crazy
crazy as a fox
Re: The "Bum" GB400tt Cafe.
The Bristol Freighter fuel cap is worth building a bike around! Probably the only attractive component from a very ugly aeroplane. I heard a similar expression about the Freighter: "40 thousand rivets flying in close formation".
Crazy
The Bristol Freighter fuel cap is worth building a bike around! Probably the only attractive component from a very ugly aeroplane. I heard a similar expression about the Freighter: "40 thousand rivets flying in close formation".
Crazy
sxecafe
You think the Carpet Pissers did this?
Re: The "Bum" GB400tt Cafe.
be careful when you fill the hole that you create when swapping the caps. I had mine done with a heliarc and the tank sucked in from the heat. Granted, the shop really fucked it up and tried to move way too fast, but just something to caution yourself on... These tanks are very thin.
The cap is really cool looking. Are you going rehab it or leave it "bummin'" like that?
be careful when you fill the hole that you create when swapping the caps. I had mine done with a heliarc and the tank sucked in from the heat. Granted, the shop really fucked it up and tried to move way too fast, but just something to caution yourself on... These tanks are very thin.
The cap is really cool looking. Are you going rehab it or leave it "bummin'" like that?
Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
Re: The "Bum" GB400tt Cafe.
She's a BEAUTY!
She's a BEAUTY!
mokie
Acting foolishly since '88
Re: The "Bum" GB400tt Cafe.
Definitely going to rehab the cap. I have a guy lined up to weld the tank who I dealt with a lot at my last job. He's a really nice old bloke who has been welding for twice my lifetimes and he builds and races bikes, boats and rally cars, he will sort it.
Definitely going to rehab the cap. I have a guy lined up to weld the tank who I dealt with a lot at my last job. He's a really nice old bloke who has been welding for twice my lifetimes and he builds and races bikes, boats and rally cars, he will sort it.
mokie
Acting foolishly since '88
Re: The "Bum" GB400tt Cafe.
After the madness that was Christamas I'm finally back to working on the scoot. Got the engine masked up and painted it with some High temp 3M spray bombs according to the spray can bling tutorial. I am pleased with how it has come out. Still some details to take care of like some red trimmy-bits and stuff but this is how it is now.
Painted with the masking still on there.
Most of the masking off and re-assembled
After the madness that was Christamas I'm finally back to working on the scoot. Got the engine masked up and painted it with some High temp 3M spray bombs according to the spray can bling tutorial. I am pleased with how it has come out. Still some details to take care of like some red trimmy-bits and stuff but this is how it is now.
Painted with the masking still on there.
Most of the masking off and re-assembled
mokie
Acting foolishly since '88
Right well I have hit a bit of a roadblock. I stripped the paint off the tank and found the dents I expected to find, but when I took it to my welding guy to get the old cap cut out and the new one mounted up he didn't want to touch it with a 10' pole. Said the tank was too thin, the cap was too wide and just in general thought it would be a bad idea. My painter reckons he can get a guy to machine up an adapter of sorts that just fits in the sunken in part around where the cap sits and matches up to the bristol cap and weld that on there but that is gonna cost an arm and a leg in machining time so not really an option for me. I was thinking I could glass it on or something but I'm not sure. Any suggestions guys?
stroker crazy
crazy as a fox
Don't weld the cap, it will prevent it from being used in possible future incarnations.
Drill the tank to rivet the cap on using a fuel resistant gasket and you will preserve the cap. It reflects its original use, keeps your welder onside, and it's cheap!
Crazy
Drill the tank to rivet the cap on using a fuel resistant gasket and you will preserve the cap. It reflects its original use, keeps your welder onside, and it's cheap!
Crazy
Hoosier Daddy
Earache my eye...
x2
mokie
Acting foolishly since '88
Yeah sorry guys, everything turned to shit and I didn't come close to finishing her before I left on my 6 month working holiday. The painters that I had the frame, tank and seat and front guard in at FORGOT about it and were then too busy to paint it before I left so I couldn't do shit. I also ended up working full time at a local bar run by a friend of mine until a week before I left and so I had very little time to work on the bike, move out and organise my trip. Still, I did get quite a lot of stuff done since the last post but I haven't been able to post anything as I was staying with my folks and had no internet access. I am now in Canada working in Toronto for another month until I head off to BC.
What I have done since the last post:
* Made the seat
* De-tagged the frame
* Bought a new battery and made up a mount for it
* Abandoned the fuel cap idea. I'm still depressed about it.
* Prepped everything for paint.
* Polished about 20% of what needs to be polished.
* Lots of little jobs - and lots of finding out what I can and cant do within the ridiculous New Zealand regulations regarding bike modification.
Basically where I am at now, minus all of the tiny (and massive) details that I will find out about as I go along. I will be full time on the bike as soon as I get back into the country in November:
* Everything is ready for paint, needs to be painted.
* New battery mount to be finished.
* Wiring to be modified to fit new routing.
* Get a new exhaust made. I have talked to 3 different guys here in NZ (one a professional bike builder) that have modified the exhausts and intakes on their GBs and none of them have had any mixture issues with the standard jets - so that is a relief. Something to do with the carb being made for the 500.
* In NZ bikes must have working indicators and brake lights and lots of other shit - I have to source some really low profile lights and figure out a way to mount the license plate. This probably means LEDs which means a new flasher thingy as well.
* Make double sure everything I have done to the bike is legal and I don't need any silly certifications done.
* Put it together.
* Change the oil.
* Hopefullyitstarts.jpeg
What I have done since the last post:
* Made the seat
* De-tagged the frame
* Bought a new battery and made up a mount for it
* Abandoned the fuel cap idea. I'm still depressed about it.
* Prepped everything for paint.
* Polished about 20% of what needs to be polished.
* Lots of little jobs - and lots of finding out what I can and cant do within the ridiculous New Zealand regulations regarding bike modification.
Basically where I am at now, minus all of the tiny (and massive) details that I will find out about as I go along. I will be full time on the bike as soon as I get back into the country in November:
* Everything is ready for paint, needs to be painted.
* New battery mount to be finished.
* Wiring to be modified to fit new routing.
* Get a new exhaust made. I have talked to 3 different guys here in NZ (one a professional bike builder) that have modified the exhausts and intakes on their GBs and none of them have had any mixture issues with the standard jets - so that is a relief. Something to do with the carb being made for the 500.
* In NZ bikes must have working indicators and brake lights and lots of other shit - I have to source some really low profile lights and figure out a way to mount the license plate. This probably means LEDs which means a new flasher thingy as well.
* Make double sure everything I have done to the bike is legal and I don't need any silly certifications done.
* Put it together.
* Change the oil.
* Hopefullyitstarts.jpeg
Chief_jake
New Member
Soooooo..... did this ever get finished, I'm customising mine up in AUCKLAND.
