Toyotacrawler
She's got the jimmy legs
This is friggin sweet! Nice bike you've built! I love it!
Fisher Price: My first Cafe Racer; CB175
- Thread starter rentedshoes
- Start date
rentedshoes
Been Around the Block
Yep, those are the tires. I heard the same thing about their grip. It stands to reason that a race tire might be a little more prone to punctures. I guess I'll have to wait and see. More than anything, I love how they look on there.teazer said:
rentedshoes
Been Around the Block
Thanks for the praise. It's been a long road. Still a little ways to go.Toyotacrawler said:
rentedshoes
Been Around the Block
Thanks, She has been a fun project.Maritime said:
rentedshoes
Been Around the Block
Re: Fisher Price: My first Cafe Racer; CB175 Nearing completion.
Had a snow day today piled on top of a Friday off. Got lots done. I can officially call the wiring done.
I did a little work on the voltmeter. I'm gonna try this one again as I goofed it up a little. I may try working with ABS. Yes, I know it is all crooked.
Finalized the plate mount. Yes, it's a little crooked too. It'll just need a firm yank to straighten it out.
I harvested the emblems off the stock tank. I feel that they should stay with the bike. I have the "175" emblems from the side covers that might find their way to the belly tank. TBD.
Got some final touches in mind. Does anybody have a good source for steel mesh? I need to make a few odds and ends.
Had a snow day today piled on top of a Friday off. Got lots done. I can officially call the wiring done.
I did a little work on the voltmeter. I'm gonna try this one again as I goofed it up a little. I may try working with ABS. Yes, I know it is all crooked.
Finalized the plate mount. Yes, it's a little crooked too. It'll just need a firm yank to straighten it out.
I harvested the emblems off the stock tank. I feel that they should stay with the bike. I have the "175" emblems from the side covers that might find their way to the belly tank. TBD.
Got some final touches in mind. Does anybody have a good source for steel mesh? I need to make a few odds and ends.
rentedshoes
Been Around the Block
Made a little progress.
Stole the bar plugs from my BMX bike and polished them. I totally forgot what they said. I truly, truly hate that company. But I put 'em on anyway. They are nice bar plugs.
This is one of those projects I have been wanting to do for like four years. Installed stainless steel mesh in the front brake vents.
More mesh to close off the open frame tube.
And, terrible picture of more mesh to block off the front of that tube. I'm probably going to rework this in the near future.
Then finalized the bracket for the voltmeter. I made it out of some ABS plastic. That stuff is a dream to work with.
I also changed the oil in the forks again. I think the only thing left before I go for inspection is to seal up the leaks between the headers and mufflers. I have some exhaust paste but these gaps are a bit more than I bargained for.
Stole the bar plugs from my BMX bike and polished them. I totally forgot what they said. I truly, truly hate that company. But I put 'em on anyway. They are nice bar plugs.
This is one of those projects I have been wanting to do for like four years. Installed stainless steel mesh in the front brake vents.
More mesh to close off the open frame tube.
And, terrible picture of more mesh to block off the front of that tube. I'm probably going to rework this in the near future.
Then finalized the bracket for the voltmeter. I made it out of some ABS plastic. That stuff is a dream to work with.
I also changed the oil in the forks again. I think the only thing left before I go for inspection is to seal up the leaks between the headers and mufflers. I have some exhaust paste but these gaps are a bit more than I bargained for.
rentedshoes
Been Around the Block
CB 175 Done-ish!
Ok guys. Update time. Several things happened since my last post, including getting stranded by the little CB. Turns out I forgot a crucial bolt on the points side of the cam. The spark advancer walked off and the bike wouldn’t fire. Pushed it 2 miles home. I replaced the pin and added a new bolt. Also redid the static timing. Fingers crossed.
I tried sealing up the exhaust gaps with exhaust sealer. I had partial success. I would like to find a better solution. Perhaps exhaust past and a layer or two of fiberglass wrap. Also, since the mufflers are as free-flowing as could possible be, I decided to add some baffles. That is, I welded some washers on either end of the silencers. It’s loads quieter, and seems to run ok.
I have noticed that when it reaches higher revs, it begins to choke a little under throttle. I am thinking about either raising the needles or drilling the baffle one size larger. At this point the bike does a much better job of turning gas into noise than it does turning it into power. I’m not sure if I have forgotten just what the little CB is capable of (spoiled by modern bikes with 3x the displacement) or if it is actually down on power and needs tuning.
I’ve been on DTT long enough to know that when you ask a carb question, somebody is going to ask about a plug test. So, I installed a kill switch.
I know that the handlebar is the best place for such a switch, but I didn’t wanna put it there. So, it ended up above the key. I realize this makes it useless for a plug test. Gonna think on this one.
After fussing around in the garage all afternoon, I was able to take the bike out for a bit.
Got it up to approximately 45mph. I still need to find the magic number for the speedo. Kinda nerve racking on something you bolted together…over beers.
Ok guys. Update time. Several things happened since my last post, including getting stranded by the little CB. Turns out I forgot a crucial bolt on the points side of the cam. The spark advancer walked off and the bike wouldn’t fire. Pushed it 2 miles home. I replaced the pin and added a new bolt. Also redid the static timing. Fingers crossed.
I tried sealing up the exhaust gaps with exhaust sealer. I had partial success. I would like to find a better solution. Perhaps exhaust past and a layer or two of fiberglass wrap. Also, since the mufflers are as free-flowing as could possible be, I decided to add some baffles. That is, I welded some washers on either end of the silencers. It’s loads quieter, and seems to run ok.
I have noticed that when it reaches higher revs, it begins to choke a little under throttle. I am thinking about either raising the needles or drilling the baffle one size larger. At this point the bike does a much better job of turning gas into noise than it does turning it into power. I’m not sure if I have forgotten just what the little CB is capable of (spoiled by modern bikes with 3x the displacement) or if it is actually down on power and needs tuning.
I’ve been on DTT long enough to know that when you ask a carb question, somebody is going to ask about a plug test. So, I installed a kill switch.
I know that the handlebar is the best place for such a switch, but I didn’t wanna put it there. So, it ended up above the key. I realize this makes it useless for a plug test. Gonna think on this one.
After fussing around in the garage all afternoon, I was able to take the bike out for a bit.
Got it up to approximately 45mph. I still need to find the magic number for the speedo. Kinda nerve racking on something you bolted together…over beers.
rentedshoes
Been Around the Block
Just a reminder as to where we started.
jag767
Over 1,000 Posts
Really nice 175. I was cruising around at 65-70 on mine last week before I had to break down the motor for a little work, and I know exactly what you mean. The first hundred or so miles all I could think was "if I fucked up 1 important nut or bolt I'm dead", and would immediately back off the throttle lol. You think it's balls to ride a bike you built? I said exactly this to a buddy of mine and his response was " Try building your own plane! The last one I did had 30,000 rivets. Try that for thinking of what could go wrong while in mid air!" Didn't make me feel any better, just made me realize I'd never fly in a plane I built!
