mindactivated said:
So here's an all encompassing question: to get into this type of modifying and rebuilding, what are the essential requirements and resources for rebuilding a cafe racer or similar styled bike?
Step 1: Don't let anybody tell you what it should look like or what you shouldn't change in the interest of "preserving" the bike. You're building a Japanese cafe bike 50 years too late. I think we've already established that historic merit is out the window.
Any tips? Any specific tools or gear, methods of starting a build, ... hell, where to even start, where's the middle, where's the finish (probably isn't one)? Cheers for now! Seems like a great community.
Don't be in a rush. There's a million ways this philosophy can be applied to motorcycles, but for simplicity, lets just say don't start work today if it means you won't be able to ride tomorrow.
+1 on maintenance. Your bike is old, things are slowly breaking. Start by running through your manual and checking things like the ignition system, timing, carbs, air filter elements, shaft oil, suspension/forks.
And speaking now from personal experience, be safe. Don't assume the previous owner has put the same level of maintenance into the bike
All you should really need to get started is a decent socket set, spark plug sockets, a torque wrench, rubber mallet, get yourself lots of rags (Canadian tire sells bricks of like 20 for $10), a drain pan for oil, jerry cans. WD-40, brake cleaner, electronic contact cleaner and maybe some black silicone or gasket maker will round out the fluids you'll need.
I found one of the easiest ways to get started was by replacing and modernizing the parts that were worn. e.g. old wires giving you weak signal lights? Replace them with flushmount LEDs and learn something about wiring and electronics when you need to swap out the signal relay.
If you run into trouble, ASK. Don't be shy, and don't be embarrassed to ask anything. You've got a grossly talented bunch of people here more than willing to give you advice so you may not make the mistakes they have in the past.
Now the most important thing: You've just bought your first motorcycle. It has two wheels and goes fast. Fucking ride it! It's good you're not planning your work till winter. Get on that thing and get to know it. Find out what you like about it and what you want to change. Make it your own.
Come on out on thursday and check out some of the bikes up close. You can learn a ton just by checking how somebody mated their original hinges to a new seat pan or redid their lights. At the very least you can meet some friendly folks and get some ideas about what to do with your own bike.
Oh, and find yourself a bike buddy: Your first time cracking open your carbs or torquing down your cam covers can be scary if you have no experience and have never seen or done it before. It's always nice to have somebody that's done it once of twice standing around with a beer if only to reassure you every couple of minutes that you're not doing anything wrong.
