'81 kz440: brat cafe build

Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

tron97 said:
Sweet cant wait to see it.

I used lowbrows baffles in mine, did the trick. Took the edge off
Click to expand...

oh nice! i searched all over to try and find a video of someone using them, but no luck. you happen to have any of your bike running with them?
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

so not a great pic, but just taken quickly of today's work. shock mounts are in! monoshock is bolted up! only thing left to do is box in the top mounts, but that'll take no time at all. hopefully gonna do that monday night, and possibly finish welding up the exhaust then too. everythings kind of a mess right now, with wiring everywhere and a bunch of spots on the frame ground bare, or needing to be ground down, so i'll be working on that too.

403244468.jpg
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

moved all the clutter outta the way so we could finish up the top mount. boxed in, finished. next project will be the frame loop on the back.

403277523.jpg
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

so i'm pickin up my buddy's welder again tomorrow. i'm gonna finish tacking the exhaust up, then i'm going to take it somewhere to get it finish TIG'd. i just don't trust the flux core MIG welds to hold, ha. anyone ever made their own exhaust and used a gas MIG setup on it? if so, how did it hold? i figured i'd try to get it TIG'd because it's a nicer finish, but as far as strength, how do the 2 compare? i do have a friend with a gas MIG welder, and that would be much more convenient, but would TIG be a better option in the long run?
either way, work will be getting done come saturday, so i'm excited. i'm also trying to find some old seat foam to cut down for my bike's new seat. i really don't want to go to the local bike yard for a seat because the guy is kind of a rip, i'm sure he'll charge me more than i'm looking to spend for even the most ratty old seat. i just want the foam, man!
oh, i also stripped the paint off the tank last weekend and i'm trying to figure what route i want to go. i'm thinking of just flash rusting it a very little bit, clear coating it, slappin some kawi emblems on the side and rocking it like so. we'll see. progress to come...
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

Sweet build! Kinda the same direction I'm headed. Can't wait to see the finished product.

I'm in.
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

I love the bike and also have a 440. Did you make any Carb changes for the pods and open exhaust? I am struggling with that now.
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

7aliveatlast7 said:
so i'm pickin up my buddy's welder again tomorrow. i'm gonna finish tacking the exhaust up, then i'm going to take it somewhere to get it finish TIG'd. i just don't trust the flux core MIG welds to hold, ha. anyone ever made their own exhaust and used a gas MIG setup on it? if so, how did it hold? i figured i'd try to get it TIG'd because it's a nicer finish, but as far as strength, how do the 2 compare? i do have a friend with a gas MIG welder, and that would be much more convenient, but would TIG be a better option in the long run?
either way, work will be getting done come saturday, so i'm excited. i'm also trying to find some old seat foam to cut down for my bike's new seat. i really don't want to go to the local bike yard for a seat because the guy is kind of a rip, i'm sure he'll charge me more than i'm looking to spend for even the most ratty old seat. i just want the foam, man!
oh, i also stripped the paint off the tank last weekend and i'm trying to figure what route i want to go. i'm thinking of just flash rusting it a very little bit, clear coating it, slappin some kawi emblems on the side and rocking it like so. we'll see. progress to come...
Click to expand...
great minds think alike...I had the same idea, this pic is what mine looks like. The flash rust is a bit hard to see in the photo though
photobucket-2545-1343401537585.jpg
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

smeyer said:
I love the bike and also have a 440. Did you make any Carb changes for the pods and open exhaust? I am struggling with that now.
Click to expand...

thanks! i didn't make any carb changes because i bought it with pods already installed, and the 2-1 exhaust that was on it was already hacked by the PO. i'm sure i'll need to tune it to the straight pipes once they're done, though i'm hoping it won't be a terrible struggle since it already had a pretty open exhaust when i bought it. are you running any baffles?

dmrhoades said:
great minds think alike...I had the same idea, this pic is what mine looks like. The flash rust is a bit hard to see in the photo though
photobucket-2545-1343401537585.jpg
Click to expand...

wow, that things a beauty! definitely a good argument for keeping the tank bare! and i like the use of the lad as a kickstand ;D
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

so today i went to the local "you pull it" yard in search of some good, firm seat foam for my seat. i ended up getting the entire bottom of a front seat in perfect shape for $4.24! got it home and got the turkey knife out and went to town. please pardon the awful cell phone pic, but this'll give an idea of what it will look like. the vinyl came off an old bench press set my parents had in their garage. dad pulled it from the trash years ago, and it's finally getting used for something, ha! just pulled some of the material loosely over the seat to get an idea...

403537108.jpg
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

little seat update. so i wanted a seat pan i could staple into once i was ready to stretch my cover around it, and i knew the best way to do that would be to make it out of abs plastic. i scratched my head trying to think of where to get such a big, flat piece as i needed, and finally it came to me...50 gallon drum. my in-laws happened to have an old one laying around, and they said it was all mine if i wanted it, so i got to cutting it up. it's nice and thick, and the only problem with it is it likes to curl back up a bit when not screwed down (since the piece i used was cut from the side of the drum), but that's no problem. mother is working on sewing up a boss seat cover for me, so i should have that by tuesday and have the seat finished and mounted soon after!

403581392.jpg
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

Right on, I used abs for my seat pan as well.. It works great. Super easy to upholster, flexes a bit, and doesnt absorb moisture.
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

I dug the baby blue color of the tank in the original post.

Other than a drum, if you can't get one, where do you get ABS like that for the seat?
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

http://www.amazon.com/H2O-Audio-Snow-Skate/dp/B0000AMA6N/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344277951&sr=8-3&keywords=snowskate

I used something like that...fit my frame hoop perfect with a wee little trimming.
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

jdub said:
I dug the baby blue color of the tank in the original post.

Other than a drum, if you can't get one, where do you get ABS like that for the seat?
Click to expand...

yeah, i was a fan of the blue as well, but i think i'm ready for a new direction. nothing's in stone yet though! as for the ABS, i have no idea! i guess the snow skate thing works too, never thought of that.
 
Re: '81 kz440: bobber --> cafe

finally have a decent seat. not my favorite thing ever, but it was home grown and practically free. came to less than $8 for everything involved in it.

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