CB400n cafe build - Uni Student - Australia

JobCran92 said:
no idea why the font went mental in the last post... heres the bit im talking about. ill have to make a (or buy) seat that incorporates it. plus i might be able to put the batter under it?


ideas?
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I bought the Roc City roadster seat to deal with just that issue. http://www.roccitycafe.com/item.php?path=store/cbrs,

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If you want a flat seat I imagine you'd have to cut that out and weld in some reinforcement. The roadster seat isn't big enough for the stock battery and electrics, but I like them right where they are - low, easily accessible and dry.
 
Dude, I remember you thinking about this mudguard business at the beginning. Any thoughts yet? I finally got around to looking at the RTA restrictions - they seem pretty hard to work around. I know Teaser was saying look at the modern bikes, but I seriously don't get how they "get around it" what they do don't comply with all this.

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Anyways, anyways chance you go to SCU? I'm working on some projects there lol.
 
Just went through this myself... rear guard was easy for me being a scrambler, but the front guard is impossible to get like that without smacking the exhaust.


However, it says unless protection is afforded by the frame... that's the route I'm going to take when it comes to safety certificate time and I just hope like hell it works!
 
got the frame/swingarm/other stuff back from the powdercoaters - like new! and for $140 im pretty happy. just been stripping/sanding the rear peg mounts - come up good. trying to strip/sand the rocker cover - frustrating much! the alternator cover was better but it still had that really thick terrible black paint - lots of fun. also started on the forks - a bit of light pitting under the paint so ill probably paint (or powdercoat?) the fork legs black like the frame.


started chopping up the original seat pan - cut the foam to try and get some shapes going but i need to put it together to see the lines properly and the forks were 2 hours away.


i have thought a fair bit about the rear guard - i am thinking about having the seat extend a few inches above the rear of the hub and then attach the mudguard to a mount ill weld to join the rearmost parts of the frame together. then stick the numberplate mount just below the seat and it will slightly mask the rear guard hopefully. or maybe attach a fairly large numberplate mount off the end of the guard so it acts as the guard.... pics to better show what i mean.
 

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by SCU do you mean southern cross uni? I go to griffith uni on the Gold Coast - pretty sweet. waves are 5 mins away from uni... temptation is often too much.
 
Hi guys, I just came across your post and I'm really glad I'm not the only one doing this.
My project is a 1981 cb400n and soon after buying it through ebay I realised they are not a popular cafe racer starting point.
I'm puzzled why this is the case since they are fairly light, medium capacity aircooled parallel twin powered, chain driven bikes.
Everything a cafe racer should be.
I'm still at an early stage of this project. I'm waiting for a roc city interceptor seat and once I figure out how to mount it I'll be cutting off all unnecessary brackets and have the frame and couple of other bits powder coated. For me this is a long term project since I have another bike I ride regularly.
BTW I'm in Sydney.
 
Hi Dan74u - sounds like what happened to me when i got mine (also on ebay)!


For me its a few things that lets the old Superdream down in the "cafe" department. The engine is really wide, its also a stressed member (part of the frame structurally) and this goes against the traditional look for a Cafe racer - which are based on the Norton Featherbed Frame.


The frame is also a bit of a pain, as it too is rather wide. It is also a pain that where the rear part (where the seat sits) of the frame joins the front part there is a bit of a dip - which makes simply changing the seat over to a flat one a bit difficult - I'm trying to find a solution to that problem at the moment.


That said - who cares! its a cheap bike and as you said its a light twin - doesn't matter if it fits the traditional ideas. heaps of people seem to be getting into CX500's - a liquid cooled, transverse v-twin and shaft driven bike!! Awesome to hear you're cafeing a cb400n - you should get a build thread going! I'd be really keen to hear any idea's or thoughts you have on how to cafe it.


Everyone seems to be down in Sydney! - where is the Brisbane crowd?
 
I think you worry too much.

Just get it done the way you want it then take it to a licensed mechanic and play dumb. He might pick the guards and a few other things which you may have to fix. Now you either swap your guards over for the stock items OR add extensions to the existing. Once you have your roadworthy, change it back to way you like it. Believe me you would very unlucky get pulled over for having short mudguards and even if you did you say really I didn't know that officer I will fix that asap. If gives he you a canary just do the same as before.

Cheers
 
sure thing. I don't. I just want a good looking bike.


that's the plan. amazing the things one can get away with when you play dumb. I'm keeping the original bars to get it through - ill just change them afterwards. QLD regs are pretty stringent.
 
Anyone have any ideas where I could get some taper bearings for my headstock? preferably in Australia? I'm going to get those gum grips from Deus - expensive but I love em!
 
I know what you mean about mounting the seat. I initially tried to make up a seat from original seat base and a fuel tank I was going to buy but the seat base was quite corroded and when I cut it to make it narrower it started flexing too much so I decided to buy a fibreglass one which has a 2 inch lip on the side which should cover most of the ugly pressed steel frame in the back. The challenge is to mount it so I can remove it without tools.
I love the panel beating you've done on your tank, looks really good.
 
There's a seller on eBay called Pyramid Parts, see if he's got your bearings. Just bought my wheel bearings from him, haven't got them just yet (literally just bought them).

Reports I've heard tend to indicate they're ok and the price is good.
 
Hi guys, just going to jump on the thread here and post my cb400n cafe. It was my grandfather who past away 13 years ago and has been sitting ever since. with a fresh paint , clubman bars and a clean out just the seat need sorting and maybe new instruments cluster. So I am watching with interest to see how you guys come up with a plan to attack the rear.
Thanks for posting and keep it up. Its more valuable to us than you think


Deano
 

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hi Deano
looks good - got any plans for it? keeping the original seat pan?
My plan is to keep the original seat pan (or at least the bit that clips on so i can remove it without tools) then weld on a bracket to make the bit that clips in under the tank longer (as the new tank is shorter). I've cut it up, bent a section of the tail back and I plan to weld on sides that go down and meet with the frame. then bend the metal round at the back, and tack weld it on so ive got a little seat cowl. Then cover the metal with hard foam, then soft foam at the front where ill sit. ill get it professionally upholstered as most of the ones i've seen done unprofessionally look all baggy.


just spend a while working on it - put all the brackets/nuts/bolts in strong acid - came out looking good - quick polish and they'll look great.


steering bearing kit just arrived - cant wait to get the headstock together properly!
 
i do enjoy comin back to peek at this thread.... :)

both op content and others contribution.

and nice look for the bike you have there floyd...just one word..seat cover, oops thats two... ;D
 
Hey dude, I'm a fellow Gold Coaster and just bought a 79 CB400T off ebay last week to Cafe, looks like we have very similar ideas :) i'm still at the planning and looking at what parts to get stage, plus have to quieten it down and get a roadworthy first before it gets modified, I love it so far though, have a 08 Triumph 675 Daytona Triple and for some reason I think this old girl puts a bigger smile on my face than that ??? .
 

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pretty much what i did - apart from i hacked the seat pan apart first - then cut up the foam. ill do some work on it soon and get some pics (got a massive assignment due... very inconvenient for bike related stuff!)


awesome! i was thinking of getting mine through a roadworthy first but it was so much work i thought stuff it. yours looks pretty smart though! haha they've got character. got many plans for it? i've seen this one blue cafe racer around my uni (griffith at southport) - its sweet! it'd be cool to see some more around the Gold Coast. a fair few retro or alternative things are coming in - ive seen a fair few rat beetles and kombi's a half inch from the ground - lots of fixies - still waiting for the cafe racer resurgence!


for anyone interested there is a pretty sweet project on ebay in brisbane - i cant afford to do another project at the same time but i reckon it would be a fun one to do. (plus i love two strokes!)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330619095088?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_1413
 
Yeah so far thinking strip it, cafe tank, seat, clipons, powdercoat frame, little pod filters, battery relocate, rejet, recon everything I can, got a pipe coming which should be all I need for roadworthy as the muffler on it at the mo is stupid.

Yeah i was searching for ages for one months ago and everything was stupidly priced, my flatmate wants one now too so went on a mission last night down past Ballina and picked up a 81 400N, been sitting a long time and will need alot of work gunna attempt to fire it up tonight :)

Hey are your clipons 33mm?
 
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