Adamantinepiggy
New Member
Although I have never posted before, I want to thank everyone here as I have read/browsed hundreds of posts to be able to get my moctorcycle to where it is today. I don't have any pre or in-process pictures because I lost my #$#@ SD card of my camera, but here's are some as it stands today. I have 3 kids and a full-time+ job, so it has been slow going, but it's finally ridable/presentable!
It started out as a nasty beat up 1975 Honda CL360. The last thing I'll do is get a different tank and a final professional paint job, but for now it's stock tank and rattle-can paint, Until this winter when I can't ride anymore for the season (yeah I'm a puss when it starts to get cold). Oh yeah, I'm not a good picture taker either!
I was originally going to put on rear sets, but since I'm short, I found that the original peg placement was not cramping me up. My thighs are slightly below parallel to my butt when I ride it. A tall friend of mine rode the bike and his knees are in his chest
. Saves me money anyway since it seems the rear sets would be the most expensive thing to get looking and working right anyway.
Let me tell you that I'm getting older and not as hard core about the pure-racer aspects of things. Thusly I like the looks of the CAFE style, but it's not a real racer by any means. For example, I used the entire restrictive exaust, simply because I REALLy think the chrome scrambler exhaust is beautiful with it's curvy chrome heat shields (and I hate excessively loud bikes). I also have a electric start, because kicking things to start is for the birds!
Yes, the original toolbox is mounted with the original tools inside. Why? Because the 3 lb's of weight I'd save without it isn't worth it as this is a daily rider and when I need some emergency tools, I have some. Te original tool kit is actually pretty complete, compact, and nice quality. Plus I have somewhere to stow my registration papers! The battery is a 20 amp wheechair battery. It sticks down, but not near as far as the standard 20amp battery. All the electrical stuff is up under the hump of the rear mounted on a shelf attached to the frame.
As for turning, and brake lights., I used minurature SMD accent LED lights from http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fmini_tubes.htm%23alms. THey don't seem very bright in the pics, but they are. Unlike lights inside red housing, they don't really "glow" but if your looking at them, those LED's are like friggin lazers pointed in your eyes, especially at night. Don't know how legal it is since there is no DOT rating, but no cops have bothered me about them
I just stacked them side by side on the rear of the fairing hump and mounted two on the handlebars. I also have 2 K&N LED handlebar ends that blink for a turn sidnal too. THe little rubber washers on the ends of the levers are because I have small hands so I can reach the brakes/clutch easier
Normal:
Turning:
Brake:
Front Turn:
For speedometer, I use a Sigma 509 bicycle speedo I got for $24 at REI. It's rated to 199mph (or something like that). After inputting the actual wheel circumference rollout, it it accurate as heck according to my GPS, far more accurate than the original speedo. It also has nice features like a clock, settable odometer, distance, etc that makes riding life a little nicer. Also in the picture below you will notice a single LED light mounted below right of the tach. This is an electronic charge system monitor. It glows green when the alternator is outputting the proper voltage levels. It changes to yellow or red if the charging system is outputting low. It is also smart wnough to only be bright on startup and then lowers its brightness to a easily seen, but not blinding glow during normal operation. It's just a nice doohicky to know my battery is getting charged properly. Costed like $12.
Speedo:
The sensor is mounted on the drum holder thing and I clear-epoxied a REALLY strong rare-earth magnet on the wheel.
Senser mount:
Finally, because I lost my highbeam indicator when I took off the the orgnal speedo, so I mounted a single bright blue LED (on the same page as I listed prior at superbrightleds) in the mirror mounting hole of the right brake lever. The original hole is cracked so I couldn't nmount a mirror here, but the LED hides the crack nicely and looks like it was meant to be there. The other reason I put it there is that this particular LED is too frigin bright to be mounted anywhere around the tach. It was blinding. By being on the brake lever and pointed away, I can still easily see it's on, but it now points at others. The camera does NOT show how friggin bright any of these LEDS appear to the eyes when your closer than 20 feet to them
high beam LED:
Finally, I moved the horn from the front of the engie to the center below the headlights. Looks better there and makes more sense to project sound in front of me versus to the side.
Horn:
Hope it looks OK!
It started out as a nasty beat up 1975 Honda CL360. The last thing I'll do is get a different tank and a final professional paint job, but for now it's stock tank and rattle-can paint, Until this winter when I can't ride anymore for the season (yeah I'm a puss when it starts to get cold). Oh yeah, I'm not a good picture taker either!
I was originally going to put on rear sets, but since I'm short, I found that the original peg placement was not cramping me up. My thighs are slightly below parallel to my butt when I ride it. A tall friend of mine rode the bike and his knees are in his chest
. Saves me money anyway since it seems the rear sets would be the most expensive thing to get looking and working right anyway.
Let me tell you that I'm getting older and not as hard core about the pure-racer aspects of things
. Thusly I like the looks of the CAFE style, but it's not a real racer by any means. For example, I used the entire restrictive exaust, simply because I REALLy think the chrome scrambler exhaust is beautiful with it's curvy chrome heat shields (and I hate excessively loud bikes). I also have a electric start, because kicking things to start is for the birds!Yes, the original toolbox is mounted with the original tools inside. Why? Because the 3 lb's of weight I'd save without it isn't worth it as this is a daily rider and when I need some emergency tools, I have some. Te original tool kit is actually pretty complete, compact, and nice quality. Plus I have somewhere to stow my registration papers
! The battery is a 20 amp wheechair battery. It sticks down, but not near as far as the standard 20amp battery. All the electrical stuff is up under the hump of the rear mounted on a shelf attached to the frame.As for turning, and brake lights., I used minurature SMD accent LED lights from http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fmini_tubes.htm%23alms. THey don't seem very bright in the pics, but they are. Unlike lights inside red housing, they don't really "glow" but if your looking at them, those LED's are like friggin lazers pointed in your eyes, especially at night. Don't know how legal it is since there is no DOT rating, but no cops have bothered me about them
I just stacked them side by side on the rear of the fairing hump and mounted two on the handlebars. I also have 2 K&N LED handlebar ends that blink for a turn sidnal too. THe little rubber washers on the ends of the levers are because I have small hands so I can reach the brakes/clutch easier
Normal:
Turning:
Brake:
Front Turn:
For speedometer, I use a Sigma 509 bicycle speedo I got for $24 at REI. It's rated to 199mph (or something like that). After inputting the actual wheel circumference rollout, it it accurate as heck according to my GPS, far more accurate than the original speedo. It also has nice features like a clock, settable odometer, distance, etc that makes riding life a little nicer. Also in the picture below you will notice a single LED light mounted below right of the tach. This is an electronic charge system monitor. It glows green when the alternator is outputting the proper voltage levels. It changes to yellow or red if the charging system is outputting low. It is also smart wnough to only be bright on startup and then lowers its brightness to a easily seen, but not blinding glow during normal operation. It's just a nice doohicky to know my battery is getting charged properly. Costed like $12.
Speedo:
The sensor is mounted on the drum holder thing and I clear-epoxied a REALLY strong rare-earth magnet on the wheel.
Senser mount:
Finally, because I lost my highbeam indicator when I took off the the orgnal speedo, so I mounted a single bright blue LED (on the same page as I listed prior at superbrightleds) in the mirror mounting hole of the right brake lever. The original hole is cracked so I couldn't nmount a mirror here, but the LED hides the crack nicely and looks like it was meant to be there. The other reason I put it there is that this particular LED is too frigin bright to be mounted anywhere around the tach. It was blinding. By being on the brake lever and pointed away, I can still easily see it's on, but it now points at others
. The camera does NOT show how friggin bright any of these LEDS appear to the eyes when your closer than 20 feet to themhigh beam LED:
Finally, I moved the horn from the front of the engie to the center below the headlights. Looks better there and makes more sense to project sound in front of me versus to the side.
Horn:
Hope it looks OK!
