Gs450 cafe flat track bobber thingy

[mlc216]

Well after listing/selling/getting no money and relisting only to happen again... I've decided to keep my "daily chopper" and build something that will be even more fun to ride to work. Some of you have seen it before:


The plan is:
-Cut hardtail off
-Put a swingarm on
-Fabricate new rear frame with shock mounts
-Fabricate seat/fender/light/etc...
-I've got a couple different tanks to choose from
-Riser bars or MX bars
-Stock gs mag wheels 16-rear/19-front is what I have

This won't be a chopper... it won't be a bobber... It'll be more like a flat track bike than anything, but it probably won't be as low. I'd like to have as much suspension as the stock bike had so I can monster truck the crappy bumpy roads and fly down the gravel roads on the way to work.

Also, the more I've been riding it, the worse the oil leaks have gotten... so I'll probably swap in the other motor during all of this as I don't remember it leaking at all. And once I'm back on the road riding again... I'm planning to tear into this motor and build something similar to what Mekanix (sp?) is building with his bored out twin...

As always I'm open to questions/comments/suggestions and hopefully you guys will enjoy this project a little bit more than my last

P.S. Pete, follow along because I'm sure I'll be trying out the new HEI setup on this re-build!

[bleed gasoline]

I like it now. but suspension will definately make it a better rider. what kind of front end is that, looks longer than the stocker. I was thinking about a savage/ volusia front for mine

also you might be able to find a new frame pretty cheap online, seems like a bitch fabricating a new swingarm mount.

[pete]

Ok I'm in MLC! So you didn't sell her hey? Sorry to be selfish, but for me that's good news Not for the HEI stuff but because it seems when 450's on here get sold, the new owners disappear into the sunset and either don't join the forum or post once then disappear... weird given how much help is on here.

Anyways, I shall be along for the ride on this one! So far, there's a 450 street tracker in the UK which now has a GS500 engine in it (BIGYAM), my wanna-be scrambler, another scrambler in the making (CDC), Scottychop's wild 450 he sold (new owner AWOL), FC's 450 cafe he sold (new owner also AWOL), Billy T's wild looking 450, and bleed gasoline's new long and drawn out 450 bobber project.

Add to these all the nice 450E/S/T/L's around and us twin owners are doing our things well

[mlc216]

what kind of front end is that

also you might be able to find a new frame pretty cheap online, seems like a bitch fabricating a new swingarm mount.

As far as I know it's the stock front end. It came off my parts bike gs450, and it probably looks longer because the hardtailed rear is so much lower than stock.

And I've seen stock frames for fairly cheap on ebay, but my swing arm mounts are still intact on this frame so it would only be a matter of fabricating the rear part of the frame/seat/shock mounts... I got my swing arm in the mail yesterday, so hopefully I'll get started tonight.

Ok I'm in MLC!

It technically sold twice... but no one actually paid so I was tired of not really having anything to ride and decided to go ahead and make this bike what I was going to try and find anyways...

[pete]

Mate it sounds like a plan to me, and going by the pace you normally work at it should be ready by the weekend right?

[mlc216]

Well I just found out that my father in law is bringing the lathe up to my house tonight, so it may be by the end of the weekend

[Flaming Chainsaws]

It is very sad that Scott's new GS450 owner has gone AWOL. That was a very nice bike! And my GS450's new owner has gone AWOL as well. Sad .

Anyways, it will be interesting to see a hard tailed bobber transform into a cafe. I'm in .

[mlc216]

Distractions...
Got my leBlond tonight! Turns out it's a 14 inch which is smaller than I thought but still plenty. But it's set up with a 3 phase motor right now so I'll have to explore options to convert to single phase or just put a single phase motor on it.

[pete]

Man you guys with your big tools

I got nowhere to put something like that anyway, not to mention the fact that I'd have no idea what to do with it and would likely have an ambulance visiting the house in no time...

[mlc216]

Man you guys with your big tools

I got nowhere to put something like that anyway, not to mention the fact that I'd have no idea what to do with it and would likely have an ambulance visiting the house in no time...

Wheel spacers, threaded bungs, plugs and lugs for frames, foot pegs, controls, bore cylinders and sleeves (gs540? ), knurling, checkering, squaring the end of pieces... man I can't think of anything else right now, but there are tons of things you can do with a good lathe.

[mike-s]

My guess is that it would be infinitely simpler just buying an old electric motor and converting it to plain 110/240 (depending on what outlet is closest, i.e. if you've got a stick welder nearby with a 240v outlet or just a plain 110v socket). It is something i'd feel comfortable doing most of the work on myself, though i can't obviously speak for you. Good luck, remember that he whom dies with the most toys wins.

[mlc216]

Well I can buy a variable frequency device (VFD) which is a small electronic box that takes the single phase signal and turns it into a 3 phase signal for the motor to run off of my single phase 240v outlet that's just a few feet away. I've heard that a 3 phase motor runs a lot smoother than a single phase motor, and that the increase in vibration from the single phase motor can produce less than desirable results from a lathe.... so I don't think I'll go with the single phase motor.

Anyways, about the bike... ha well the lathe will definitely be a distraction right now, but as soon as I re-arrange some things in my garage so that I can get the bike on the table, I will proceed to cut the hardtail off and get some work done.

[pete]

Well I can buy a variable frequency device (VFD) which is a small electronic box that takes the single phase signal and turns it into a 3 phase signal for the motor to run off of my single phase 240v outlet that's just a few feet away. I've heard that a 3 phase motor runs a lot smoother than a single phase motor, and that the increase in vibration from the single phase motor can produce less than desirable results from a lathe.... so I don't think I'll go with the single phase motor.

Anyways, about the bike... ha well the lathe will definitely be a distraction right now, but as soon as I re-arrange some things in my garage so that I can get the bike on the table, I will proceed to cut the hardtail off and get some work done.

Ok yeah, a lathe would be handy... but my ability to use it would be very questionable indeed! I did some woodwork in grade 8 here at high school (wow that was quite a while ago now!) and used a lathe for that... I can assure that no way was I pursuing a career in that field

As for the bike... you mean you haven't started yet? What's keeping you?

[mlc216]

Cut cut cut




Stack up whatever you can find

I think I want to go a little higher with it

[bleed gasoline]

holy crap the roadie costs like three times as much as the GS. (nice bikes though all of them) and the rat rod has some potential too. I think you have more toys than me and that is definately saying something.

this is pretty interesting though i have never seen one go from rigid back to sprung. looks cool.