Cheap and easy modern naked bike makeover BLACK WHEELS!!

[isaac]

I'm sure most of you have seen the pics of the new Yoshimura 1135R Katana. It's almost identical to the '82 bike, but with some upgrades.
http://www.netmove.co.jp/yoshimura/complete/katana_1.html

Well looking at it (and some modern naked bikes) has gotten me thinking.

Notice how the 1135R slopes downward rather than upward. It's got a modern nose down attitude to it. The bars are dropped, the headlight and nose fairings are low, and the minimal guage setup all helps visually lower the bike, giving it a "fast while sitting still" modern superbike look.

Despite my '82 GS 750's sporting pretensions for its era, it does not resemble a modern bike. The thing is, compared to a modern naked bike it only has a few elements that help to date itself: The guages, the handlebars, the headlight, the tail section, and the turn signals.

Well in my bike's ignition module-induced downtime, I've decided to address all of those issues.

Pics will be forthcoming, but it begins nonetheless.

What I've done so far:

Removed rear fender. Under the seat will be replaced with a sheet metal panel to hold stuff under it, but I've taken it all out. No more ugly rear plastic, no more huge license plate holder.

Totally redone the taillight and license plate mount. I've yanked the (shattered) OE unit and began making what will be a flush mount (read even with the rear of the tail) lens made from plexiglass and custom mounted the bulb inside the tail section itself. The bottom of the lens serves as the mounting point for the plate.

Removed rear turn signals. They'll be replaced with very small aftermarket ones bolted directly to the sides of the tail cowling.

Lowered the rear end (just the preset adjustment for now). Just taking it from a level 5 to a level 1 drops the bike a good inch or so. This moves the tire closer to the underside of the rear, but helps me because I'm now nearly touching down heels.

The upcoming:

The headlight/handlebar/guage cluster is the number one "I'm straight outta the eightays" giveaway, so they're going the mod route. Thankfully this is cheap and easy.

Since the headlight mounts on two fork mounts, it's easy to drop. What I'll be doing is cutting the mount brackets off their spot welds, lowering them about 3-4", then simply rewelding them in place.

After that, the guage cluster can be dropped significantly as well. The current stock mounting places the guage cluster atop two tree mounted "ears." What I'll be doing is pulling the cluster off those ears, remounting it underneat them, and spacing it downward using shims to adjust the drop to my desire.

The handlebars right now are what I believe are called the "sportbike type" which has them on risers above the trees, but pretty low. Unfortunately after the guage/headlight drop, those bars will look like ape hangers. Those will be exchanged for clip ons to drop them a good 3" or so.

At that point, things will be looking pretty damn nice and I'll consider whether or not to go through with the hooligan headlight look, comprising twin 5 3/4" headlights.

I figure the whole mod job should cost me somewhere south of $50.

 

[bobo]

hey isaac, i would think you should 'raise' the rear end . that will look better with the lower front. try cutting your seat down a bit if it's too high. ...h.g.

 

[isaac]

Yeah I've seen that on a few bikes, most notably the white 82 GS750 in the gallery section. I would definitely like raising it visibly in the rear, but the seat on my bike is already lower than stock, so I don't think I could cut it much more.

I'll be lowering the front end an inch or two once I get the clip ons, since the clip ons allow you to raise the forks up into the trees. Since this will speed the steering up significantly, I'm a bit worried about jacking up the rear moreso than it already is.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_scripts/gallerydispwnd.php?RegID=170

 

[bobo]

that is one beauty bike. wonder if andre is still a member here? 8)

 

[isaac]

Maybe pictures will get more people interested:

Below is the overall look of the bike from the front, rigged up. Everything has been dropped significantly in the front, taking the raised headlight/handlebars/guage cluster and moving them all downward. They're still the highest points on the bike, but not by nearly as much as before.

Below is the bike from the rear. Notice the cleaned up appearance compared to stock. It no longer has the long turn signal stalks (notice the flush mount turn signals) or huge rear fender/license plate unit which exposes the rear tire more. Also notice the construction of a new rear tail light, which will soon have a lens mounted flush to the rear. The black plastic will be spray painted chrome for reflectivity.

Below is the handlebar/guage cluster setup as it is currently rigged. Note the mounting ears of the guage cluster are below the triple tree mounts now, which drops it that large amount. Unfortunately the mounting bolts for the guages are actually riveted on, which means I'll have to drill them out to remount them.

Below is the bike's nose profile, which is rigged up for now for study purposes. The headlight is lowered approximately 3-4", the bars are rotated forward and dropped 2-3", and the guage cluster is moved forward and dropped 2-3" as well.

 

[AOD]

looks cool and all except you need a taillight lense to cover the gaping hole. And I'm left with one important question, can you actually SEE the gauges when you're sitting on the bike?! 8O

 

[isaac]

Also notice the construction of a new rear tail light, which will soon have a lens mounted flush to the rear. The black plastic will be spray painted chrome for reflectivity.

I've come to the conclusion that not many people actually read my posts.

Yes there will be a lens. I've already test fitted one that I carved from plexiglass, but I'd need to either tint it or spray it a color so that it looked right. My other option is to find a very large car taillight and slice that up to fit. Either way, like was said in my original note, it's going to have a lens mounted flush to the rear.

I've sat on the bike and yes the guages are perfectly readable. In the sunlight that could be a problem from glare. I'm considering pulling the speedo and tach out and remounting them individually so that they take up less space.

Ideas?

 

[Anonymous]

You might want to consider two small taillights stuck right next to one another. I can't really picture anything else that would make that squarish shape. Possibly an old boxy american Sedan taillight rotated 90 degrees, but even that's likely to be wider at one end.

Just found your thread, but the bike's starting to look pretty sweet. Remember, real men bodge it. Eagerly awaiting more news.

Also, mount the tach and speedo vertically in the center and ditch the gear indicators and such, that'd look pretty unique.

 

[luc8421]

That looks pretty sweet
where did you get those flush mounted blinkers for the back? they look like the Lockhart ones, I've wanted to get a couple sets for my blinkers, but have been unable to find a site that sells them. From their site, it looks like they're going to make me order their catalog, then order my light through the catalog.

 

[Glen Lewis]

You might be able use the taillight from a 82 1100e.

 

[isaac]

You might want to consider two small taillights stuck right next to one another. Also, mount the tach and speedo vertically in the center and ditch the gear indicators and such, that'd look pretty unique.

RMRR, good ideas. I've looked into fitting a 98-99 R6/R1 taillight but that would require me to do my own fiberglassing on the rear, to which I'm not averse but don't really have the inclination to perform the necessary cutting of the rear subframe to avoid having exposed tube steel below the modified tail cowl. As far as other taillight options go, like was stated earlier I'm going to use my fabricated (read - I shaped it to fit the rear of the tail cowl exactly) or cut a donor taillight lense to fit.

I'm very much considering disassembling the guage cluster and mounting only the speedo/tach, but the inside of that thing is pretty intimidating. I'm not sure if resistors will be necessary for the lights in the guages or not. I would like to mount to indicator lights as well, so I'll be getting a sheetmetal panel for that.

Luc, I got the blinkers from a place called "Cycletherapy" on ebay. I'm pretty sure they're the blinkers you're talking about. I'm considering doing them up front too since the huge front ones now interfere with the lowered handlebars.

 

[bgmart450]

You might want to consider two small taillights stuck right next to one another. Also, mount the tach and speedo vertically in the center and ditch the gear indicators and such, that'd look pretty unique.

RMRR, good ideas. I've looked into fitting a 98-99 R6/R1 taillight but that would require me to do my own fiberglassing on the rear, to which I'm not averse but don't really have the inclination to perform the necessary cutting of the rear subframe to avoid having exposed tube steel below the modified tail cowl. As far as other taillight options go, like was stated earlier I'm going to use my fabricated (read - I shaped it to fit the rear of the tail cowl exactly) or cut a donor taillight lense to fit.

I'm very much considering disassembling the guage cluster and mounting only the speedo/tach, but the inside of that thing is pretty intimidating. I'm not sure if resistors will be necessary for the lights in the guages or not. I would like to mount to indicator lights as well, so I'll be getting a sheetmetal panel for that.

Luc, I got the blinkers from a place called "Cycletherapy" on ebay. I'm pretty sure they're the blinkers you're talking about. I'm considering doing them up front too since the huge front ones now interfere with the lowered handlebars.

You mentioned in your other post about a digital (but mechanical) speedo. You could always go to a bicycle computer. The better ones will have odos, trip meters, avg speed, max speed. They are simple to install (even I had NO issues getting mine installed.

I am still trying sort out how I am going to put my warning lights back on, but with care and plain ole observation there is no rush just yet.

Here's a shot or 2 with the stock and my stripped console side by side.

Just something to consider anyways.

 

[QuaiChangKane]

Isaac,


Looks great so far - nice adjustable clubman bars.


I'd fill the end of the tail in with a solid piece of plexiglass and seal the seams in. Then I'd go with two separate small round brake lights mounted into the new end piece. If you went with an LED kit, you could get rid of the signals and integrate them into the brake lights...


-Q!

 

[isaac]

Brent and Q, great stuff. I'm definitely interested in the bicycle computer idea - thats frickin brilliant. I wonder if there's one that has a backlight? That's what I'd need since I frequently ride at night. If I did that, I could just use the solo tach and have the bike speedo below it. That'd be sweet!

About the tail: Q - as mentioned I've already custom made a plexi panel to fit, but am also considering cutting the shape out of a very large brake lens and using that instead to gain the red. About the integrated taillight idea: Bingo.

I did that tonight. After test fitting the flush turn signals in several places on the rear (taped on) I decided none of them looked very good, so I'm going to mount those signals to the front on the "ears" of the front turn signal/headlight mount, and will remove the huge stock turn signal stalks.

For turn signals I mounted two spare bulb housings from my Volvo to the same plastic inside the tail cowl that I'd already mounted the brake light to. Now it's a cluster of three back there. They'll all be under the same panel in the tail, thus giving an integrated look. I've got them hooked up as stock right now. The right bulb is the right blinker, the left is the left, and the center is the running light/brake light. It should come out fantastic, and really clean up the tail. I'll put up pics soon.

 

[luc8421]

One of the big things I noticed with the Yosh Katana project is that the ignition electrionics are mounted under the seat, instead of on the side. Has anyone tried doing that? seems liked it'd be a simple project of extending the stock wiring harness. It looks amazing though. I just don't like that whole panel that's sitting there on the side, exposed as it is.

 

[bradleymaynar]

One of the big things I noticed with the Yosh Katana project is that the ignition electrionics are mounted under the seat, instead of on the side. Has anyone tried doing that? seems liked it'd be a simple project of extending the stock wiring harness. It looks amazing though. I just don't like that whole panel that's sitting there on the side, exposed as it is.

Ryan (firsttimer) has done that to his 550. I believe it's in the Yosh Katana thread. You'd have to PM him for the specifics.

Brad tt

 

[bgmart450]

Brent and Q, great stuff. I'm definitely interested in the bicycle computer idea - thats frickin brilliant. I wonder if there's one that has a backlight? That's what I'd need since I frequently ride at night. If I did that, I could just use the solo tach and have the bike speedo below it. That'd be sweet!

About the tail: Q - as mentioned I've already custom made a plexi panel to fit, but am also considering cutting the shape out of a very large brake lens and using that instead to gain the red. About the integrated taillight idea: Bingo.

I did that tonight. After test fitting the flush turn signals in several places on the rear (taped on) I decided none of them looked very good, so I'm going to mount those signals to the front on the "ears" of the front turn signal/headlight mount, and will remove the huge stock turn signal stalks.

For turn signals I mounted two spare bulb housings from my Volvo to the same plastic inside the tail cowl that I'd already mounted the brake light to. Now it's a cluster of three back there. They'll all be under the same panel in the tail, thus giving an integrated look. I've got them hooked up as stock right now. The right bulb is the right blinker, the left is the left, and the center is the running light/brake light. It should come out fantastic, and really clean up the tail. I'll put up pics soon.

I got one of these

Seems to work so far. It applies with a rubberband, so when I am not using it it sits in my jacket pocket.

I picked this model as Sigma was pretty highly recommended and this one had the largest numbers as far as I could tell.

I am fairly certain that there are backlit models, but I am wondering if they are closer to the way watches work where you press for a few seconds of illumination. Always worth a few min (or more) of investigation. I would steer away from the wireless options as they need a direct line of sight between the pickup and the display unit.

One of the things I still need to do is keep a monthly total on my total odo... they are battery operated.

Here is a link to my inspiration to get this done on my bike.
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/billingsley/sigma.htm

I'd love to see what you did with the tail section. I am thinking about a fender elimination for my E.

 

[isaac]

I'll be looking into a bike speedo. So far I've only found one that's lit, and that's $50. At that price I'd rather just make my own. I'll probably get a cheap one and rig up a light system somehow. It'd be pretty easy: Just use some sheet metal to build a trim bezel 1/2" above the screen, then place some LEDs underneath the bezel so that it lights the speedo without light shining in my eyes.

Oooo! a better idea: Since I was planning on using a flat piece of sheet metal to mount the guages and dummy lights, I could just mount the speedo 1/2" sunk under the sheet metal for a fully integrated look! Excellent.

Anyway, here are the new pics of the tail and the bike in general:

With the tail plastic I've slightly modified plans and will be chopping off that protruding bottom edge, laying sheet steel over it so that it extends to the bottom of the tail cowl and acts as a reflector for the lights. I'll be mounting the license plate to two holes drilled at the bottom of the sheet steel.

In case a fourth explanation of it is necessary in this thread: I will be putting a custom cut plexi or colored plastic panel over the lights.

BTW: Does anybody know how to remove turn signals from their mounting stalks without having to destroy them? The threaded shafts on them just turn in their bores when I try to undo the mounting nuts. There's seemingly no way to hold the shaft from spinning at the bulb end. There's gotta be some way to undo them.

 

[Doze]

Isaac, try using a pieceof inner tube or chamois around the stalk, then grip it with a channel lock pliers or vise grips to keep it from spinning while you break the nut loose.
Doze.

 

[ard]

katana

katana

by the way Isaac where do you think they have put the battery on that katana? i couldnt find it

ard :? :?