gsx250E cafe racer

[hugo151]

hi, i got this far till i found one of bottom tubes of the frame was totaly rotten, after buying another frame i found it to be off a gsx250T which is like a custom version & has a slightly different frame, so back to plan " A " weld up original frame.

[pete]

That's a good foundation for a nice little cafe there Hugo, good luck with the frame hunt!

[hulko]

that looke like it will be sweet when you are done! I am currently turning my gs550ef into a cafe racer. i'm attempting to make a fiberglass seatpan and cowl for it. I've never worked with fiberglass. I'll either end up with an awesome seat, or an awesome ball of fiberglass!

[hugo151]

that looke like it will be sweet when you are done! I am currently turning my gs550ef into a cafe racer. i'm attempting to make a fiberglass seatpan and cowl for it. I've never worked with fiberglass. I'll either end up with an awesome seat, or an awesome ball of fiberglass!

its not easy stuff to work with as i'm finding out, elongating the seat pan.you could try wrapping it over a rugby ball or something like it & when its set, cut it out.probably best to buy one already made, i bought this off a bloke who makes them for about $30 but they are not really long enough for my purposes.

[Charlie G]

hi, i got this far till i found one of bottom tubes of the frame was totaly rotten, after buying another frame i found it to be off a gsx250T which is like a custom version & has a slightly different frame, so back to plan " A " weld up original frame.

Nice racer you have going on. I like that seat! Welcome.

Charlie G

[spyug]

Definitely a nice little bike for a cafe project. Well done sir and keep us up to date on the project.

Having done a few similar projects I recommend the "fiber glass over foam" method of making seat pans and tails. Likely the easiest method for folks not familiar with making glass pieces from bucks and moulds.

Use close cell pink, green or blue foam sheets ( Home Hardware and the like) glue up "planks" to the rough dimensions you need and form the pan and tail to the look you want. You can glue the planks with the spray foam insulation in cans or Gorilla Glue I believe. The building stores also sell foam specific glues too. Shape the "plug" with knives, files and sandpaper.

Now you will need epoxy resin and fine glass cloth to cover. Note that standard fiberglass resin will not work and will melt the foam. You can cover the plug with tape to make it impervious to standard resin and use that but it the resin must not be able to get to the foam. I prefer the epoxy resin as there is no fear of that and it bonds to the foam.

Cut the cloth in 2 or more pieces to cover plug and do the top then the bottom in seperate operations. To hold the cloth in place use push pins to hold it while the resin sets up.

You will need to fab up some method of attaching the pan to the frame but with the resin you can attach whatever fittings you need to the pan. Easy peasy.

Once the shell has hardened you can use Bondo to level things out. Lots of sanding and shoot your paint.

The first time you do it it may be a bit challenging and take some time but do a few and you'll be wiping them out in no time.

Give it a whirl. PM me if you need anymore info.

Cheers and good luck.

spyug

[trackfiend]

That's definitely going to be a cool little bike when she's all done. I'm steadily making progress on my 450 cafe and can't wait to get it out of the garage. Got any more pics?

[hugo151]

theres a pic of top yolk with h/bar mounts cut off & clocks separated from casings on one of the 450 posts, wouldn't let me post it again on this topic. i've got frame welded & painted now so i'm starting the rebuild. just on with rear sets at moment, will post a pic soon.