750 cafe project

[jonesti]

Oh yeah, per prev post remember by altering the peg location your brake and shift levers will be distanced further away. I'm 6'3 and wear 13's so thats not an issue. The way bikes today are getting smaller and smaller I look more like a monkey making love to a football everyday! But light is right. I told my dad the GS was within 60lbs of his Harley. He laughed until I showed him the listed dry weight of the 550....

[solo suzuki]

lookin' good...more pics please! :-D

[beergood]

The stock gauges sit a little high and are a little large for my taste. They kind of ruin the line of the bike. However, I really like the visibility of them, and I am overly enamored of the gear indicator (I have a soft spot for things like this). A friend has a bubble fairing (like you find on ebay for around $40) that he isn't using. I am going to try to borrow it and see how it looks. If it looks good then I will probably keep the stock gauges, otherwise I will eventually have to come up with another solution using a smaller/simpler dashboard.

Depending on how my fiberglassing skills develop I may keep a bubble fairing and modify it.

I like the look of the clubman bars, but if I could find an inexpensive pair of clip-ons I wouldn't mind playing with them, just to see. And if you look in the pictures, there are bar-end mirrors on the bike right now. I tried riding without mirrors once and found it to be terrifying.

As for rearsets, I am intending to create linkages with new controls (or at least a new linkage for the clutch and moving the master cylinder for the brake), not just new footpegs. I have some access to welding/fabricating equipment. This is down the road a bit. I may wait until I come up with an exhaust solution so that I won't create any conflicts. I got pretty good at just using the rear pegs for cruising and the front controls for driving on my first bike. Although I find this unacceptable in the long term.

Thanks to everyone for the support, comments, and criticisms. I truly appreciate it. Now it's back to the basement for some more sanding.

[beergood]

like a monkey making love to a football

Kurt Vonnegut - God Bless You Mr Rosewater?

By the way, I am very interested in the progress you are making on yours as well. Last year I stripped my 500 down to the frame. I was originally just going to change an o-ring, but apparently I bumped my head. I did have the foresight to put everything in related boxes (rear brake, front break, swing arm), label everything and take about 150 digital pictures of the process. I was thrillafied when I got it back together and it started on the second try. Doubt I will do a full tear down on the 750 this year, but I am planning on it next winter.

[johnnay]

Nice job - I really like what you're doing. Man, I don't know why people keep whining about "it was such a nice bike...", and "why don't you buy a modern bike and modify it" etc... wah, wah, waaaaaah...!

Personally, I love when people take a stock, plain jane bike and personalize it - hell, I don't even care if they make it better, just different. The only thing a mint, bone stock 80's bike makes me think of is that some old geezer bought the thing and it sits in the garage most of its life. Modifications and personalizations only indicate one thing - that the bike is loved. And that, to me is more important than keeping a "classic" - that's what manufacturer museums are for. Notice that Barrett jackson et al are now making as much, if not more, money on modified cars than stockers? Seems I'm not the only one that feels this way..

Keep on moddin'...!\\/

[beergood]

Fiberglass is done and bondo has been applied. Now I need to spend about 2 hours sanding.






All in all, fiberglassing was interesting work. It had been quite a while since I worked with it, and I never attempted anything this "grand".

[beergood]

Now finished sanding/filling/sanding and the piece is primed. Gotta say that I am really happy with how it turned out. Now for another task that I have never before attempted: Making a seat.





This last picture showcases the feature that I am most proud of, and it presented a lot of challenges during both design and construction. I wanted to be able to use the original hinges and lock. Most aftermarket seats/tailpieces that I saw were of the type that you bolt to the frame.

[80GS1000]

Nice work, well done.

[UncleMike]

How will you prevent that wood from warping?

[beergood]

The wood is half inch treated plywood that is also covered in a layer of fiberglass and resin. I think it should be okay. It will also be bolted to another half inch piece that is used as the base for the seat.

[UncleMike]

The wood is half inch treated plywood that is also covered in a layer of fiberglass and resin. I think it should be okay. It will also be bolted to another half inch piece that is used as the base for the seat.

Sweet. Lookin' good.

[bobo]

good work man...bobo.

[beergood]

Painted and assembled the new tail. I didn't do a showroom quality job, but I think it came out alright, and I can always put a better polish later if I feel like it.

Next up is a turn signal solution, not sure where I am going to go with that one. I am thinking about flush mounts on the side of the tail piece and some small little guys wedged in next to the headlamp. Then is (hopefully) a 4-1 exhaust, and possibly a fairing.









Thanks to everyone for your interest and input.

[beergood]

Oh yeah, I am thinking about cooking up a graphic to place on the side panels. This is where I am so far. Thinking about printing it on a couple decals and then clear coating over.

[UncleMike]

Looks slick, and definitely go for the new exhaust.

As for the decal: I'd like to see it without the white border around the GS.