Another cafe racer........

[Zooks]

Yaddy mate, I'd be more than proud to ride with you my friend. That is one horny mother f*#&er of a motorcycle. I absolutely love it. Very, very unique.

[Zooks]

One more tip (if I may?).

When you get the decals on, spend the extra time and effort and put a couple of coats of clear over the top of the whole lot. It will stop them from lifting and peeling and generally looking crappy in 12 months time. If you don't, the edges of the decals end up collecting little bits of dust and grit because they are sticky.

[yaddy]

Hey Zooks,

praise indeed my friend.
The whole objective here has always been to make something of a one-off, i just love the old cafe racers but this one's curving away from that now, i'm trying to keep the references in there, with the paint colours etc. But i think the direction the bikes going is a good one, and certainly shaped by the input and comments from the good folks on here, i'd be honoured to ride with each and every one of you guys. Comments whether good or bad, are taken as intended and i value every one that takes the time to say what they think.

It's much appreciated and as this is my first build that involved anything other than a stock resto, any advice is good advice, cheers to all.

[nvr2old]

Very nice bike. I like the way it looks, especially the back w/o a chain. The shaft drive looks really clean, almost like it disappeared. What kind of tail light are you going to use, and where will it mount? Side covers, or open? It's a treat watching these builds. Great site for that.

[posplayr]

I like it

Wonderful attention to detail, as well as a melding of various sub-era's of "old school".

That is kinda what I am doing with my GSXR street fighter. I did put a Ducati headlamp fairing on, but the idea is to capture the essence of various looks without necessarily copying any of them exactly while molding the bike into something that will be useful/practical. It is all of them but at the same none of them.

Great work.

Pos

[Odinist]

WOW!!! She's looking amazing!!!



(Oh, and Zooks, of course I could have Googled it, but I'm a lazy American. )

[Bribird]

Hey there Yaddy, your bike is looking great!! Good job on the paint!! I really like the way you laid the silver pin stripping. It is totally gonna be a hot bike. Laying the decals on under a coat of clear would be best long term, but is not a necessity if they are high quality decals. The most important part of putting decals on is the prep work(as far as making them stick long term).. Before you put the decals on you will of course want it all wet sanded&buffed out and very smooth... and dont use any wax that contains silicone...(it is a bi*ch to get it all off) it will cause problems with your decals sticking...long term , and if you plan on clearing over the top of them, will affect the clear coat too..... unless you like the fisheye look.. I use meguirs tan bottle cut/wax for fresh paints, and it is paintable which is nice.


looks great man!! looks like its about time to jump on building them carbs!!

[yaddy]

Thanks Guy's.

Pos:
That fighter of yours is a cool ride, i love the lighthouse strapped to the front, i'd like a 9" lamp or even an 8" for mine, both are very hard to find though.

nvr2old:
I was hesitant about using a shaftie for this project at the beginning but it does keep the back end clear of clutter and works quite well. No side covers on this one matey. That damn tail-light? Well, i've bought 4 already but once i have them in my hand, i don't like em! I want it on the flat part of the tail section but i just don't know what sort of lamp to put on there, i think that 2 round ones might be cool but i honestly can't decide on that yet, maybe a little poll might be the best idea, to see what style of light people can suggest?

BriBird:
So to lay the decals under a coat of clear, i would need to wetsand to a glass finish first, would i then buff it up to a shine? I know i'd need a sanded clear finish to get the top clear to stick to it wouldn't i?
And yeah, those carbs and a zaust are next on my list buddy, then we'll see if it actually runs, heheeeee

Thanks to all for looking, if you have a cool rear light assembly in mind, i'm open to suggestions, cheers.

[Zooks]

.....(Oh, and Zooks, of course I could have Googled it, but I'm a lazy American. )

No wuckas mate.


(you'll have to use google if you want to translate that one)

[Zooks]

......... That damn tail-light? Well, i've bought 4 already but once i have them in my hand, i don't like em! I want it on the flat part of the tail section but i just don't know what sort of lamp to put on there, i think that 2 round ones might be cool but i honestly can't decide on that yet, maybe a little poll might be the best idea, to see what style of light people can suggest?
........Thanks to all for looking, if you have a cool rear light assembly in mind, i'm open to suggestions, cheers.

The most popular style of tail light for Hot Rods -



1928-32 era replica Ford model 'A' taillight. I have one on my 'cafe pig' and love it. Dozens of replica sellers on ebay.

[Bribird]

Ya you would need to give the paint a little tooth once cured, before spraying more paint on top of it. I would take it thru to polish that way you know you got everything. then when you are ready to spray some clear on top just hit it a gray pad and shoot your clear.

Keep up the good work buddy!!

[yaddy]

Cheers BriBird!

Hey Zooks,
that's a tasty looking lamp is that, i've thought that 4 times already though, lol!

How far does it stick out from the mount? I don't suppose a pic would be handy of it on your bike would it? I've seen pics of the "cafe pig" before and i love it, told you that already i believe?

ta.

[Roostabunny]

Dang! I'm inspired.

Watching with interest and more than a little awe.

Dang.

[Odinist]

No wuckas mate.


(you'll have to use google if you want to translate that one)

Hehe, nope, knew that one. ;-)

(I work with an Aussie and have picked up some of y'all's slang, hehe.)

[nvr2old]

If you have a motorcycle bone yard at your disposal, just about any Japanese maker from the mid 80's have some pretty cool looking flat-faced tail light assemblies. The Suzuki RG500 Gamma comes to mind. Snow mobile tail lights are another option. Personally, I think the early Model A tail lights, although cool, don't fit the more contemporary look of your bike. A Gamma light sunk into that tail section would look so clean.