T8's 750 Cafe Racer Project

[Chuck78]

Hi,

do you know if the 79' 750 exhaust works on a 79' 850? i want to buy an aftermarket exhaust for my 850 but i don't like the ones that fit my bike. i've seen some 750 exhaust that i like but not sure if it fits.

Yes, same fit, same aftermarket pipes from Mac and Vance & Hines fit both models.

Marving makes a really nice flat collector 4-1 up swept road racing pipe that I'd love to have.

[T8erbug]

Not only do I feel bad to you guys for not being on here more but I really feel bad my bike is still not done. I have been pretty busy with my new job but I am finally able to take R&D jobs from start to finish without help. Most recently (last night) I faced the front of my top triple clamp. I could have done this by hand with an angle grinder or on a sanding belt but I figured it would be a good time to experiment with the machinery I have access to. I started by making a fixture for the triple clamp that turned out really nice, then once I clamped the triple tree onto the fixture I machined the face down. It was a little stressful to throw a part in the CNC machine because once you start the program there's really no turning back haha. To my delight it turned out great and I'm happy with the finish! I'll be working on it more over the next couple months because it is winter here. More updates soon!

[MK3Brent]

Good work man.

I was just like you many years ago starting in the field.
Staying late after hours and working in the shop is where you grow the most.
Keep up the good work.

[steve murdoch]

I am going to need your address so i can send some parts i need cleaned up.
Only 25 or 30 pieces, i promise.
Sure does give it a trick look.

[Chuck78]

Lookin' good man. Keep up the progress, & try & pull some late nights here & there to get that thing ready for spring! I may have to check that thing out in the next summer or two if I'm out west. Need to visit friends in Boulder & maybe go as far as Cali/Big Sur/Sequoia if I'm lucky. On bike.

[T8erbug]

Thanks guys! I'm at a critical time in my life so sometimes the bikes take the backseat, unfortunately. For the time being they are back on the upper end of the to-do list. I bought a new brake MC the other day that should help with brake performance on the front end. It was a 1/4 of the price of what I originally paid for the bike but it was on sale and well.. this bike doesn't really have a budget anymore ha. It's taken long enough that, when I need or want something for it, being frugal doesn't really happen anymore. I originally swapped a CR450 MC because it's just a single sided setup and also so I could get some matching Warp9 left and right handles but the CR450 MC interfered quite a bit with the GS750 stuff on the handlebars. This radial MC will clear everything really well and be a lot easier to bleed. I'm going to fill and bleed the brake system this weekend. I also sandblasted the upper triple clamp I just finished machining in preparation for some new black paint.

[T8erbug]

I pulled an all-nighter on Friday attempting to get a better finished product on the CNC mill. I feel like I have got a process now that seems to work ok. It's been producing a better surface finish and a more consistent part. Also, I drew up a quick headlight ear and had Ben 3D print it for me so I could check the fit and look on the bike before I went through all the work it takes to machine two. I am learning that making one part is pretty simple, but making two parts that go together is TOUGH. The surface finishes have to match and the tolerances have to be tight for them to come out looking like a good match. Anyways, I'm really learning to appreciate all the work Ben did for me in the past because now I'm doing it all on my own and it sucks ha. Though, there's not many feelings better than taking a cube of aluminum and turning it into a tangible form of your ideas. My project should be picking up some steam now that I can machine my own parts and because I have three other project bikes that I'm pretty motivated to get to.

[T8erbug]

Got her eyes back today! Still a little adjusting to do to the headlight ears (3D printing paid off/Saved me a lot of machine time) It's crazy how much a headlight can give life to a project bike. It makes it seem almost ready to ride!

[GSX1000E]

WOW!!! Those look way beyond fantastic!

[T8erbug]

First off, thanks for the compliment, GSX1000E!

So after pretty much wasting 7+ hours the day after Christmas machining a fixture and half of the parts, I screwed everything up. A total loss. The machining process on these parts is a multi-process deal and I set the origin wrong on the final process. The machine ran its process about an inch offset ha . Live and learn as they say and yesterday I came up with a new way to keep my origin and was able to pump these puppies out first try. In record time too. From getting the materials, to making the fixture, to having the final part in my hand only took about 4 hours or so. You may think that's a long time for such simple parts but the machine is a personal CNC made for prototyping and such so it does not have the horsepower a production machine would. Plus my CAM software is not the best and it runs some of its processes quite slow. Anyways the parts are done. There are imperfections everywhere on them but I decided I need to find joy in the stories the imperfections tell. Likely nobody but me will notice anyway. So, here's to a new year and a new outlook on perfection

[wally]

Awesome work!

[Chuck78]

Wow. This build keeps getting more & more amazing.

Hit me up when it comes time to get it running. I've got a lot of tuning tips to share from my 750 build, some good big bore piston sources & custom piston/sleeve sources if you go that route. The gs1000/1100e engines are slightly lighter & slightly narrower if you were looking at that route. An air/oil cooled bandit 600 or 1200 engine would adapt amazingly into the old chassis as well... More narrow again! The 1100e is a direct bolt-in, however. The 82-83 versions were even more refined & powerful. You could ride it a season as is & build up an 1100E pretty well in the meantime!

[T8erbug]

Thanks guys! I'll definitely hit you up when it comes down to motor time, Chuck. I appreciate your willingness to help me make my machine a beast. I installed the new parts yesterday. They look pretty good so I thought I'd show you all. I also removed the front brake line because I need to send it back to be reworked for the new M/C. Slowly but surely. Next up on the list is to finish the tail section and get that baby in fiberglass.

Got these sweet little spherical washers to compensate for the slight angle changes when the headlight ears are clamped down onto the light. The machine tolerances were right on so they were a great fit.






The new M/C

[T8erbug]

Not a whole bunch going on but there has been consistent progress. I was able to open up the back end of the headlamp bucket and hem the sheet metal to make it look like it did before I cut into it. It was necessary to clear the damper bracket better with the headlamp as low as I want it. I sandblasted the chrome and made a nice finish that paint should adhere to. No need to go all the way through the chrome.

[wally]

Brackets are cool and I actually dig the the matted look of the headlight!