New Member working on an 81 GS450L Brat-Style Cafe Project

[MAJikMARCer]

Nah, tkent pulls no punches. Pretty sure, he hates that rat-bike inspiration and L's, so a rat-style L bike is like the Anti-Christ.

Yea tkent is our resident honey badger, he don't give a $#!*, but he's a pretty decent guy under all that. But yea, chopped bike AND an L...you got off lucky! heh

[7981GS]

Just take it to Sturgis.
Don't forget the marshmallows.

(As I fill in for tkent )

Eric

[MisterCinders]

Yea tkent is our resident honey badger, he don't give a $#!*, but he's a pretty decent guy under all that. But yea, chopped bike AND an L...you got off lucky! heh

Tkent is the best.

"My engine makes a strange noise"

tkent - Ride the balls off that f**ker!

"My engine seems to run oddly below 6,500 RPM"

tkent - Stop lugging, p*ssy! The engine is cold until 8,000RPM

"What is the best method for cleaning my new-to-me L-model?"

tkent - Take it to the nearest bridge, and deposit it in deepest area of the water below.

I still remember someone flippantly asking tkent how he keeps the front wheel down on some badass bike of his. He shrugged - "It returns to the ground each time I close the throttle."

[Good Times]

To each his own right?

I'll know how to interpret TKent in the future. What you see is what you get.

As an owner of an L and liking the brat and rat styles I won't look for any kudos. LOL

[tkent02]

@ Tkent02, Here is a nice example of how these bikes can look.

http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2011/10...onkees-32.html

This one I like. A little thought and execution goes a long way, very nice. And you are.mistaken, the L loves to be customized, and a well done one is a beautiful thing. The first inspiration was a total POS.

[pete]

For inspiration... yeah go that W650... very nice!

And JimmyR's 1100G... that thing is awesome and I can't wait to see it finished...

The first inspiration pic is definitely a bit average compared to others...

[nvr2old]

I like the Brat style if it's done well. The inspiration bike is pretty cool imo. The E tank would look great if you sectioned about 2 inches out of the middle of it right where the emblems mount. Weld it back together and, viola...much sleeker looking..and a very subtle mod.

[Good Times]

Can't wait to see the next step in the build.

[pete]

I like the Brat style if it's done well. The inspiration bike is pretty cool imo. The E tank would look great if you sectioned about 2 inches out of the middle of it right where the emblems mount. Weld it back together and, viola...much sleeker looking..and a very subtle mod.

Interesting thought Larry, the thought never even crossed my mind! That would definitely work...

[T8erbug]

Not that you even wanna mess with that tank (it's pretty cool) but nvr2old's idea of sectioning the tank is a pretty good idea. I am building a cafe racer gs750 and I sectioned about an inch or so from it and it totally transformed the look. http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=185716

[dkletter]

Progress Pics!

I had an extra L tank and after mocking it up on the bike I agree that it will work alot better with the lines of the bike. It was badly dented though and had a horrible paint job. So I spent the weekend getting it ready for new paint.

L tank mock up


Stripped, fixed, and primed the L tank this weekend:

The stripping took most of a day. There were at least 5 coats of paint and several coats of primer. I had to take it all the way down to the metal to get at the dents with bondo.


The girlfriend helping me strip it.


Ready for bondo!


Ready for primer


Garage Paint Booth Set-up


Ready for Paint! It will be getting a glossy grey paint with red pin striping.


I'll be using this product for the final coat. It polishes to a glossy shine and is resistant to gas and oil:

http://www.repaintsupply.com/mobile/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm?&CFID=2917788&CFTOKEN=4122fc3e2606dd6e-959C656B-C04C-0737-F9A07E424768287B&jsessionid=2a30afd8216c752c6a11

I also removed the exhaust headers and old exhaust wrap. I will be cutting those straight pipes off and installing Dunstall-style Reverse-Cone mufflers.


I haven't decided how to treat the header pipes. I was thinking of wrapping them in new tan colored header wrap. But I may sand them down to the metal and paint them black to match the frame. The dunstall mufflers will be chrome so I want the headers to look good with the new mufflers.. Opinions??

Tonight I will be welding on the rear seat hoop and a new mounting point for the L tank since the previous owner decided to cut it off... pics to come..

[dkletter]

Oh, I also have a new chain on the way since the existing one seems to be the original from 1981.. Any tips or tricks on replacing the chain on these old bikes?

[pete]

Looking good! And good choice on clear coat, you don't want a drip of fuel ruining your paint job...

I'm not a fan of wrapping pipes unless there's a need, so black would work well with the chrome mufflers, and Dunstall style is always a good choice

No special tips on the chain except make sure your sprockets are good to go as well.

[tkent02]

Might as well go with an endless chain, the swing arm bearings probably need to come apart for cleaning and grease anyway.

I'd go with the black pipes and chrome mufflers... That always looks good.

[Good Times]

The bike is looking really good. I like the L tank. Good work on that.

I think you should probably go ahead and propose as well. But then again if you get married then that will be the end of her working on your bike.

I like the idea of ceramic coated pipes, but I don't know how rough things are under the wrap.