Dutch '78 cafe build

Making progress :thumbsup:

I decided to follow a more organised approach, working my way down a list. First on the list was the tank and all its parts.

IMG_2788 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

Tank cap was a bit too rusty ;)
- Sanded the cap to get the brushed look
- Sandblasted the part that closes the fuel opening and put a layer of paint on it (not on the photo)
- Got busy with the Dremel to get all the rust from the other parts
- Ordered a new tank cap gasket

IMG_1508 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1509 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1510 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

Looking better:
IMG_1532 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

Same drill for the petcock...
IMG_1566 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1567 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1570 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

I already did a lot of sanding of the tank, especially at the fuel opening the thing was on it's way to the scrapyard.... The plan is to to a brushed metal look, so I'm just sanding my way there :)

IMG_1602 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1603 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1604 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

See you in 2018!
 
Tank looks great.
Make sure you keep the air vent in the gas cap open. It's the little hole with the embossed channel.
If it gets covered up during reassembly the engine will starve for gas and die after a few miles.
 
Good luck with that petcock I had a lot of trouble with mine and ended up throwing it in the woods.. I got a new one that didnt have the vacuum line on it. Cant remember the brand.
 
Progress update:

- I lost the rear axle nut along the way, so got a brad new shiny one on there
- Replaced the clutch cable and the clutch cable holder because both had vaporized in time ;)
- Got the angle grinder out of its case and onto the bike!
- Removed the wire harness... It has too much cables I won't need....who needs blinkers right?
- The tank was welded but I still had to seal it, there was some rust and dirt building up inside the tank so treated it with Tank Cleaner, Anti Rust and Tank Cure Sealant... a job that requires patience, but I'm fairly sure it did the job :)

IMG_1639 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1639 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1639 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1721 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1721 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1721 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1721 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

IMG_1721 by stijnbossink, on Flickr

Next up: Creating a mock-up for housing the electrical bits. I'm looking to create a small tray underneath the seat.
 
Have you thought of clearance concerns with that rear hoop? That looks pretty close. To me, it looks a bit too long as well, depend on what style you want. I cut my frame right behind the rear shock mounts and the hoop ends just over the rear axle..So pretty much where you have your frame cut is where my seat terminates. I left the hoop a little longer to create a grab handle.

All of this reminds me of how I cant wait to start making a new seat so I can have an once of comfort lol
 
NewHavenMike said:
Have you thought of clearance concerns with that rear hoop? That looks pretty close. To me, it looks a bit too long as well, depend on what style you want. I cut my frame right behind the rear shock mounts and the hoop ends just over the rear axle..So pretty much where you have your frame cut is where my seat terminates. I left the hoop a little longer to create a grab handle.

All of this reminds me of how I cant wait to start making a new seat so I can have an once of comfort lol
Click to expand...

Hey Mike, thanks for the critical look ;)

The answer is "No". this is in no way thought trough :) I just wanted the ugly rear end out of the way.
And b.t.w. it's just a piece of bended PVC pipe to get a feeling of the look. I'll get a closer look to your project, do you have a photo you can link me to?

The more I'm getting in to this project I realize that I can draw, plan, Google for days without touching my bike. That phase is over now. It's building time! Get things going...solve problems along the way!

Cheers
 
Unfortunately, the pics that are in my build thread were wiped out by the host because they decided to charge users an ungodly amount of money for a membership and I didnt know and now I cant even access pictures that Ive had on the site since probably 2003...

Heres a couple of the bike as it sits most recently before I put it away for the Winter. http://www.xs400.com/threads/pic-of-the-day.16667/

You can see how much clearance I have with my back wheel. The seat pan is flat to the top of the frame. Theres still some rubbing marks on the seat pan but its not crazy. I have the shocks set on the third notch too. What you dont want is the tire smashing the frame and cracking it. My seat pan is made of thin plywood covered with fiberglass matting so it will take any abuse rather than the frame.
 
Hello world.... it's been too long....
I'm glad to say I'm restarting this project again (although I'll probably won't finish it this winter)
Since my last post in 2018 I've;

Created a new workshop:
upload_2021-11-26_9-12-19.png


I learned a lot about working on motorcycles with the Tuono. Did all kinds of jobs like replacing wheelbearings and checking valve clearence. I'm much more confident now, so hoping this will pay out.

Sold the Tuono and bought an S1000XR
upload_2021-11-26_9-13-24.png


Raised my boys for another 4 years
- Son No1 (7) is now my passenger on the XR - He can't reach the passenger pegs just yet, so doing some creative problem solving
upload_2021-11-26_9-19-25.png

- Son No2 will be going to school in two weeks time as he will be 4 He loves motorcycles, so maybe the XS will be finished when he's 18 ;)

and.....didn't touch the XS

However..... it's back and leaking oil!
upload_2021-11-26_9-29-19.jpeg


I'm in the process of finding out where I left the project, and this thread is actually very helpful

more to come!
Cheers!
 
Selling my '78 cafe project with a lot of extra parts (and some missing parts)
This is the perfect frame/tank combination for a clean looking cafe racer. Including open air filters, bunch of new parts and a revised front fork.
GOOD TO KNOW:
  • Frame is chopped, pics show a mock-up with a piece of pvc pipe
  • 2 sets of carburators
  • Tank has 2 dents, but is fully sealed with Tank Cure sealant (hasn't seen fuel since)
  • Several parts have been stripped of paint or sandblasted - ready to paint
  • Fork has been revised few years ago (no KM's made since)
  • Bike was put away fully running - cilinders not stuck in engine
    1f44d_1f3fc.png
INCLUDING NEW PARTS:
  • Clip ons
  • Speedometer (original also included)
  • Throttle and cable
  • Front brake master cilinder and lever
  • Petcock revision set
  • LED Rear light
  • Front light mounts (need some adjusting to fit)
  • Sets of cable clips, o-rings, OEM replacement parts etc.
  • Lithium battery
  • Switchgear
  • Wheel bearings
  • Oil filter (2 o-rings included)
  • Air filters
  • Original Ace Cafe badge for your jacket for when the project is finished
ALSO INCLUDING....
  • Original cable loom
  • Original cockpit (check photos)
  • 2 keys
  • Bunch of parts to complete the bike
I'm putting the project up for sale because I have too many projects right now.
Selling complete set as one, based in the Netherlands.
Please send a PM when interested.
Trading for a running light off-road like a Yamaha XTZ660 Tenere

IMG_4707.jpeg
IMG_4691.jpeg
IMG_4704.jpeg
IMG_4710.jpeg
IMG_4693.jpeg
 

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