Cafe Racer Build

[LuckyEight]

WOW! I have to say THIS is the best looking DOHC café I've ever seen... Great job! I love the seat!

 

[bcware]

Yeah, no one usually goes for a cafe style DOHC; it's almost always a bobber. Good job!

 

[motoTrooper]

Nicely executed BUT need more pics!

 

[freiesss]

WOW! I have to say THIS is the best looking DOHC café I've ever seen... Great job! I love the seat!

Thank you!

 

[freiesss]

Here's a few pictures I took of the pipes getting sprayed down with some heat resistant black.

(sorry that the pictures are sideways)

 

[freiesss]

Here you can see the bike in its early stages. The tank was extremely crude when we received it. Little did we know that the entire tank was actually brazed in a factory, not welded. As soon as we started to try welding on this tank to fix imperfections it seemed like the whole tank was going to catch in flames because of the cheap steel and brazing metals used to hold this thing together. We ended up using a tank sealing kit (3 stage) cleaner, rust preventer, and seal to fix the pinholes that were throughout the tank. If we hadn't sealed the tank from the inside the tank would have leaked gas like crazy.

Also, we had to use Bondo on the tank to clean up the lines a bit.

 

[freiesss]

Here's a picture of the custom seat bracket we made being painted.

(sorry that its rotated I cant change it for some reason)

 

[freiesss]

Side shot ...

Still to come - Mirrors, braided gas line, engine cleaning/polishing, exhaust re-install after high heat paint, and more minor details that I will get into later.


Thanks!

 

[Requiem]

Best looking DOHC I've seen!

 

[Jso123]

We really appreciate the pictures and build details. Where can I buy a seat like that? The.

 

[Jso123]

Did you flip the handle bars upside down?

 

[freiesss]

Did you flip the handle bars upside down?

In one of the pictures yes. But the most current version of the bike has a new set of handlebars that we ordered online. I believe the seat was from eBay.

 

[freiesss]

Appreciate the nice feedback! Thanks everyone!

 

[Pelts]

Looks great man, I just bought a maxim 1983 and I'm looking to play with it a little like you did! You're giving me great ideas love the look of the tank, backlight and seat!

Was the seat hard to install? I'm looking to change mine this winter but it seems like a harsh job to do for a beginner like me and as you said not the best bike to easily turn into a cafe racer but you still did a marvelous job my friend.

 

[freiesss]

Thanks for the help bcware! Front forks stiffened up nicely.

 

[mjp21891]

Freiesss,

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure I will have questions down the road. I wanted to add some progress pictures hoping for some constructive criticism from you fellas (and gals). I fitted the tank and seat today. Much more to do

 

[Jso123]

Just curious - what place did you pickup your tank from? Sounds like some come in rough condition.

 

[freiesss]

Freiesss,

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure I will have questions down the road. I wanted to add some progress pictures hoping for some constructive criticism from you fellas (and gals). I fitted the tank and seat today. Much more to do

Like the looks of where you are headed so far! What color are you planning on? I really wanted to do something like this for awhile... Might look nice on your bike.

 

[freiesss]

Just curious - what place did you pickup your tank from? Sounds like some come in rough condition.

Ebay purchase. Yeah, it was really crude.

 

[mjp21891]

I'm using this bike as a little inspiration. I think the Matte finish on the tank will help hide imperfections, and I love the brown leather on the handlebars, seat, etc..

I'm either going to paint some of the engine components myself (Matte Black), or going to have them powder coated. Any suggestions here? Any have any experience painting their own and it came out really well? I'm afraid the paint will chip if I do it myself with all the heat.

Also, Freiesss, how involved is sealing the tank and what does this whole process look like? I've never done it before.

Thanks
Matt