tbakic
1st cafe project underway
new picture and color ideas
SEAT UPDATE!!! 11/20
UPDATED 10/16
i got a 1980 xs400 special i wanted to build into something, idk what but something. I discovered cafe bikes and they caught my attention. So i started thinking of things i could do or wanted to do. Im not going for a 100% cafe bike, im just building it to be how i want it.
so i started taking off crap like mirrors, reflectors, crash bars, sissy bars, passenger pegs etc
sorry i dont have any pics of the bike bone stock, stupid me
i got some clubman (i think) handlebars off ebay and put those on right away
first i knew i wanted a different gas tank i tried searching on here for tanks that would fit with or without a little modification then i started a thread and a member suggested i make my own because i had said i was welder/metal fabricator, great idea! here is a link to that thread
http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6241
then i knew i wanted a new seat/rear fender combo, after making one i liked out of cardboard i set about cutting the frame of the bike that would b seen because of my new rear fender
then my brother in law(my foreman/punch programmer/operator at my job) taught me how to use a computer drafting program(10min of learning) so i played around trying to make my cardboard design digital, after finishing that he helped me cut it out on our CNC punch that he runs
here are some of the pieces freshly cut
and here i started tacking them together with my TIG welder
after i test fit it on the bike to make sure everything checked out i set out to full weld it all
then i ground and polished all the welds and used an random orbit sander to finish the whole thing
all in all im pretty happy with it
my plans are to
either powdercoat the stock exhaust high temp flat black or fab up a completely new one, idk yet
possibly new rearsets
two round headlights side by side
dismantling the speedo and tach and light indicators and putting them all in a small custom made surround
possibly removing electric start?
stay tuned guys!!!
(p.s if anyone wants/is interested in my seat pan/fender pm me about it for more info, maybe i can make it for you!!, moderators let me know if i would need a verified seller/vendor status or something like this)
SEAT UPDATE!!! 11/20
UPDATED 10/16
i got a 1980 xs400 special i wanted to build into something, idk what but something. I discovered cafe bikes and they caught my attention. So i started thinking of things i could do or wanted to do. Im not going for a 100% cafe bike, im just building it to be how i want it.
so i started taking off crap like mirrors, reflectors, crash bars, sissy bars, passenger pegs etc
sorry i dont have any pics of the bike bone stock, stupid me
i got some clubman (i think) handlebars off ebay and put those on right away
first i knew i wanted a different gas tank i tried searching on here for tanks that would fit with or without a little modification then i started a thread and a member suggested i make my own because i had said i was welder/metal fabricator, great idea! here is a link to that thread
http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6241
then i knew i wanted a new seat/rear fender combo, after making one i liked out of cardboard i set about cutting the frame of the bike that would b seen because of my new rear fender
then my brother in law(my foreman/punch programmer/operator at my job) taught me how to use a computer drafting program(10min of learning) so i played around trying to make my cardboard design digital, after finishing that he helped me cut it out on our CNC punch that he runs
here are some of the pieces freshly cut
and here i started tacking them together with my TIG welder
after i test fit it on the bike to make sure everything checked out i set out to full weld it all
then i ground and polished all the welds and used an random orbit sander to finish the whole thing
all in all im pretty happy with it
my plans are to
either powdercoat the stock exhaust high temp flat black or fab up a completely new one, idk yet
possibly new rearsets
two round headlights side by side
dismantling the speedo and tach and light indicators and putting them all in a small custom made surround
possibly removing electric start?
stay tuned guys!!!
(p.s if anyone wants/is interested in my seat pan/fender pm me about it for more info, maybe i can make it for you!!, moderators let me know if i would need a verified seller/vendor status or something like this)
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