Intro and Build

[cturek]

Cadxs:

Your situation with the landlord is a classic. I really have to commend you on your tray under the seat. It looks great. You are making fantastic progress doing this from an apartment.

 

[Pork Chop]

Hi Cad,

On the first page of this post you have pics of the jugs and head for the bike. Are they the 250 or 400cc?

 

[CadXS]

Nice one, I was just thinking things had gone quiet at your end. Where did you get the brace, and love the minimal front mudguard.

The brace is from a place called Disco Volante Moto, an online shop for Cafe and Italian stuff here in the UK. The brace seems to be cast aluminium so it could be cleaned up and polished if that fits the look of your bike.

CadXS,

I just found this thread, but am enjoying is a great deal. Please keep up the good work, and the postings here.
Jack
PS. LOVED the "hiding things all around the apartment so the landlord won't find them" story!

Cadxs:
Your situation with the landlord is a classic. I really have to commend you on your tray under the seat. It looks great. You are making fantastic progress doing this from an apartment.

Thank you both

Hi Cad,
On the first page of this post you have pics of the jugs and head for the bike. Are they the 250 or 400cc?

Hey Pork Chop, they are for a XS400. Just the ones from my bike (1979 D I think) cleaned up a bit and then rubbed with a bit of WD40 to stop them rusting. I'm not the biggest fan of polishing and shiny parts (too lazy ).

 

[CadXS]

Threw some bits on the bike tonight to get a sense of the proprtions and to see if I like how it looks before I go too much further.

Not too sure to be honest...could be the stock handlebars making the front end look too high in the side view needs a 2/3" stretch in the swingarm maybe?

When will my indecision end, lol...I'm going to sleep on it.

 

[XS400D]

some clubmans or clipons will fix that high looking front. also when there is just a piece of metal for the seat these bikes always look a little off

 

[drewpy]

try vincent bars, the straight ones. get a peice of pipe just to eye it up.

can that lamp can go lower?

 

[CadXS]

some clubmans or clipons will fix that high looking front. also when there is just a piece of metal for the seat these bikes always look a little off

try vincent bars, the straight ones. get a peice of pipe just to eye it up.
can that lamp can go lower?

I agree with you both that lower bars are needed. I put the stock ones there to try and give me a sense of how it would look and its not helped to be honest.

I now think it needs some kind of flat drag bars (clubmans would hurt my back too much I think), maybe with some pullback like these.

The seat pan will be upholstered and maybe the bare pan is screwing with how I'm seeing the side view, but it just doesn't look right (It would probably help more if I had a definate idea of what I wanted it to look like, lol).

I kinda drifting towards one of my initial ideas of maybe stretching the swingarm about 3" and adding a brace...Joe Wiseguy style or Project Greta from the DTT forum. In side profile in looks a little squat (an image of a dog with its tail between its legs keeps running through my head...time to cut down the caffeine).

I'm not sure about the CEV headlight now either

 

[erna]

To be honest,i like the look. Its a very classic look with the origina handlebars. I was riding for half a year back on Majorca almost straight dragbars (dragbar by Fehling). Lower proportion but almost no noticable change in riding and the feel of it. Have a look

Greets from Munich Hannes

 

[summerman]

I just joined this thread and read your story.. Holy crap. Building in an apartment. When it's done you need to rev that up and ride it down the stairs out the front and rip down the road. You may be evicted but you will be a legend!!!!!

I just went tonight to see my 78xs 400 I purchased I haven't ridden for 7 years in a friends barn. It was at a 30 degree angle. At first we thought it was leaning up against something, turns out had sunk in the mud and the tires were frozen into the ground. We couldn't move it. I put an old tire there so when it thaws out it won't fall over. I want to make a cafe racer out of it. I never did crap with it besides put gas in it and only put about 700miles on it before I stored it. You inspired me. If you can do this in your bedroom I can do something in the basement. I worst fear is I'll end up with some pile of parts... but what the heck..... No guts no glory.... Are you done? have any pics. email them or post them. Thanks. P.S. the landlord story is something I can relate to... Once again. Great job. You're my hero!

 

[CadXS]

Welcome to the forum summerman

The problem with building a bike in your bedroom (or one of the many problems, lol) is that its the last thing I see falling asleep at night and the first thing I see on waking up. Any lack of progress or motivation is immediately apparent and a bit of a guilt trip, though I've developed the knack of convincing myself that laying in bed looking at motorbikes on the internet is in fact research not lazyness

To be honest I'm not in a great rush to get it finished as at some point I will have to take it to bits and rebuild on the side of the road. Not really looking forward to that to be honest and I'm waiting for the warmer (and dryer) weather.

Get your bike dug out asap and start up a build thread. We have several chopper/bobber style threads running but not many cafe I think. Check out Hornix's bike for some inspiration.

Caddy

 

[drewpy]

hope you got somewhere to store it in safety? don't want some scrote taking all your BST!

 

[CadXS]

1am in the morning, listening to the Super Bowl on the radio, I really should be asleep

Got some 22mm plastic over flow pipe to try out different styles of handlebars, and a HSS jigsaw blade to trim up my seat pan.

Seat pan mostly trimmed to size now...

I think I'm liking a drag style handlebar with a pullback...

Dug out a Bates style headlight I've had for ages to try something different to the red CEV light. I would have to locate the speedo somewhere else as well.

Steelers just got a touch down before half time, damn, I thought is was all over and now I may have to stay up for the last two quarters. Gonna be asleep at work tomorrow...

 

[volcomskater77]

IMO i like the torpedo red headlight. ya just dont see that many around and it gives the bike a mean, goin fast while still look to it.

 

[CadXS]

Small update as I've managed not to do much in the last few weeks as usual.

Pick up a new rear fender, a ribbed BSA replica with ducktail. Been trying to decide what position I like best and how to mount it to the swingarm before trimming to size.

2 o'clock position...

...or 1 o'clock position???

I've got some 10mm round bar to make some struts but I'm struggling to come up with a good looking method of connecting the other end to the swingarm

One cardboard bracket...

...or two...

Also picked up some old BMW bars that kinda look like low Biltwells. I'm liking them I think

With some gear on them...

Small steps and all that.

Caddy

 

[crush1776]

Your bike is going to be killer when you finalize all of your decisions! I like the 1 o'clock on the rear fender better personally. You may want to think about some adjustability for chain adjustments. I mounted a wheel hugger rear fender on my sportster with bungs welded to the lower part of the fender and slotted brackets on each side of the swingarm. Then a single bracket on the front of the fender much like you have mocked up, with a rod running to the front of the swingarm with adjustable rod ends on each end. I'll try and post up some pics soon. Good Luck!

 

[hardtailed77]

My vote is also for the 1 o'clock position...has more of a tracker look to me. I would probably go for the two struts instead of one, for rigidity purposes only though.

If you don't mind telling Cad, where did you pick up the fender from? I've been looking at one the same style from Lowbrow.

 

[ivor]

I assume that you wouldn't weld brackets 'end on' like those cardboard mock-ups ? The end of the bracket would eventually push through and crack the mudguard. (But I'm probably teaching you to suck eggs though ).

ps, 1 o'clock looks better, but if you're going to ride that here in the winter, 2 o'clock may be more sensible

 

[ivor]

Just a thought, you could use some off cut of the muddie welded to the inside at the mounting point to strengthen it, double skin like .

 

[CadXS]

ps, 1 o'clock looks better, but if you're going to ride that here in the winter, 2 o'clock may be more sensible

That's the dilemma Ivor, I agree with you, HT and Crush that 1 o'clock looks best but thinking of riding in the rain (let's be honest, it happens a lot here) would I get water thrown up my back.

Also the fact that the chain will stretch and the wheel need adjusting is playing into my thinking.

How much do modern chains stretch? There is loads of room for the rear axel to adjust but I cannot believe the chain would stretch so much.

 

[XS400D]

That's the dilemma Ivor, I agree with you, HT and Crush that 1 o'clock looks best but thinking of riding in the rain (let's be honest, it happens a lot here) would I get water thrown up my back.

Also the fact that the chain will stretch and the wheel need adjusting is playing into my thinking.

How much do modern chains stretch? There is loads of room for the rear axel to adjust but I cannot believe the chain would stretch so much.

SOLUTION!!! 1:30. It still keeps more of the look as well as giving you a bit more rain protection. Best of both worlds