Topic: The Caf� Rider.... (Read 2846 times)

Blackjack · « **on:** October 07, 2008, 08:59:53 pm »

Picture's a bit crap as it's side on, but this is something I've been working on for one of the magazines I write for...

It's a 80/81 Z550 Kawasaki with a modified stock frame and custom built tin.

Think clip on bars and rear sets.

horsethief · « **Reply #1 on:** October 08, 2008, 02:11:54 am »

It will be interesting to see how this comes along...

Dave · « **Reply #2 on:** October 09, 2008, 10:05:41 am »

you know.. i like that look.. street fighter style, with a stretched, raked frame.. this is interesting.. keep us up to speed on this one blackjack.. a small race type fairing would blend nicely on this.. lots of possibilties.. i've no doubt you will make it happen..

Blackjack · « **Reply #3 on:** October 10, 2008, 10:02:22 pm »

Guess what this is?

Apart from over complicated.

Dave · « **Reply #4 on:** October 12, 2008, 12:22:41 am »

i'll bite.. shifter mechanism ?? something to do with a rear to mid control part ??

horsethief · « **Reply #5 on:** October 12, 2008, 01:09:50 am »

Ummm, a part for a rear brake control setup?

Blackjack · « **Reply #6 on:** October 12, 2008, 01:24:31 am »

Close Dave

But Horsethief got it.

It's the back of the rear set control for the brake side.

The drum brake needs a 7:1 pedal ratio. Because the pedal is concentric with the peg, that makes it quite short, which means a lot of angular movement for a given amount of linear movement with your foot. That causes all sorts of problems if you're pulling directly on the rod.

So what I got is a 3.5:1 pedal (mounted the other side of the plate) that operates the 2:1 idler you can see in the pic to pull on the brake rod. The rod with the spring on it is the combined brake pedal return and adjustable stop.

Sat in the shop it seems to work pretty well.

On the bike all the "gizmoness" is hidden behind the plate. Casual observers will probably miss it, the more interested should spot it after a few minutes. I think that's kind of fun.

Blackjack · « **Reply #7 on:** March 03, 2009, 10:49:02 pm »

Done stuff.

Here's a pic from a few weeks back, and one of the mufflers I'm making for the 4-2.

Dave · « **Reply #8 on:** March 09, 2009, 09:24:44 am »

bro.. your work is always interesting to veiw.. the frame looks very well done.. the idea in general , totally outside the box.. i know its a cafe' style, but i'd drop the rear down lowered on some stiff shocks.. just a thought..

Blackjack · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2009, 09:51:46 pm »

But....

If I dropped the rear, the Kawasaki logo on the side of the motor wouldn't be level anymore.

Dave · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2009, 11:30:50 pm »

damn.. the prices of cool.. one or the other.. damned if you do.... damned if you dont.. in any case.. great lil' bike..

xylene61 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2009, 11:35:50 am »

Clever mechanism you've produced for the brake lever. A lot of thought went into the making of that device, I'm sure. Looks like tons of thought went into the whole concept. As with Dave's thought, drop the rear, but you'll have to slot the whole motor, so that Kawi logo stays level...*giggles*

Dave · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2009, 09:42:24 am »

black jack does some really neat stuff bazil .. with a large variety of bikes.. thats one of the coolest things about his work.. he takes anything & does it justice..

Blackjack · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2009, 01:40:18 pm »

Thought is free.

I can afford lots of it.

Blackjack · « **Reply #14 on:** May 21, 2009, 11:52:57 pm »

Well, I made the "fairing" for it, and got it mounted.

Pictures got way too much clutter in it, but I'd nearly dropped the bike three or four times, practically fallen over about the same number of times, and actually fallen over once by then, so I was kind of thinking "Fuck trying to get this outside..."

Dave · « **Reply #15 on:** May 22, 2009, 09:35:27 am »

very unique.. very nice look..

Blackjack · « **Reply #16 on:** October 25, 2009, 06:53:03 pm »

Done stuff and arsed about with this. I got a bit stuck on what to do with the intake. Running four open carbs didn't seem like the best idea...

Pods are getting dearer all the time too. So I thought velocity stacks would do the job, in keeping with the cafe race look, and sort of reminiscent of the 70's.

Never mind pod filter, you seen how much velocity stacks are?

So screw that, make some. Seen quite a few people doing this on the 'net, and frankly they're all a bit mad, cause most of them are machining stacks from solid on manual lathes.

WTF?

This is not easy, and that's not easy, and this is why velocity stacks were always pressed or spun from tube before everyone started thinking in terms of CNC machining.

Since what I had was stainless tube and that wasn't likely to spin worth a crap, I machined a press tool and enlisted the fly press in the program, Can't see why a hydraulic press wouldn't have worked though....

Scored some woven stainless mesh off of the guy in the next unit to finish them off with. Cut out the circles of mesh, domed them usinf a hole I cut in a piece of timber and my thumbs and then trapped that under the lip I made on the stacks.

Started the lip off by pressing the tool into the tube until there was around 1/8" of tube sticking out past the tool, and then dressing that up onto the tool with a hammer. I thinkk I could have got that to work by making a female tool, but whether the flypress would have dealt with that...

Once the lip was vertical, I clamped a piece od 1 5/8" tube in the vise and slid the flared out 1 3/4" 16 gauge onto that so I could dress the lip over further.

With that done I coul feed the mesh domes under the lip.

Needs a little more finessing, and I had to cut some strips of 20 thou pool liner to take up the slack as 304 tube take more crimping up that a hose clip will supply even with 8 frigging slots cut in the tube.

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