Cafe racer build!!!

deadfrednc

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Hey guys, I just wanted to share a build on here and get a little input or constructive criticism. Back in April I bought my first motorcycle I really wanted an older British bike but funds were lacking lol. So I settled for an older Japanese bike 81 Honda cb650. I hope to be painting the tank and seat here soon kind of on the fence with colors but I'm leaning toward an off white. Here's it's stages from start till now.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067498.625112.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067593.033200.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067641.130324.jpg
Homemade fiberglass seat didn't turn out so well I'll leave that to the pros lol
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067725.242870.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067740.492172.jpg
So there she is in her current state. Made a 367 mile round trip to the beach last weekend and did great. Here's a pic of the petcock I currently have in the tank and it's the only one I found that fit the bung. It exits straight down into the carb boot and puts a kink in the line still flows but I'm not that fond of it. Any ideas on how to make the brass part come out at a 90 degree angle? Not sure how it was installed I imagine it's pressed in.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408068031.810686.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067498.625112.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067593.033200.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067641.130324.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067725.242870.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408067740.492172.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408068031.810686.jpg
 
Hey guys, I just wanted to share a build on here and get a little input or constructive criticism. Back in April I bought my first motorcycle I really wanted an older British bike but funds were lacking lol. So I settled for an older Japanese bike 81 Honda cb650. I hope to be painting the tank and seat here soon kind of on the fence with colors but I'm leaning toward an off white. Here's it's stages from start till now.View attachment 81915View attachment 81916View attachment 81917
Homemade fiberglass seat didn't turn out so well I'll leave that to the pros lol
View attachment 81918View attachment 81919
So there she is in her current state. Made a 367 mile round trip to the beach last weekend and did great. Here's a pic of the petcock I currently have in the tank and it's the only one I found that fit the bung. It exits straight down into the carb boot and puts a kink in the line still flows but I'm not that fond of it. Any ideas on how to make the brass part come out at a 90 degree angle? Not sure how it was installed I imagine it's pressed in.View attachment 81922


Nice job.
 
Nice build, looks like fun.

With regard to the petcock, you could drill out the existing nipple then tap the hole for 1/8 NPT and screw in an angled fitting. I have seen short angled barbed nipples that would work also. http://www.mcmaster.com/#tube-barbs/=ta8we6 Look at the barb-both-ends option.

Another option might be to use the existing nipple, and install a longer fuel line with a loop in it. I have used this trick on a few occasions.
 
I believe the brass nipple is just pressed into the petcock casting. I would pull it and make one to replace it. Make a nice brass pipe with a curve in it to fit your needs and press it back in place with a little LocTite.

BTW, nice bike!

GG
 
I believe the brass nipple is just pressed into the petcock casting. I would pull it and make one to replace it. Make a nice brass pipe with a curve in it to fit your needs and press it back in place with a little LocTite.

BTW, nice bike!

GG
I would suggest you SWEAT SOLDER a 90 deg ell on & go from there.

fixit
 
Nice cafe bike, built a few of them myself and enjoy building them.

As far as the petcock, yes the brass fittings are pressed into the casting. You could either tap a 1/8-27 NPT and install a street elbow or what would probably look nicer is to bend a brass tube with a nice radius and press then solder it in place. After removing these I have almost always found it a good idea to solder them back in. Originally when they are pressed in at the factory they seem to seal up pretty well. However, once removed and tried to reinstall there is a high chance that they will leak, so I choose to solder them in once I remove and reinstall them.

Mike.
 
All very good suggestions so far. I'll add one more option. To avoid the kink you have I would use a hose with a short radius 90* L moulded into the hose. If you will PM me your address I'll drop send you one on the Pony Express. I keep them around just for that reason.

Oh, and looks like a neat project. Don't hammer yourself too bad, your seat/fender combo looks really good for a first attempt. It took me several attempts before I could be confident that my seat pans would hold up in real life after a high dollar seat was upholstered to it. It's a craft that takes a little time.

Keep us posted.
 
I'd twist that one out and put in a right angle one and not even look back. You could either find a right angle one that was long enough and cut off the barb/bulb on the end or there are ones that thread into the right angle block and you could get a piece of pipe to replace the threaded barb and thread that into the block. If you wanted to do it real cheap then you could bend some soft copper pipe to 90 degrees and use that. I've used all of those approaches on cars for vacuum, water, and fuel lines.

Also since it's not pressurized you should not have a huge worry over a spray of gas on a hot manifold. If you are prone to worry then when you put the new pipe in put some gasoline safe epoxy on it. If you are obsessive then thread the body and the pipe and epoxy it. Whatever floats your boat.

Good luck!

Daniel
 
Wow lots of good options guys thanks. I went and picked up paint today so when I start that early next week (hopefully) I'll work on that petcock. Picked up several colors from my parents house that have been left over from other projects. Now I've got to decide how I want to paint it. Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback and I'll be posting pics soon I hope.

Richard
 
Great save on the old bike. I had a 77 KZ1000 before I made the transition to Harley and did a similar build. Thinking back, that was probably my favorite bike. Please post up lots of photos of the build.
 
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