Must get this done soon, cafe racer project.

[turkeyuk]

started a quick loose build up to check proportions & where everything will eventually fit.
still need to cut & shut seat rails, im going to use the original light & bracket mounting to try & keep it factory looking. The original lamp will be recessed into the back of the seat unit when ive got the profile right. Im also hoping to use the seat lock too so the seat unit can just be lifted off, probably be enough room for gloves & a disc lock too.

Ive utilized a standard battery mount for the oil tank, it will have the redundant tabs ground off.

i have another battery mount which will fit nicely under the seat which will also look factory & mount all the electrics together. I will possibly cut down a plastic undertray to keep everything out of the wet & muck.

Dominator engine coming together to check everything before being pulled down for vapour blasting & powder coating.

just need to decide on position of silencers (high or low) when the chassis is altered & seat unit fitted then i can get some downpipes bent up.

[turkeyuk]

playing with position of silencers,

standard.

the 'Matchless'

The 'Ducati'

i think i prefer the last one & looks best for ground clearance & i wont burn my thighs

[turkeyuk]

Got a little bit more done.
Chassis rails cut down.

a bit of triming to fit the seat unit still needed around shock top mounts to get it to sit at the right angle, i decided to use the original seat base for strength & support, i will utilize some of the original foam & seat cover rather than the crap foam pad on the rs seat unit and trim the front of the rs unit to fit the seat pad.

original back light & bracket should fit nicely, cut down & re welded to frame rails, also i should be able to have the seat lock in situ. With the tabs on the front of the standard seat base it should be held secure & lift on & off like a factory seat.

Original battery tray & electrics to be mounted under seat hump with plenty of room

[turkeyuk]

Got some time on the engine this evening,

654cc Piston (100.5mm) giving 11.24:1 compression with an xbr500 head. Rings cleaned & checked, bore is ok with honing marks still visible, i will probably re hone it anyway.
Secondary cam chain tensioner fitted on the barrel.



Started on gas flowing my head, ist removing burrs & rough casting marks, standard heads are supposed to flow quite well so just a little smoothing of the ports needed & no drastic material removal necessary.



Standard valves checked, guides checked. R&D valve springs & retainers to go in.

Will finish off when i vapor blast everything & double check with a little polish up.
Also got a blanking plate for the redundant starter gear recess

[guest288]

Looking like it's coming long nicely, it's good when you work out where bits and pieces look best, btw, I like the silencers the same way you do- keep us posted!

[turkeyuk]

cheers mark, hows yours coming along?

[turkeyuk]

cheers mark, hows yours coming along?

Sorry 'Dave' this is where the edit function would be handy

[guest288]

I think the word is 'slow'... I keep putting bits together then taking them apart again to do something else... I think I've got mostly what I need now, it's just a case of assembly and leaving it assembled!!!

[turkeyuk]

Just about sorted the fit of the seat unit, decided to cut down the front of the seat base where i was going to use much of the original seat foam for a more minimalist seat pad, still plenty of foam under your bum so shouldnt be too uncomfortable.

Got the back light recess just about right, needs a little more shaping to sit right then i can weld the back part of the frame rails i have cut off in the right position & fit the seat lock. (The seat unit locates & lifts off nicely).

Started prepping the seat & tank for gloss black paint.

Kelly Brook was unavailable on the day of the photoshoot guys sorry about the stand in

Jobs to do, rebuild forks,
finish head gas flowing & rebuild engine,
make hangers for silencers,
bend up some stainless headers,
zinc plate all the fastners, Done my old 16t front sprocket

powdercoat chassis,
upholster seat base & fit bum stop from original pillion cowl,
find a JMC swingarm
get me some of those nice spoked rim conversions on original hubs

so all in all, be ready around this time next summer

[turkeyuk]

quick update, been really busy with no time, space & other projects have limited progress.
Anyhow been changing tack a bit with what i want the overall project to turn out like so have decided to sell the wheels, swingarm, brakes (new) hagon springs f&r, forks, yokes, bars, etc etc (see classifieds)

hopefully will have some updates soon

[turkeyuk]

had a chance to get a few bits done, cases vapour blasted.

[turkeyuk]

brief list of new parts to fit:

Aprilia RS125 09' front end with radial brakes

Aprilia 650 Pegaso hubs being rebuilt with 17" alloy rims by Steve Lomas at Five One Wheels.

Honda Cb400 super four alloy swingarm,

Yamaha XJR1200 Ohlins piggyback Shocks

Aprilia RS125 race rearsets

im hoping the final look will be 'modern' cafe racer.

I want to fit a monza cap to the tank, does anybody know where you can get a weld in threaded stub for the steel tank? or if you can get an adapter to fit in the original recess?

otherwise just needs the engine putting back together, some powdercoat & paint & stainless downpipes making up.

pics to follow soon.