CHRYSALIS - CRUD TO CAFE RACER

2012-02-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

Another very small update,not been up to much as I have been waiting for the spacers for my rear wheel and sprocket set up which a friend of mine has been making very slowly! Anyway the set up works great and everything looks pretty good.
Had my tyres fitted so I could do a dry run and work on the rear mudguard. I am trying to use the front mudguard from the cbx, with a little trimming I think it will look great. Going to weld a upright/bracket on the swingarm to mount it to. Here is a pic for you to look at, any input welcomed.

Obviously I will trim off the original mounting pieces and the piece you can see below the swingarm to be left with just a normal looking guard.What do you think?

Seat mounts are go!!!!

2012-01-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

Ok another small update, a little bit each day they say don't they? Or in my case a little bit every other week! If you could see our wet weather you would understand why.
Anyway on with the show. Fashioned four mounting brackets to mount the seat unit and got them positioned and welded on. Took a while but when it's bolted up it is very solid. The rear ones are at a slightly off angle due to the contour of the fibreglass underneath. Very pleased with how it turned out.

You can see how wet it has been in the pictures by the green moss stuff that grows on our patio in a matter of weeks. Grrr.

Also in the top pic you can see I took a template of the rear end and made a plate to sit inside the frame. I intend to mount my rectifier and various other electrical items on it at a later date.
So apart from ordering some goodies that's about it for now. Next problem is what to do about side panels...thinking maybe some old fashioned number boards? Think I will make another template to see what it looks like.

2011-12-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

So I have found a little time after stuffing my face with xmas turkey and many other things to do some work!
Took the plunge and cut off the old rear end replaced it with my pre formed new one. Fitted great thank god.

Made up new down tube supports and welded the cross member back in (with holes in) and cleaned it all up, looks quite good if I do say so myself! Here is the result with the tank in place.

Got a new sprocket in the post which was great apart from being the wrong one. Looked nice in gold anodise though so I am looking forward to it's replacement.
Next job is to make the mounts for the seat unit, get on with it as long as the weather stays dry. Which is not very often here!

New arrival!

2011-12-07T13:25:00.001-08:00

So my new custom built seat unit arrived today. Looks very good quality, the seat colour is a little different to what I thought, but it's okay.

It looks a little big on the bike.... the angle of the rear pod is a bit steep but I think it looks worse because the frame kicks up at the back end. My next job is to cut the frame rails off where it kicks up and make a new section to weld on to support the unit. You can see from the next picture how much it rises, so when it's done it should look better, I hope!!!

I made a template for the new rails so it's off to see a friend to get some tube bent up. Also ordered my new sprocket with a 5mm offset, in gold anodised aluminum.That should look cool on the bike against the black wheels.

In the beginning.

2011-11-29T03:31:00.001-08:00

So here we are at the beginnng of my journey into the world of cafe racers.Hopefully you will enjoy following my progress or my mistakes!
This Honda CBX550 was left resting in a friends garage for eight years before I decided to rescue it (always been a sucker for lost causes!) and give it a new life. After a quick clean up this is what I was left with.

Not a bad starting point I suppose but not my bag. I love the cafe racer style of bike so that is the route I will be taking.
This picture will give you an idea of what I am going for.Excuse the rough paint edit.

These bikes featured anti dive forks and inboard brakes which are a bit of a nightmare for everyday use and where discontinued by Honda after a couple of years. Personally I wanted to use conventional brakes and forks so the hunt was on for suitable forks and wheels to replace the originals. After a quick check on the carbs and plugs etc I connected a battery and fired it up. Started first stab of the button after sitting for eight years!Good old Honda. The engine seems to run well and all gears selected so I will leave it alone for now apart from servicing it.
Took everything apart and was left with a bare frame. Located some forks and wheels from a Yamaha RD350 YPVS which has the same diameter forks but the fork width/spread is different.The Yamaha forks are 10mm narrower than the Honda so I made up a couple of 5mm spacers to get them to fit the original yokes.Will need two more spacers made up when I fit the brake calipers.

As you can see I have a very understanding wife, I don't have a garage so it's currently being worked on in the dining room! Love my wife.
At first I thought I would have a go at making my own seat unit and began with a cardboard mock up.

On making it and spot welding it to the frame I decided I did'nt like it so off it came and instead I splashed some cash and purchased this beauty from a company called Vonzetti in Brixham,Devon.

Expensive, but I hope worth it! Still waiting for it to be made so fingers crossed.
Also ordered a few parts for later including clipons,tyres,oil & filters,bearings,chain & sprockets and some slip on mufflers.
More soon.