RobbieRobot Cafe Racer Project in pictures

Research Por-15. It's an organic paint that cures hard when the temperature gets to 300*. You can spray it or brush it on.
But wear a good mask this stuff will give you a good headache .

 

robbie,
what are those plugs you used to plug the intakes prior to spraying?
cheers
stu

 

looks like the rubber feet off crutches or for a cane.

CN

 

Man, every time I get discouraged, all i do is look at your bike and get the itch to go back into the garage. Your bike is awesome.

 

They are, as CN has commented, the type of rubber feet as used on chair legs, walking sticks, etc. Purchased at B&Q several years ago. I usually find a use for things eventually.

 

That's so kind of you and also very encouraging to me to stick at it despite the freezing temperatures out in the garage. Thankyou.

 

This is an awesome project thread, now all I need is to send my child to college so I can have time… wait she is only 1 year old… oh well, one day

 

Ha ha ecologito, you are in the same position as I was 28years ago. Enjoy it while it lasts. You'll soon wonder where time has gone, as I do now.

 

Automatic cam chain tensioner fitted.

 

Engine 'B' ready to be fitted into the frame.

 

Engine 'B' lifted into the frame.

 

Engine 'B' in the frame.

 

hell yes!

 

Engine 'B' all ready to test run.

 

YAY

 

Awesome. Congrats, Rob!

 

First test ride up and down the street a couple of times. All seems well so far. I'm looking forward to getting the seat back from the upholsterer now. When I last spoke to him I told him I'd had a set-back so there was no rush. I'm going to have to get back to him now and let him know things are back on track.

 

Well done man, You built a very nice bike. What paint did you use for the engine?

 

Thanks Heyitsme.
The paint I used is the same paint I used on engine 'A' after extensive research and testing. For the brief life of engine 'A' it held it's colour well and withstood oil and petrol contact as it did during the testing process. I first heard about it on another website where a guy had tested several products and recommended this because it performed so well and doesn't need oven curing. The paint is Simonez Wheel Silver and is a pleasure to work with. The first engine's lower half was sprayed but the head and barrels were bare media blasted aluminium and the colour match was very similar.

 

Today I rode the 30 mile round trip to the auto trimmers shop, the same trip that ended in disaster for the original engine. I'm pleased to report that the seat tailoring exercise went well and after some trial fitting we ended up with a very comfortable and well adjusted riding position for the foam. The guy says that's the hardest part over, the easy bit for him is making the cover and stitching it all up. He hopes to have it finished in about a week although he is extremely busy and has about 20 other motorcycle seats on the go. Can't wait to get it back. The bike didn't miss a beat all the way there and back and although I was mostly cruising at 60 I did get up to 80 at one point. A quick look at the plugs when I got home indicated that things can't be too far out as they were a nice light brown. I expect to be experimenting with jetting for performance in the upper band at a later date but so far so good upto now. My plan for this weekend is to strip all of the steel fasteners, brackets and bits and pieces and take them along to a highly recommended company for zinc electro plating. All in all a good day. Now to get this last 12 hour nightshift done and dusted.

 

Great news

 

Outside the Auto-Trimmers shop with seat foam prior to trimming.

 

love this bike

 

This weekend I decided to re-visit the mudguard (fender) mounting. So, to begin with, I made a cardboard template and went from there.

 

Then I cut out two alluminium plates from a 3mm sheet.

 

Then I formed and drilled them.

 

Then after polishing I fitted them.

 

I think they turned out quite well and are a big improvement.

 

I shortened the mudguard a bit. Partly because I didn't want it flapping about and partly to remove the rear section that had previously been drilled.

 

The end result is very rigid and I even cut-up an old rubber inner-tube and sandwiched it between the alloy bracket and the stainless steel mudguard to minimize corrosion.

 

Much nicer but wouldn't they be even better inside the mudguard?

 

Thanks Andy, This is where I got the inspiration for the design and I really like it. As they say, you can't please all of the people all of the time!

 

See what you mean, it was just a suggestion
It's your bike, it should be done your way
I still love it by the way

 

A couple of photos of my first Café Racer. It's a Triton and I was 18yrs old at the time err... about 37yrs ago. I'd just finished re-spraying it.

 

No. It belongs to the people of the interwebs now. You must sate us all.



Looks awesome, Robbie. Can't wait to see the seat, too. And nice flashback picture.

 

Thanks BW, one tries one's best. Ha ha

 

Just collected the seat today after several weeks waiting. The quality and workmanship are superb but I think I'll go back and see if he can improve the transitional appearance where it abuts the tank. On the positive side the seating position, height and comfort are perfect.

 

ha! I was going to say the only issue I have is that "transition" otherwise, you nailed it! nice work!

CN

 

That is unfortunate... if it had just angled forward instead of backward. And it's probably going to mean starting over completely to alter it. Did the guy working on it not have the bike present to see how it fit? Was he just going off the tail section?

That aside, it looks otherwise perfect. Great style, and the rivet finish really helps tie everything together. Jealous. I think the cafe bug has officially bitten me. My bobber needs a brother.

 

Yeah, he should have angled it forward instead of back. I took the bike over twice for him to get measurements but it was his colleague who cut the foam. I rode it back over there today and he is prepared to re-do it but he is just too busy and has no room to store the bike. I've come away with a piece of the material to try and attempt a temporary fix until he has more time. Not to worry. I'll see what I can come up with. In fairness It was originally going to tuck under the tank but after it was done it looked better abutting the tank.

 

A video of me setting off to the Auto Trimmers to talk about tweaking the seat.

 

A photo stop along the North Yorkshire coast.

 

What if you add a pad on the knee indent of the tank, and have that pad extend over the gap?