johndoeafro

Hello fellow forum members,

This is my first post and my intention is to document my project in a place where feedback and knowledge will be gained. Any suggestions to accopmlish what I have lined out will be greatly appreciated.

I'm starting with a stock 2004 (though it does have high mount Jardines).

I'm trying to get to this.


I've been planning on something like this for a while. I went down on the bike the other day (moderate acceleration in 18 degree weather) so I decided to pull the trigger, although the only damage done was a broken lever and a hole in the crankcase. Here is a list of the work I've outlined.
-replace right crankcase cover
-convert to manual cct's
-cut and mount front fairing radiator covers
-mount single headlight and gauge cluster
-alter subframe to raise tail angle
-cut exhaust cans
-wrap exhaust to cans
-jet carbs (If necessary with the changes to exhaust)
-mount license plate under tail
-attach frame sliders
-paint hot rod matte black

I know that there's a lot of knowledge and experience wrapped up into this site and the people who make it what it is. I would be quite thankful to receive even more than what I've gained from this forum thus far. However, this is not a wedding dress, fellas. I will continue to post my progress.
Thanks

7moore7

This may help with the carbs:
https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...-set-up-24769/

And welcome! Pictures! Pictures!

klx678

Nice 'shop job. I like the thought process. Pipe idea looks good and I really like keeping the fairing sides. The CB900 headlight looks pretty cool too.

Not sure I'd be on-board with no front fender... rode very briefly with no front fender on an off roader - put it back on fast. All that crap sprayed out in front of the bike coming back on me just didn't get it. I'd keep the front fender, but maybe tuck it down closer to the tire to blend in more. The matte black will make it more or less disappear.

Some thoughts:

On rear view mirrors if you want some that work and aren't sticking out like a sore thumb. Get a set of 1983 Honda CB650SC Nighthawk mirrors. They are black and have an extremely slender stem (about 1/4" diameter) that kind of "detaches" them from the bike in appearance. They were still available from a Honda dealer for about $35 each. They just don't have that standard fat stemmed gobby Mickey Mouse ear look of the aftermarket stuff or the width/vulernability of bar ends.



For turn signals, if you keep them, the ones from the rear of a Buell Ulysses work great front and rear (no running light though, but who cares). I tried small signals, but they were junk. Two sets of crap, one from Lockhart Phillips, who wouldn't even answer an email about the junk parts they sold. The Buell signals have a great shape use standard bulbs and sell for $15.99 each. It does take a no-load automotive relay though. I wish I'd have done them first time around on the Zephyr. The parts guy at AD Farrow H-D knew exactly what I wanted. He said dual sport guys come in and buy them. Quality and decent short stems that are flexible. Again, in black they almost disappear visually. The lenses are even a very dark amber as opposed to the usual bright color.



Here's one on a dual sport. The bulbs don't show through that good, no idea why this one looks that way.



Another shot. The stem is very flexible.

johndoeafro

Thanks, 7. That carb write-up is something I really needed and I had not seen it yet even with all of my forum probing.

KLX-
Front fender. Very good thoughts. I think I will cut it back a bit and keep it on standby, but I'll give it a shot without it as it doesn't rain much here (my biggest concern).

Mirrors. I just got these in the mail.
B Motorcycle Bar End Mirror Ducati Kawasaki Buell BMW | eBay
They fit nicely between the bar end weights and I can see better than I could with the stockers, and 10 bucks.

Turn signals. I dig 'em. I will either go that route or I will run some from aztec8.
Anyone have much experience their products? I may actually go for their single round headlight kit with mounting brackets, signals and gauge mount.
Products

Also...
CCTs. I want to do this all on the cheap so I was planning on saving 120 bucks and converting my OEMs. But I'm liking the thought of buying a set from you. Are they available at a moments notice and how has feedback been? Any further issues with leakage on the rear cylinder?

7moore7

I've seen some pretty cool shaped front fenders- you could have a lot of fun with that. And I totally dig bar end mirrors. This project should be cool. Nice photoshop on the bike too- Someone else on here cut the fender to cover the rads. Not sure who it was, but they put a small pair of stacked HID lights on the front too... I'm real interested in seeing how this bigger light you have will look.

Where in Colorado are you at?

johndoeafro

Thanks. It might have been calitoz you're thinking about, and I'm in Fort Collins.

Here we go.

Fairing marked for the chop.


I've got wildfires in Colorado to fight and a sick wife to care for at the moment. That's right. A true American hero (smell sarcasm?). I'm on hold while I take care of business. I'm waiting on parts and supplies anyway. I think I've got about three weeks before I start throwing hissy fits and temper tantrums from not riding. Better get busy.

7moore7

Sweet man, I grew up in Loveland, so those are my old stomping grounds! I've heard how dry it is up there- not looking too good for the summer. Strange moving from the Front Range to Phoenix- we have less drought awareness and water conservation by far down here than up there...

Firefly

Fellow colorado resident checking in!

What are the gauges you are planning on running? Because I'm about to hook up a Veypor I here in the next week, and answer any questions you had on it if you were interested.

I really like that flow of the design, with a slightly raised tail the bike would look mean. You might not have to modify the subframe though, there's spacers for the rear shock that'll raise it a good inch. But I guess with the other modifications you're making to the rear section you might as well while you have it off.

I think this e'll give you an idea of what that headlight and blinkers you were thinking about would look like:


The drawing for the finished product is here if you there's any inspiration you can draw from that: https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...concept-24729/

On a side note, have you looked at the LSL Urban headlight? It's a tad expensive, but I think it would fit your form well.

johndoeafro

What up Firefly-
I like the places your bike seems to be going.

Tail. I thought about spacers but didn't want to make the bike taller. The seat height where the seat meats the tank is unchanged with my plans to alter the subframe. Everything rear of that point is another story. Any more thoughts on this would be helpful becasue.....

I DO NOT ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. I'm learning and moving.

Headlight and gauges. I dig what you've got. I would also love an LSL, but that is out of the question. I was planning on running the stock gauges on the aztec mount. Trimmed down as much as possible of course. This is for simiplicity (don't trust that I have the electrical skill to get another set of gauges to work) and for frugality. Did you have options to trim the cluster any further or mount them any tighter against the tripple?

klx678

Can't beat $10! I will tell you, you will not regret doing the turn signals since they are a robust OEM signal that is also DOT legal (like anyone actually ever checks that).

As for tensioners, when the first ones get down to two sets I will be getting more bodies cut. No plan to do some limited thing. Like the others I usually have at least a couple or more being cut.

7moore7

Haha! This is funny.

As far as gauges, people have gotten F4i gauges and 1000rr gauges to work on their bikes- the bonus of this is that they are weather sealed and much smaller than your setup. It's not SUPER hard re-wire the bike. I had zero experience and got f4i to work on mine- just two wiring diagrams and about 2-3 hours of time. If I did it again it would take me 20 min... fired right up and worked the first time, though.

I actually went through trying to fit the stock gauges on a naked bike with no successful mount for my taste. I've seen it done tastefully on naked VTR's though somewhere on this site and that was with no mods to the gauges or mounts.

This is my start from knowing very little (the gauge attempts are in here somewhere): https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...rebuild-23868/

Firefly

Well how exactly are you going to alter the subframe? Are you going to cut it, bend it, and weld any new material in? I'm sure doing that you could have the seat still fit fine and everything, though removing it and putting it on might be a larger challenge.

I posted a gauges write up in my build thread. https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...29/#post299667

The whole thing pivots with the gauge mounts and the headlight on independent mounts, and can move up and down the forks so you can move it on any axis you want, thought you might need to have a new strait bracket made if you find a position you like your headlight in but don't like the gauges in.

t99ford

I am a fan of any kind of cafe racer! Here are a couple links to the cafe conversions I did to my SH. One has some pics of the modified subframe I made, I think. I will be following!

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...eaaaavy-24550/

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...tr-done-24730/