Thanks folks! Showbiz: I get excited to post updates, so I know how you feel! Menno & Pete: thanks for following along! Hopefully I won't disappoint anybody....

One thing I did last night that I didn't take nearly enough pictures of was the turn signal / license plate mount. Basically a "T" shaped plate I cut / bent / and drilled to fit. Still needs a little bit of work (corners rounded, holes deburred,  powder coated, etc) but here it is bolted up:



I bought those led signals years ago and they are the brightest ones I've seen. Unfortunately it appears I've misplaced one of the 4.....

Now, for the taillight area. Everything will be bolted to a this piece of steel that is welded to the frame. Here are the holes laid out and drilled:



The 1157 bulb mounts bolted on, and led angel eyes mounted temporarily :



I have one led 1157 bulb, but the other bulb broke somehow - so I'll be ordering a new one of those.

I had a hard time trying to compare the differences in lighting in pictures.... but here's what I have. Running lights illuminated :



And the brake lights lit up (the 1157 bulbs and the led angel eyes):

My eyes actually hurt from looking at the brake lights trying to take pictures..... last one:



Looks like a rocket booster! Haha....

Rocket launch!!!! Haha this is too cool. What is your go-to piece of equipment for cutting metal Rich?

Just a miscellaneous assortment of cut off wheels. I have a couple 4.5" grinders in my garage with different wheels attached, along with a pneumatic tools as well. And of course a dremel for the really small stuff.

Oh, and I've used different jigsaws with metal blades as well. That's what was used to cut & shape the aluminum rear rearset mounts. Little wd40 or similar helps out with aluminim....

That is awesome... I use an air tool with a wheel (no guard, it gets in the way) to do pretty much all my cutting. I force myself to wear glasses/goggles even though it is irritating most of the time lol. I wish I had more of a selection at my disposal, I probably should invest in more of a variety but I've been getting along pretty well so far. THANKS for the tip about the WD40 and aluminum, I will be sure to remember that!!

The machine shop I work at use to be very slack about their safety requirements when it came to grinding metal. Safety glasses were required, but no hearing protection or face shields were necessary. Since OSHA tightened up the rules though, we all got full face shields and hard hats.... the hard hats are kinda silly IMO, but the face shields are awesome! Now I wear a full face shield AND the hard hat when cutting metal in the garage too. When I was only wearing safety glasses, I was still squinting to protect my eyes (and usually goobering up the cut). With a face shield I just go to town with the cutting wheel.

I may have a spare face shield and head harness out in the garage - want it?

Omg that would be sweet... I would totally use it!!!    And I agree, I squint behind the glasses too.

Deal. I'll check in the morning when I get off work and get back to you.

Very nice Rich! I was a bit worried in the first photo that you wouldn't get enough reflection of the plain steel plate but after seeing the rocket photo I think you're good 

Thanks Pete! The led 1157 bulbs are dimmer than standard bulbs - I think it's because the leds are only aimed rearward. Should be plenty bright with the angel eyes in there though. If it ends up being a problem, I'm sure I can overcome it.....

Little progress today... first the license plate mount without all the parts attached:

Now for the problems I ran into.... I wanted to fit up the Hayabusa shifter to make sure I have a proper shift linkage. Come to find out, the Busa shifter has left handed threads while the splined connection on the motor side has right handed threads. Naturally, all my shift linkages are right hand threads on both ends, left handed threads on both ends, or way too short. Not a terrible issue, just needs some cutting / welding.



Since I didn't want to get into all that before heading to bed, I decided to check where the exhaust will end up going. Last time I ran the bike I had a 2-1 exhaust that ran under the engine but it seriously took some ground clearance which always bugged me. I'm going to try to run the original headers, but the stock setup for the shifter pointed up from the shift shafts - and my current setup has it pointing down from the shaft. Again, not a terrible problem since I'll be making a custom exhaust. Still a pain in the butt though.

Oh the joys of custom bikes! Nothing is easy or simple...

I don't know if you remember or not but I initially wanted my pipe to go the right side of the motor, but then when I started the cardboard mock up I realised that would stop me getting the oil dipstick out... 

And of course my most recent escapade with the stacks... replace the carb boots and suddenly the stacks no longer fit 

Going to be so worth it when it's done! Have you considered routing pipes out the other side?

have you thought about duct tape? 

really though, sorry you're having hiccups, hope you get it worked out soon!

I certainly do remember that, Pete. I guess it's all part of the challenge.... like a jigsaw puzzle that wasn't meant to go together.

Menno, duct tape? Don't be silly.... I would have to use aluminum tape at least so it wouldn't burn off! Haha....

Got the shift linkage straightened out today. I overlapped both threaded rods and I tied them together so I could check the shift pedal position, and cut the excess threads off one linkage rod. One 6mm coupler nut and a couple welds later, and we have this:



Tomorrow: I have to take the swingarm off because I found a part I thought I lost.....

Nicely done Rich!

Oh... a bit off topic but related... I recently discovered SV650/1000 footpegs should fit on a 450 with what should be only a little effort except for the brake lever... it's got my little cogs in my head working overtime on a solution... my shifter mechanism has started to wear again...

I'm all ears Pete.... keep me up to date man! My pegs are in good shape right now, but they aren't guaranteed for life or anything...

Eureka!



I was looking at the bike this afternoon and realized a problem with the prior shifter setup.... with the splined connection on the shift shaft pointing down, it would have been the first thing to catch the pavement if I had an off. It was sticking out considerably more than anything else. If I had flipped the splined connection 180°, the bike would become a "GP shift" which isn't any good either. So after digging around in some boxes of GR parts I found an original shifter that would allow me to have that splined connection pointing up, and now I don't need to mess with the exhaust to get it to clear anything!

Might not be as aesthetically pleasing as a chrome Hayabusa lever, but form follows function...

Nicely done Rich! Keeping those old bits and pieces is always a handy thing to do...

I'm definitely contemplating the SV pegs as an option because I'm starting to miss a change here and there if I don't really hammer her into gear, and the fix for the stock setup is going to be more expensive than a set of SV pegs I think. Getting another 33+ year old 450 setup is only going to have the same wear and tear as I have now.