$1500 1500 mile cafe racer scrambler

profile_deleted · May 02, 2018, 07:10:36 AM

I stumbled across a GS500F last November for $1500 with only 1500 miles and couldn't resist a winter project. The only (self imposed) guideline was that I didn't want to spend more on the mods than I had spent on the bike. Thanks to eBay... mission accomplished. Thought I would post a pic and get some feedback (plus I've been sneaking around the forum for free advice as a guest long enough and figured it was time I registered...lol).

Endopotential · May 02, 2018, 12:09:09 PM

Beautiful job! Well done, and on a good budget! You got that bike for a great deal.

Looks a lot like the Moto Guzzi V7. http://www.motoguzzi.com/us_EN/moto/standard/V7-III/V7-III-Stone/

Where did you get your seat, and how did you mount it? Did you change your jets with that tiny little exhaust?

More pics!!! What's that red thing up by the dash / top triple tree?

mr72 · May 02, 2018, 12:21:50 PM

Love it. Maybe you could share specifically what seat you have and the number plates, where they came from and how they are mounted. Plus the rear fender, tail/brake light, and that seat hoop. I'm really interested in what you did since I might try to do basically exactly the same thing. This is right along the lines of what I was considering.

Do tell. It'd save many of us a lot of experimenting and shopping.

TheGreenWeenie · May 02, 2018, 12:28:53 PM

Excellent work man. I am recently finding motivation to get back into my little project. Did you have to modify the subframe to fit the seat?

Also, what clubman bars are you using?

So pretty, very well done.

WesTen Racing · May 02, 2018, 06:38:44 PM

Congratulations. That's a cool bike!
The "red things on top" are the top handlebar clamps.....I think!

Nudie · May 02, 2018, 08:12:50 PM

Top job, well done!

profile_deleted · May 03, 2018, 06:56:21 AM

Quote from: Endopotential on May 02, 2018, 12:09:09 PM
Beautiful job! Well done, and on a good budget! You got that bike for a great deal.

Looks a lot like the Moto Guzzi V7. http://www.motoguzzi.com/us_EN/moto/standard/V7-III/V7-III-Stone/

Where did you get your seat, and how did you mount it? Did you change your jets with that tiny little exhaust?

More pics!!! What's that red thing up by the dash / top triple tree?

Thanks for the feedback. Seat came from eBay $40

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Hump-Cafe-Racer-Seat-For-Honda-CB125S-CB200-CB350-CL350-Black-Red/142526328453?hash=item212f3b2e85:g:suUAAOSwEIFZ0tb8&vxp=mtr

The frame width and the seat mount widths were a perfect match. I only had to drill two holes in the frame that lined up with the mounts from the new seat and I was set (the same bolts also hold on the rear fender and the mount for the small saddelbags. The front mounting point for the seat was equally straightforward... just a piece of bent flat stock that slips in where the original seat did. The "generic" mount that came with the seat wouldn't fit. I did have to grind off the mount for the original seat (and most of the other superfluous "stuff" from the tank back) and also replaced that with a piece of flat stock which also gave me somewhere to relocate the regulator/rectifier.

Tiny little exhaust actually came with the bike and since it was running well... I didn't do anything to it.

Red things are indeed the top clamps (as some one else pointed out) ...and a little Krylon.

profile_deleted · May 03, 2018, 07:17:14 AM

Quote from: TheGreenWeenie on May 02, 2018, 12:28:53 PM
Excellent work man. I am recently finding motivation to get back into my little project. Did you have to modify the subframe to fit the seat?

Also, what clubman bars are you using?

So pretty, very well done.

Thanks. Here are the bars:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-Handlebar-Black-7-8-Cafe-Racer-Clubman-Handle-bars-KZ-XS-CB-650-550/332412471919?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Just about every piece of "non-essential" metal was ground off of the sub frame from the tank back. Then I cut the "excess" sub frame off just behind where the horizontal piece of the sub frame joins the strut coming up from the bottom... also where the tail loop was added Only about three hours work total. No welding involved...since I can't. lol

profile_deleted · May 03, 2018, 07:44:07 AM

Quote from: mr72 on May 02, 2018, 12:21:50 PM
Love it. Maybe you could share specifically what seat you have and the number plates, where they came from and how they are mounted. Plus the rear fender, tail/brake light, and that seat hoop. I'm really interested in what you did since I might try to do basically exactly the same thing. This is right along the lines of what I was considering.

Do tell. It'd save many of us a lot of experimenting and shopping.

TheGreenWeenie · May 03, 2018, 11:18:33 AM

Awesome info. Much appreciated. I think I might have to go ahead and grab that seat if it was as easy as you say. I have already chopped a bunch of the "fluff" off the subframe for another seat i was planning on using bu i like the look of the one you got way more. I'll be sure to get it in a different color though

mr72 · May 03, 2018, 11:25:17 AM

I was very tempted by that kind of seat, actually one of the ones without the "hump" that abound on ebay. But there are problems with that for me that are solved by keeping the stock seat, notably I think those would be much lower than the stock seat and also most of these universal seats seem to not have enough length for a proper pillion. Plus the stock seat for pillion is positioned correctly with the rear foot pegs.

I am actually going the other way and will raise my seat, as well as raising the rear edge of the tank. I can't count on the stock seat to cover the gap that's normally covered by the side plastics especially if I raise it 1/2" or so, so I will have to come up with some kind of side-covering.

Thanks a ton for those links, especially the rear mudguard.

Did you weld in the hoop?

profile_deleted · May 03, 2018, 06:57:31 PM

Quote from: mr72 on May 03, 2018, 11:25:17 AM
I was very tempted by that kind of seat, actually one of the ones without the "hump" that abound on ebay. But there are problems with that for me that are solved by keeping the stock seat, notably I think those would be much lower than the stock seat and also most of these universal seats seem to not have enough length for a proper pillion. Plus the stock seat for pillion is positioned correctly with the rear foot pegs.

I am actually going the other way and will raise my seat, as well as raising the rear edge of the tank. I can't count on the stock seat to cover the gap that's normally covered by the side plastics especially if I raise it 1/2" or so, so I will have to come up with some kind of side-covering.

Thanks a ton for those links, especially the rear mudguard.

Did you weld in the hoop?

You are 100% right on the seat.. completely "pillion-free." I have other bikes that charming wife can ride on the back of if she desires... this build was all for me. I removed the rear foot peg mounts anyway with the exception of the front half of the mount on the right side for the pipe.

In regards to the tail loop question (now don't pass judgment until you've read the whole response... lol). In my case, I had already bolted two pieces of flat stock between the two sides of the subframe under the seat to move the regulator, etc... so the sub frame didn't need the structural support of a tail loop. As it happens, the I.D. of the tail loop was almost exactly the same as the interior width of the rectangular sub frame tubing. A little bit of "vertical manipulation" (i.e. squashing) of the sub frame tubing behind the seat widened it just enough that the interior width matched the I.D. of the tail loop. Since I had a piece of steel tubing that slid (snugly) inside the tail loop, I basically made a sleeve the slid about two inches into each piece and then secured it with... (wait for it) JB Weld and some set screws. The set screws are on the underside so you can't see them. The connection is rock solid and a little more JB Weld and some sanding made the transition smooth looking (since of course one end is round and one is rectangular). So there it was, my no-weld solution. I swear if the bike blows up the tail loop connection is the only thing that will survive.

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$1500 1500 mile cafe racer scrambler