[Dan Boy]

So this is my 1982 CX500. I've seen a lot of these CX's being cafe'd and to be honest I'm a bit late to the party. I always wanted to do something a little different so I went for a single sided swingarm. I also like to see the rear and front wheel matching so this set are from a BMW.

Exhausts - I plan to make from raw stainless, they can then colour as they like with a single silencer slung under the engine.

Cheers, Dan

 

[Dan Boy]

Well the engine certainly does look like its been under the sea for a while! You can see how well it will clean up by looking at the valve cover already done for a test.

The tank will stay but will be modified.

Ill post more pics as I work on the exhaust.

Cheers, Dan.

 

[Dan Boy]

Not a great fan of the 1980's Honda exhaust mounts so I've come up with my own solution that will allow me to use a larger OD tube for exhaust. Also making a silencer that will sit under the engine.

 

[Dan Boy]

Wasn't there some maniac on here a few years ago that converted CX500 comstar wheels to spoked wheels by drilling out the rivets and drilling the hub for spokes?

You can actually buy kits to do this. Drill out the comstar spokes and bolt on a spoke ring and lace it to a new rim. Kind of crazy but I've seen a lot of people do it.

 

[Dan Boy]

Making progress with the exhausts. I'll add a little tail pipe from the side of the silencer.

 

[Dan Boy]

The rear sets I designed have come back from manufacturing and look great. The logo is mine.

 

[Dan Boy]

 

[Dan Boy]

What's holding your front forks on

The yokes are.

 

[Dan Boy]

from here it looks like a chunk of half inch threaded rod for a steering stem

Strange comments from you.

Thats there because when I fabricated a new steering stem to mate the yokes to the frame I didn't have a stem nut at that time.

BTW, it's M8 thread

 

[Dan Boy]

is it a ducati mosnter lower triple and headlight bracket?

It sure is. Well spotted.

 

[Dan Boy]

Seems crazy that Ive not worked on it for 4 weeks now. This is not the only project I am working on but it is the only café racer. I have a couple of weeks off work for Christmas period so I hope to get the exhausts finished off by that time.

My aim is to get this bike finished ready for the Bike Shed show in London in May next year and I have a whole lot to do yet.

 

[Dan Boy]

So my last update was sooooooo long ago. I just got busy on other paid projects and money talks.

Here is the latest on this build. I wanted to finish the exhaust which was basically a flare from the exit of the silencer on each side. Sometimes its tricky so see what will work and even though mandrel bends are not expensive I don't like to waste them or my time. I got to the computer and modelled a flare that I was happy with and 3D printed it to offer it up to the bike. I liked it.

So next I printed another flare but with the ID of the OD of the mandrel bends I wanted to use. I printed this with flexible filament so I could wrap it around the tube and mark where my cut would go.

Then tacked that sucker on.

Last thing on the exhaust was to fabricate a fixture under the engine to hold it in place.

This exhaust is all stainless and I'm using stainless wire of course, I'll TIG weld all this stuff when I break it down. Then I will get it blasted and it will be raw and naked.

 

[Dan Boy]

Thats about as far as mock-up can go. Need to break down to finish welding and fit a subframe support that is not yet back from laser.

 

[Dan Boy]

The exhaust for the CX is now ready for blasting with coarse media to give a uniformed finish.