CB250RS café racer project

[xwhatsit]

Stuff the Konis( my prefereded twin shock btw), MDIs are dirt cheap and come in a variaty of combination springs. Dunstall rep (WFO marketed by Emgo as are the MDI shocks) mufflers should be available for around $120 or less from your bike shop.

Projects coming along. It's also worth considering "ace" style tubular handle bars.

Yep, I'm bidding on some Emgo Dunstall replicas on Tradme. I'm hoping I can get a pair for less than one new one, as they're used.

MDIs, you say. Will look that up later. Judging by your previous posts, you are the man to talk to about old shitty Hondas and doing things relatively cheaply, lol.

I looked at Ace bars, or clubman bars, but decided it would be easy enough to just get some clipons. Pretty much the same thing; and if I put the clipons on top of the top yoke, the reach isn't so bad comparatively. It looks cleaner without the handlebar mounts as well.

[avgas]

Yeh i suppose MDI's would be fine on a 250 - as your prob only going to keep it a few years. Good call Bonez

[xwhatsit]

Yeh i suppose MDI's would be fine on a 250 - as your prob only going to keep it a few years. Good call Bonez

Nah I don't think I'll ever flog this bike off. It's not like I'd get great resale anyway, and I've become quite attached to it, especially once I complete this little project.

MDIs might not be Konis, but they've still got to be a hell of a lot better than the knackered FVQs on the back.

[FilthyLuka]

reverse cone emgo muffler... two of them... from motomail, bout $60 a pop if i can remember correctly...

[avgas]

Looks like i found a pillion peg from the gb - anyone want?

[xwhatsit]

reverse cone emgo muffler... two of them... from motomail, bout $60 a pop if i can remember correctly...

Yeah, that's what I'm after. Only $60 each? Cor I'll have to check out Motomail. Everywhere else is like $100-$120 each.

[xwhatsit]

Having these GB500 clipons with the beer-can shims and slight bend in left side is beginning to piss me off, so I've started looking around for some proper ones. Here's what I found: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CLIP-...spagenameZWDVW Aren't they beautiful?

I've asked him how much the shipping will be, hopefully it won't be too horrific. If it's reasonable I'll get them. $US60 is nearly $NZ100, but they're handlebars, which is probably one of the most important human-interface bits on a bike, so I'll save up.

[Ixion]

Shit ! $100? When I was your age I made my own from an old pair of handlebars cut up and welded to a couple of scaffolding clamps. Total cost about 5 shillings.

[xwhatsit]

Shit ! $100? When I was your age I made my own from an old pair of handlebars cut up and welded to a couple of scaffolding clamps. Total cost about 5 shillings.

Yeah but were they pretty and shiny like these ones I think I've caught Donor's disease, lol.

No they are simple things, I thought a couple of times about what it would take to build some, but I'm no welder (I don't own one either), and to have somebody fabricate them would probably cost almost as much.

I bet the guy who makes these is making a killing, selling them on eBay. Relatively cheap raw materials, and fairly simple construction.

Put in a bid on them. Including shipping, comes to a total cost in $NZ of $99.97 or something

[FilthyLuka]

do you have any intention of getting it (legally) on the road? cause if not, im sure you can make something silly using a xr650 engine and some shoe hornin .

[xwhatsit]

do you have any intention of getting it (legally) on the road? cause if not, im sure you can make something silly using a xr650 engine and some shoe hornin .

Yep, it's already on the road, it's my daily transport so I got to keep it legal. When I blew up the engine, before I knew what was wrong and if it were repairable, I investigated an XR/XL500 motor, which was a common modification back in the day. Looks pretty original too, I think I could get away with it. But I like the 250cc in it -- I've heard from at least a couple of people that putting the 500cc motor in turns a light, graceful, nimble bike into a little bit of a pig w.r.t. handling. I'd love to get a GB500 once I graduate university, and café it up too, then have the two thumpers; one 250cc, one 500cc. I'm no power maniac.

[avgas]

I'd love to get a GB500 once I graduate university, and café it up too, then have the two thumpers; one 250cc, one 500cc. I'm no power maniac.

Yeh im gonna get another 1 once i have bought a house. I reckon the third 1 will be a keeper as i have learnt so much with the first 2. fantastic bikes - them and the SRX6's

[xwhatsit]

Yeh im gonna get another 1 once i have bought a house. I reckon the third 1 will be a keeper as i have learnt so much with the first 2. fantastic bikes - them and the SRX6's

Met a guy at uni (made a drunken post about the bike after I saw it at One Tree Hill on Valentine's Day -- just met the guy for the first time at uni) with a GB500. He bought 15 years ago in Japan (he's Japanese), turned it into the one of the most beautiful bikes I've ever seen in the flesh, then shipped it with him to NZ when he moved here. What he did to his bike reads like the list of things I want to do to mine -- battery/airbox gone, silencer, seat, the list goes on and on. Gorgeous. And it sounds superb too, even though it's not deafening. That bike has me sold on GB500s and I've never even sat on one.

Top bloke. Rides around with a pudding bowl helmet and goggles haha. Said complementary things about my bike, recommended some techniques and where I can get some parts. Motomail (Ponsonby?) was recommended again. I really must check those guys out.

[Madness]

Check this out.

yum yum yum

[Ixion]

Nice bike in its way, but it's no cafe racer. Cafe racer, more or less by definition, has clipon bars, rearsets, single (small) seat), minimal mudguarding. ie it looks as much as possible 9allowing for legal requirements) like a 1960s road racer.

EDIT. Something like this is fairly much the definitive article. Note that cafe racers never have fairings. Or windscreens.