GT500 Cafe Racer

[titan performance]

Very nice work Buzzer....this is going to be a quality build. Looking forward to your progress.

[buzzer]

A little bit more progress while the frame is away...

The intention was always to replace the loom, but as I will be modifying most of the electrics I decided to make a loom from scratch as this will need to incorporate key-less ignition, a modern rectifier and voltage regulator and LED indicators, along with a brake light switch on the front, as opposed to rear brake.

I cur the old loom apart and laid it out on the bench and noted the colours, so where possible I can stick to the original colour scheme. I then measured each wire and made a list. There were around 20 colours, and when the parts guy saw the list he thought he had a big order… until he realised that many of the lengths were just one meter!

Here is the horn, and light switch being rebuilt, my eyes and fingers are not what they used to be, hence the neat little helper! The horn switch was broken, the small mica insulator was split in half, which is a common fault, so I had to make a new one… I looked around for some material that was resistant to heat (so I could solder the terminal) but importantly was an insulator. I found the perfect material in the splatter shield off an arc welding mask! Perfect for the job.

I have also rebuilt the forks and replaced the seals.

[buzzer]

I love this stage of a restoration.... putting it together, and doing the wiring... the bit most people hate!

I decided to use the none split spiral sheathing, as it looks better. The rear set on the gear lever side is on and works a treat. The battery is mounted (took me ages to think how to secure it!). Te buzzer is part of the alarm system... I wont have an ignition lock and key, just a remote key fob which will turn it all on.

I pulled the headstock bearings in as I hate hammering bearings.

Also I have rubber mounted items like the fuel tank, oil tank and coil, as well as the CDI unit (waiting to see if this is any good...) and rectifier...

I like the little LED indicators!

[buzzer]

a couple more pictures....

I have fitted 5mm LED’s as warning lights for the ignition, indicator warning, high beam, and alarm. No Idea how long they will last, but I have had one flashing in the car for 5 years…

I also picked up this steering damper on Ebay on Christmas day. I put a snipe on it and won it for £5!it fitted perfectly, just needed to drill a couple of holes in the frame. It was off a Cagiva Mito

[Alan H]

Excellent work and attention to detail.
Make sure that the indicator relay is suitable for LED indicators - the 'normal' resistor bulb type won't work on LEDs.

[buzzer]

Excellent work and attention to detail.
Make sure that the indicator relay is suitable for LED indicators - the 'normal' resistor bulb type won't work on LEDs.

thanks Alan. I didn't know this until i bought the indicators and noticed that it said "people who bought this also bought" and there were several flasher units in there!

[rngdng]

The kicker and footpeg aren't going to get along very well.....not unusual, how will you handle that issue? Looks great.



Lane

[buzzer]

The kicker and footpeg aren't going to get along very well.....not unusual, how will you handle that issue? Looks great.
Lane

I have to admit that had me scurrying out to the garage to check! I did check it early onb but not since I put it all back together, and I had re-designed the mountings...

it "just" clears!

[rngdng]

Glad to hear it.



Lane

[desmocat]

Buzzer,

I'm just catching up on your build progress thread. You do very high quality work and the build is turning out quite nicely! Keep up the great craftsmanship!

[buzzer]

Buzzer,

I'm just catching up on your build progress thread. You do very high quality work and the build is turning out quite nicely! Keep up the great craftsmanship!

Thanks Ralph. I have to admit that it was your orange and silver bike that has in a way inspired mine! In fact its why I have done the frame silver, and I have ordered the orange paint today! I have always liked Orange and silver bikes after owning a Laverda Jota for many years... so I am going to use Laverda orange for the paintwork.

I have finished off the rear brake setup today, but progress will slow for a while as we have a big holiday coming up.. got a few weeks yet though!



Here is my old Jota, and the colour I will be using.

[Alan H]

Those rearsets are a work of art!

[buzzer]

Those rearsets are a work of art!

Thanks Alan!

I got the seat back from the trimmers (Aldridge trimming) today, its a really neat job!

[buzzer]

I have been working on the wiring... As I didn't want to use an ignition switch, I have used one of the cheap (£4) 12V remote control relays off Ebay. As this has a learning mode, I have also been able to integrate it with the alarm system. So now with one remote fob, I am able to turn the bike on and off, and set the alarm. it works a treat! I have hidden an over-ride switch just in case though!

the remote works two relays as the Suzuki system switches the power on on one circuit, and disconnects another circuit for the ignition. In fact the handlebar kill switch confused me as on was off, and vice versa.. I spoke to the original owner and he confirmed he had swapped the handlebar switch 30 years ago! It would have annoyed me to have on and off the wrong way, so I milled the engraving off and filled the resulting depression with some paint!


I also had to make a new twist grip as the one with the bike was incorrect.

The curly bit of wire is the antenna for the remote.

[buzzer]

after much deliberation, playing with Photoshop... I decided Orange!