Kawasaki Z200 Cafe Racer Build

[lihp]

Acquired this bike in boxes and bits, though the engine runs and 95% of the parts are there. I need front and rear wheels and a set of front forks as the chrome is severly pitted.

Cost of the bike so far? £80

Frame is stripped of unnecessary mounting brackets and has been primed to protect it
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/7661770968_2857b3a456.jpg

And then I started on the headlight, I have stripped the paint off, just need to derust and get it painted up

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7661772266_f85277ec70.jpg

More pics when I get home from work

[Aff]

Looking forward to this, you got any ideas on colours yet?
____________________
Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[lihp]

Undecided on frame colour, but definately going to be the good old Kawasaki Lime Green for the tank and seat unit.

On another note, just sourced a new set of front forks for £40, so I will be collecting them this evening.

[lihp]

Went to collect the forks, and the dude had painted the tubes silver to hide pitting and corrosion so walked away, no wonder he was quick to take a low offer.

[lihp]

I have drew up a quick sketch with some dimensions of the rear sets I will be building from Aluminium, just need to find a 7mm thick sheet.

Will CAD these up properly when I get home

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7667586962_e851a8314d.jpg

[lihp]

So set up my electrolysis tank to do some lazy rust removal.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/7671186514_0b0a644597.jpg

Then while that was doing, I test fitted my tank that I have been doing some extensive repair work on, to view the lines for set.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7671210356_3435033666.jpg

Finally got it out, wiped, dried and white primed to protect it.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7671163254_757d6f4526.jpg

Headlamp bucket looking quite tidy now

[Carl_steveo]

Any photos of the headlight after electrolysis and before painting. I've some of this to do and I'm wondering about possible results.

Cool project btw.
____________________
Current: Honda Nsr 125
Live: Sunderland
Luke "cant be arsed to read your post, but suck my balls anyway."

[lihp]

No, you have to be pretty quick with getting it dry clean and protected, it only takes a few minutes otherwise for the surface to start becoming contaminated.

When I do a set up tomorrow, I will put a scrap piece of rusted steel in, and do a before and after for you

[Carl_steveo]

[lihp]

Sorry, Carl, forgot to grab before and after, but after more derusting of headlight surround, you can see how effective this is! This was a fresh mix of electrolyte.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7685659342_722daff54a.jpg

I then picked up a load of APAC Dry blocks (florist foam) and bonded them onto a sheet of polystyrene, when these set I will draw and form up my seat unit ready for fibreglassing.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7685662738_b86f1e6f4b.jpg

[Carl_steveo]

Haha mate the amount of scum on the top of that makes me think it's worth giving it a craic.
____________________
Current: Honda Nsr 125
Live: Sunderland
Luke "cant be arsed to read your post, but suck my balls anyway."

[lihp]

that was after approx 2 hours at 2A

[lihp]

So, decided to start forming the seat unit today,

Drew on my design

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7692582466_fd7f6db8bd.jpg

Then first rough cuts of the shape
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7692595188_1cdeaa4637.jpg

After a bit of shaping
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7692599854_d051830bfb.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7692604482_021b47aa8b.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7692606846_d7cf5606e5.jpg

To be honest with myself, I am not 100% happy with the result this time, so at weekend, I'm going to pick some more blocks up and go again with a few changes to my seat design.

[nisp]

Just a thought but thought this would be cool

https://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g164/Blurredman/Untitled-13.png
____________________
Suzuki TS 50 1999 Honda CB 125 t2 1981 Yamaha XJ 600 s Diversion Honda cx 500 MZ ETZ 250 1985 Yamaha FZR 400 1981 Suzuki TS 185 1984 Triumph bonneville 790 2001 MZ TS250 1979 Suzuki sv 650 1999 KTM exc RFS 450 2007 Hercules mx 125 1976

[lihp]

great minds think a like! No progress today though as did my ankle in at work so not up and about so much in the garage tonight, but I will have a new mould by end of the weekend

[Aff]

[nisp]

MS paint
____________________
Suzuki TS 50 1999 Honda CB 125 t2 1981 Yamaha XJ 600 s Diversion Honda cx 500 MZ ETZ 250 1985 Yamaha FZR 400 1981 Suzuki TS 185 1984 Triumph bonneville 790 2001 MZ TS250 1979 Suzuki sv 650 1999 KTM exc RFS 450 2007 Hercules mx 125 1976

[Aff]

When you have the fiberglass but made, what will be supporting it all?
____________________
Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[lihp]

high density foam between the seat unit and the undertray is my plan

[Aff]

And how will you connect it to the subframe?
____________________
Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[lihp]

The undertray will be welded onto the subframe, and a bolt will run through undertray and seat unit, the bolt heads in the seat unit, will get covered by the seat padding.


Hopefully.........

[lihp]

So, after getting over some sickness and a bad angle, I've made quite a bit of progress today that I'm happy with.

Got the headlamp surround painted up
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7734346152_bf8160386e.jpg

Chosen some colours, red will be my frame colour, white will be for the tank and the seat unit also, unfortunately, my crappy camera phone doesn't show how white the white is, but here it is on some scrap metal.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7734350006_004302e74a.jpg


3rd attempt at my seat unit, and it's actually something I'm quite happy with, not perfect but it will do for now
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/7734355738_0965c9dc33.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8428/7734358374_501250f957.jpg

Still a bit more smoothing of some edges to do, but overall, almost ready for fibreglassing

[lihp]

So, after taping it up, I then progressed onto fibreglassing it, so far so good, 2 layers of glass fibre down, will put a weave in the structural areas and another layer of mat, then finally finish it with a fine cloth so it's less work to finish, but here is how it stands so far.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/7748590982_774288ef79.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7748595004_a8038acd6c.jpg

[daverwheeler]

nice work

[lihp]

I released it from it's mold today after 2 layers of Fibreglass Matting and it came out pretty easy due to release wax and release agent and plenty of them too!

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8442/7754855702_34591c220e.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7754858726_94c59dda6d.jpg