My take on a SV 650 Cafe Racer

[gt alex]

This is my first post on BCF so thanks
I am a older rider but have only commuted on my bikes so no race skills, but I wanted to make a cafe racer that would go as well as it looks.

I am retired now and have a couple of cars to restore but felt building a bike would give me some quicker gratification to get the ball rolling.

I do it all myself except welding bracket on the .9mm light weigh exhaust.

Feel free to comment good or bad. I will try to explain each stage

[gt alex]

made some stands

[gt alex]

I am learning to post pictures sorry having trouble, looks like some just don't want to up load

[c_dug]

The bike looks cool.

You may have more luck uploading your pictures to https://imgur.com/ and linking them from there. The BCF uploader can be a bit pernickety with larger files.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[MarJay]

I like SV's, my second 'big' bike was a 2001 SV650S.

Your rear 'fender' looks very close to the rear tyre in that picture.

A lot of members of this forum seem to have a weird aversion to SV's. I've never really worked out why.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[gt alex]

more pics wiring/rear tray

[gt alex]

In the belief less is more.
lighten the flywheel, lithium battery, lighter dash cluster, 1 carb and no air box, drill holes

[struan80]

Wow. Good stuff mate.

[gt alex]

Some of the mods done and currently making a fuel tank to complete the cafe racer theme. For me performance is as important as style.

TRE mod
Custom Rear frame retained hinged Tank
Hump Seat
Gen3 black widow decat system
Reverse cone muffler with custom baffles
Custom single carb conversion
Rear sets with self returning folding pegs
Harley rubber gaiters on forks
Clip ons with cut drag bars inserted of more adjustment
Radial brake 17.5 M/C with matching clutch lever
Bar end mirrors
rear spring/shock adjustable compression and rebound 8mm shorter than stock
custom bog bones to restore geometry
upgraded .9 front spring, cartridge emulators 15w oil
Electrics modified for clean under seat look. lithium battery, aftermarket dash, led tail light, indicators.
5 3/4 inch headlight 55/55w H4
shortened front guard
headlight cowl made from piece removed from front guard
(currently changing to a 1/2 fairing
dual front brake lines
Lightened flywheel
4 deg ignition advance using offset flywheel key
520 chain set with alloy rear sprocket and 14t front

[gt alex]

I fitted a Black Widow decat gen Gen3 exhaust

[gt alex]

Making a new tank, using the top half of a Honda tank, a wire hoop from the seat and around the frame.
And some duct tape modelling.

[gt alex]

current tank progress

[gt alex]

The carby with a car air filter which is temporary. Since dyno testing the manifold has been blended into the ports and to the carb.
Also since testing the TPS has been adapted to this carb.
The front 1/3 of the new fuel tank will be the air box, how it will fit together has not yet been worked out.
I may try spacers under the carb to see if some more power can be had.

[gt alex]

A little more progress. Handle bars in position to suit the fairing. Running my custom bent bars allowed me to rotate them to maintain ergonomics.
Smoothed some welds and massaging knee and bar dents, slapped some black primer on to just get better prospective.

[Omegasteve]

Making quick progress! Looks great so far
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1994 SUZUKI GSX600F project - 1997 Honda VFR 750

[gt alex]

[gt alex]

Been making the tank hinge and am happy with the alignment so tomorrow hope to do the gusseting to give it strength and rigidity.

[gt alex]

Flattening the top of the tank ready to fit the bung for the new old school cap.
I have still not welded in the back of the tank so there is access for panel beating and I can tip it on its end and fill it to find its true capacity.

[gt alex]

After the fuel tank end is finished I need do the air box end.
This is the plan, hope it doesn't hurt the engine power.

[gt alex]

Just measured the new tank capacity. My latest guess had been 12ltr but I was a cup shy, 11.75 ltr and that's that.

That'll do donkey.

[gt alex]

After creating a lot of distortion while silver soldering the cap bung and the making it worse trying to beat it out while I was sick with covid.
I then bought a pin welder to help me restore the shape.

I have resorted the shape to within 2mm. I know it still looks very rough but when I run straight edges on it I am not game to go closer or even smooth it for fear of creating highs that will become a problem when finishing it off.

The plan is once the petcock and fuel level sender fittings are are done, I will do a final leak test.

Then

1. strip it and epoxy prime it.

2. cover the whole thing with fiber glass re-enforced filler.

3. then finishing filler and 2k primer sand 400 finish and paint..

4. add a tank sealer.