My XJ "Eight Ball" cafe-racer

Wow, I'm late to the party. Your work and attention to detail is absolutely inspiring. You proved you'd stand for nothing but perfection. Very nice work.

 

Hi again to all! And thank you for good words!


All this time I used my XJ "Eight Ball" as every working day riding bike. It turned out to be the best machine for cutting through city traffic. From my last writing in this thread many events had happened. It is hard to get all up to date in couple words, so full information is available on my blog.

But if brief, as for the "Eight Ball", we made a good photo session in Spring of year 2015 and then got publication about bike on Bikeexif.com




Lately there were a few reposting and new articles on other web resources on different languages.

We also participated in a couple of local custom bike shows.



There was no problem at all with my XJ for all this time. Even when one guy drove his car backward and hit "Eight Ball" ‘ tail, it was his car plastic that was broken; the bike got only the light scratch on bottom part of the tail tube. So I just ride the bike and main question for this year was which one of two my motorcycles I could choose for a ride. But I solved it quite quickly: "Eight Ball" for working days, because of traffic and Kawasaki Zephyr 750 for weekends.

 

As for my garage, in Autumn 2015 I finished my second project. The goal was to convert Kawasaki Zephyr 750 into cafe-racer without frame cutting. Seems to me, I achieved it in the best way. That's how my own Zephyr looked with all modifications.



But that was only the part of the quest. We drove the full kit to France and installed it on another Zephyr and sold it there.



There were a few publication about this my project on different web resources also.

Here you may find everything about this project: http://www.gazzz-garage.com/category/zephyr-750-cafe-racer/

I returned my own Zephyr back to classic view with some modification into Kawasaki Z1 style, like 4in4 exhaust.



But customizing is very expensive hobby, and it is hard to pick funds enough when you are mostly on your own. I have a partner who shares my risks, but she is, as I am, is full day employed, so all our funds are our month cheques. As economic system in Ukraine has been falling in permanent struggle and shivering sharply for the last three years, the most of our people find their pocket robed when prices on everything jumped thrice-fold and more while job –remuneration stayed on the same level.

So I was forced to find ways funding my further projects. One of them was based on ….my second project. I managed to generate some income from small-scale manufacturing of café-racer kits for Zephyr 750. One kit includes a seat, a tail, a tail light unit and a license holder - that's what I offer for those who wish to modify his stock bike Zephyr 750 into café-racer without cutting the frame. That's what gave me enough funds to proceed with the third project.




Honda CB750 Seven Fifty project still in progress and it is as complicated as "Eight Ball". Here is a full account from beginning and to these days: http://www.gazzz-garage.com/category/cb750-seven-fifty-cafe/

And a photo of actual state of this project:

 

this looks great!

 

Wow, those bikes are beautiful. I really dig the Zephyr!

 

Turning a hobby into a business - what could be better. As more of a 'have-a- go-hacker' myself, I really admire your whole-hearted commitment to these projects.. wish I had done something like that in my 30s instead of frittering my life away down the ale-house..
..although that wasn't all bad

 

I'm soooooooo jealous !!!! beautiful. i hope i can produce the great of work

 

Thank you all!

I wish I started all this at least for a couple of years earlier. And yep, alehouse isn’t the worst place. Especially in good company

 

I've just checked it out and Berlin is about half way between us both - if you ever fancied a ride out for a beer or two

 

Hope in the autumn next year I’ll be even close to GB, somewhere in Brittany, France.

 

Cool that's only a days ride and a ferry - keep in touch. I'm getting older and keen for mini-adventures..

 

Hey,

Your cylinder block swap is very interesting. I've sent you a PM regarding that. I would appreciate a few tips as I am considering same swap myself.

 

I would seriously love this for my 1980 XJ650. The thought of having to cut and weld to get the seat I want, and not be able to restore to original has me on edge.

Has anyone here managed to fit a third party or custom seat to standard frame mounts?

 

What are those stainless steel mufflers you put on the Kawa 750 you sold in France?

 

What you've done with these bikes is amazing, by the way. Very pleasant to the eye without compromise to riding comfort.

 

Whoops, I am sorry for such a long absence.

I have had too much work to do this Winter and beginning of Spring. I even had to postpone my Seven Fifty project for three months to process all orders for kits. As I still have my daytime work, I hardly have time to breathe out, not mentioning additional internet activity. All my internet time I spent on searching information and parts I need, letters unswerving and my blog updates.

So thank toy all for good words and sorry once again for no one have got quick answers for questions asked here.

 

Yep, there are few tips in this swap. All is OK with gaskets but Diversion cylinder block has another tilt angle then earlier XJ600 one, so when one plans to install Diversion cylinders into 51J or 3KM engine he has to solve the question not only of cam chain tensioner itself but also issue of not enough space around it.

That’s how all looked:




As you may see there are two problems with space:

- there is not enough of it for original plug which hold rear cam chain dumper pin;

- there is not enough of it to install tensioner itself and operate with it lower mount bolt.

So I grinded engine cases a bit, so I do with Diversion cylinder block and tensioner housing. I also screwed thread stud into lower tensioner mounting hole.

 

I also replaced original plug of pin which holds rear cam chain damper with custom made lower one (in fact I made it from brake banjo bolt) and shortened pin itself according to this custom plug.

Yet one modification caused by difference of XJ and Diversion cylinders tilt angles is rear cam chain damper. As tensioner now aim a bit lower I modified contact platform of damper.



And about tensioner itself. Original Diversion tensioner does not fit, it’s too long. I had no time to solve the question with automatic cam chain tensioner so I just converted Diversion tensioner into manual. I have no photos of tensioner but I used original housing, just drilled it, cut 12x1,25 thread and made custom tension bolt.

I shot photos of all setup few days ago, when maintened “Eight Ball”.

 

Alas, but not every bike suitable for alike conversions and anyhow such a process take much of efforts and resources to make the best of it.

Only header is stainless steel (Black Widow Exhaust, made in GB), mufflers are Zephyr original ones and they are chrome plated.

 

Holy cow these bikes are awesome. Great work!