RobbieRobot Cafe Racer Project in pictures

Rack going back together

 

Rack re-assembled.

 

Float level wet setting in progress.

 

Fuel level in the clear tube can be used to gauge the height of the fuel in the bowl. It's the only accurate way to make this measurement.

 

Well, I'm pleased to report, a major milestone was reached on Tuesday of this week. After reassembling the carbs having carried out a 100% thorough 'church of clean' clean. I finally got to try out my new vacuum gauges followed by my new Colortune. Despite having pod filters (with an internal modification) the carb syncing and colortuning eventually resulted in a steady idle, good response into wider throttle movements and rapid return to idle. Non of theese conditions had been achieved previously. Up until Tuesday I had never ridden the bike so I quickly fitted the clutch cable and still with the temporary fuel supply attached I actally got my first ride. Up and down the street several times and everything performing better than I had hoped. However I am under no illusion that I will have a lot of work ahead of me trying out various jetting mods once I get chance to test the bike out right through the rev range. There is still some way to go on this build yet regarding cosmetic fittings but I am determined to do everything with my own two hands as I have already done so far (apart from powder coating the frame and wheels). Watch this space.

Robbie

 

I am in for it!

what colour/s have you got in mind for the bike?

The electric plate that you have fitted in the "new" position... does the fuel tank clear it well?

By the way what did you put inside your fuel tank to clean it?

keep us posted )

kinen1

 

Hi kinen1, Thanks for your interest.
The tank and seat will be silver, possibly with black pin striping Manx Norton style. Yes the Ducati tank that I am using has a large amount of clearance now that I have settled on it's final position. It has to sit quite high to allow the petrol cocks to clear the carbs and it has to sit far enough back for the clip-ons to clear on full lock. I'll be adding more pics shortly with the tank and seat fitted. I'll soon be working on a seat pad to merge the contours between the tank and seat. I've ordered Trident type Lucas incandescent indicators (signallers) a new cast alloy rear light unit and bar-end mirrors.
Regarding cleaning the inside of the tank, I have spent ages on this. I bought the tank very cheaply from a very nice guy who first advertised it on eBay but quickly withdrew it when he realized it had been modified. It had previously been professionally cut-open, refurbished and enlarged to 4 UK Gallons. When I contacted him in the hope of buying it he refused as he didn't want to post it but when I sent him some photos of the project bike that I wanted it for, he actually posted it free and would only accept £20 for it. He said he was keeping it for a special project bike but realized he would never get round to it. Fortunately for me he seemed very impressed with mine. Anyway, it wasn't too bad inside but did have some light rusting. I rigged up a Wallace and Grommet style contraption to rotate it with stainless steel nuts and bolts and white spirit inside but it didn't improve things much although several cycles did produce a lot of rusty sludge. I have just read this http://www.realclassic.co.uk/techfiles/ ... moval.html
and so I've ordered some Spirits of Salt to do a proper job. I'm hoping to get away without using any sort of liquid liner. If you are interested I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Pilot Mixture Screw

 

Shadowgraph projection of the pilot mixture screw showing rough thread.

 

Video of engine idling, revving and returning to idle after carb vacuum sync and colortune.

 

Tank and seat in final fitted position. A seat pad is now required to blend the contours between the tank and seat.

 

3mm Aluminium sheet. Very handy for making things like this........

 

Rear mudguard lower fixing bracket/anti-splash shield.

 

Good work on fabbing.

 

Thanks Orange-n-Black, I appreciate your comments. I think I will have a go at fabbing a different instrument bracket. The original one does look a bit too high as mentioned in a previous comment. I'm always open to ideas. I wouldn't even completely rule out a half fairing.

 

is it just crappy audio? or does it sound really rattily? nice looking project, a real departure from the original.

CN

 

That's an interesting point CN. Perhaps you would help me out by shooting a vid of your bike doing the same thing with your phone camera in a garage so I can compare the sound.

 

funny you should mention that, I actually gave that some thought before posting. I don't have my bike in a garage but I could shoot a vid with my phone to compare and see if mine sounds like marbles in a blender too.

CN

 

hi Robbie,

It is really good to hear that the tank clear the electric and the petcock.

I have the same XJ 650 as you! I have always like the look of some of the cafe racers and decided to build it from this XJ. I have not work with bikes before so this is going to be a learning thing and asking questions as I go.

I love this site! it got everything that Xj bikes need!

I will start a thread once I get it started.

Please keep us posted with the new tank cleaner product ( it sounds like a really good product).

I like the idea of silver and black pin striping!

keep it up and can't wait to see the end product!

kinen1

 

Hey CN. I just played my vid with headphones on and you are right, it does sound like marbles in a blender. It definitely didn't sound that bad standing next to it. Anyway, I hope to get the tank finished this weekend so I'll soon be running it again and will be listening very carefully.

 

Tank sprayed in Etch Primer

 

Tank sprayed in High Build Primer.

 

I think that marbles in a blender sound might be the starter hanging up. I fired mine up to record a vid with my phone and heard that sound briefly right after letting of the starter button.

CN

 

New addition.

 

cosmetic looks really good Rob!
any known issues from PO?
what hv u got in mind for this one?
kinen1

 

wow i am really in awe of your dedication to perfection. nice friggin' work man,looks great!spectacular bike friend!props

 

Hey Robbie, what pipes have you got on your caf racer?

It's very satisfying watching you go through this process, a lovely job you're doing on it

 

Somebody put a Maxim chrome fender on your new old Seca.

If you want a chrome fender that is the same shape as the original Seca fender find one from a Seca 550. The 550/650 Seca front fenders are the same part, they just came in different finishes.

 

She's been off the road since 1992. She runs, but very roughly. She's had 15 previous owners and the guy I bought her from only bought her earlier this year so I will not assume anything. I am hoping to do another cafe racer job but will wait and see how Mk1 turns out first. I tend not to make hard and fast rules. I prefer to play things by ear.

 

Thanks remo, glad you like it.

 

Thanks for the positive feedback Andyam6. The first bike came with a very quiet, half decent Motad 4 into 1 but I had been thinking of changing it once she passes her MOT. The 1980 bike I bought yesterday has a nice set of headers attached to a grotty Micron can. The guy who sold me it also had a brand spanking new Motad 4 into 1 still in the box, which I ended up buying. I'm not sure how it's going to work out yet but at least I have the option of fitting the new Motad or the neat headers coupled to some other can arrangement.

 

OMG. You can expect to find about anything. I'm the third owner of two of my XJs and either the fourth or fifth owner of the other. But here in the States a vehicle doesn't always have a solid "paper trail."

 

Thanks for the info Fitz. I know from previous posts that you are in favour of keeping these bikes original. I quite understand how this is what some people prefer and I am fully supportive of their choice. I can still appreciate the work, love, and attention some guys put into their bikes, whichever style they choose. I don't wish to intentionally insult anybody here but, unfortunately, these bikes in original format just don't float my boat. I'm really enjoying stamping my mark on one of these noble beasts and I know this is not to everyone's taste.

 

I'm the 10th owner of RobbieRobot Cafe Racer and here in the UK it's possible to look online at the MOT history going back about six or seven years. It even tells you what it failed it's test on or whether there was a notification of impending faults . The UK registration document always shows the number of previous owners but only gives the name and address of the last one.

 

About the fender: the Maxim fender sits funny mounted on Seca forks; that's all I was saying. In case you were wondering why it was sticking up in the air like that.

I've seen 650 Secas with the front fender swapped for a chrome one (or that came with a chrome fender, but not USA-market bikes) and they look neat; probably going to do it with mine.

 

Bike is looking great! Looking forward to seeing the finished product!

 

Thanks. I'm looking forward to seeing (and riding) the finished product as well. I'm held up at the moment over problems with the supply of my chosen silver paint for the tank and seat. Even when she's 'finished' she won't be finished. I think I may have years of tweaking to come.

 

As a follow-up to a previous post regarding the tank cleaning product that I used. Spirits of Salt actually isn't a new tank cleaner product it's an old product that is quite hard to get hold of now. It's actually a drain cleaning product which is a highly concentrated Hydrochloric acid. From personal background research I have discovered that most drain cleaners sold now are Sulphuric Acid based. The good thing about Hydrochloric acid, when it comes to cleaning the inside of your tank, is that it reacts chemically with the rust and etches into the surface. Once the rust has been 'eaten' away you need to rinse out then neutralize the residue with an alkali such as a small touch of household bleach then rinse again. I have to say that I was very pleased with the results but if you are thinking of having a go yourself please read this article http://www.realclassic.co.uk/techfiles/ ... moval.html and take heed of the safety warnings.
Cheers
Robbie

 

Instrument brackets being formed from 3mm aluminium sheet

 

Instrument brackets bent and contoured.

 

Instrument brackets bent, contoured and drilled.

 

Instrument brackets polished.

 

Instrument bracket fitted.

 

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and here in the UK it's possible to look online at the MOT history going back about six or seven years. It even tells you what it failed it's test on or whether there was a notification of impending faults
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hi robbie, i'm also in u.k., and i'm in the middle of dooing the same as you to a xj600 (pre diversion)
so, how do you go about finding out the mot history of a machine, is it a subscription like hpi.
mine was a cat "c" write off, which i havent declared ownership of yet.
cheers for any info
stu

p.s. where did you get the "spirit of salts" from?

 

hey robbie, thank you for posting that!

the bracket looks good.

kinen1

 

Hi Stu,
MOT history here https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history-vehicle
Taxation history here https://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPo ... ution=e1s1

Spirits of salt from here http://www.warriorwarehouses.co.uk/ very fast delivery.

Hope this helps.

Robbie

 

Thanks. Too many people on here post questions to ask for help but don't bother posting any follow-up information regarding whether any of the replies provided the solution or not. You can spend hours chasing 'dead end' posts that lead nowhere. It can be very infuriating to an already 'Grumpy Old Man'.

 

thanks for the links Robbie. unfortunately I don't have a previous m.o.t. or log book, yet so I can't trace history,
spirit of salts is quite cheap though compared to the "jenolite" phosphoric acid, that's £9 a bottle.
cheers :lol:
stu

 

Do you have the green tear off section of the registration document? The part you get when the previous owner sells the vehicle. This will have the reference number on it.
Where abouts in Yorkshire do you live? The hardware store in Great Ayton near Middlesbrough has Spirits of Salt in stock. I got some more today. They ordered some in at my request. It was £2.99.

 

no, i havent any parts of the log book, just a bill of sale from the damaged repairable yard, i'll tend to the paperwork later.
i'm in south yorkshire, but the link you gave for the acid will do nicely.
cheers
stu