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CX500 Ratbike/bobber project

63K views 80 replies 25 participants last post by  dave_in_michigan 
#1 ·
My buddy Andy and I found this bike on the side of the road with a sign that read "Free Cycle". One jumper box, a can of ether, and five minutes of work had it running before we even got it out of the back of the truck. We've been riding it around my dad's farm for the last year or two and I decided to do a poor man's restoration and get it back on the road.

Here's where I started. This picture doesn't do a justice to how shitty the bike was. Everything was painted with a rattlecan (poorly) and there was a fair amount of rust and corrosion. The tires were dryrotted and flat. The sissy bar/luggage rack was about to fall off. Some idiot had installed one of the floats upside down and used a junk needle in one of the carbs. You'll have to forgive my drunken toolbag buddy, this is the only picture I have of it the way I got it :lol:.


Here's where I am now. This picture was taken with a camera phone and really doesn't show how far the bike has come. Every single part has been stripped, sanded, primed and repainted or beadblasted. The battery and tires are new, and the frame has been swapped to a '78 that came with a clean title. I need a front brake caliper and master cylinder to finish it (anybody got anything that will work??). I have cut the seat down so that it stops at the upper shock mounts and am going to cut the rear fender down so that it stops just before the center of the wheel. I am also going to cut the rear frame horns off just after the upper shock mounts and weld in a piece of pipe to strengthen the upper shock mount area.


Here's my total investment so far:
1) $155.41 for frame with title
2) $50 for new Yuasa battery
3) $90 for a set of new tires
4) Approximately $40 in paint and primer
5) $9.42 for throttle tube (my dad stepped on the original :lol:)
6) $5.00 for new grips

Let me know what you think about it. I think it looks pretty good. Any suggestions for mods that would improve the look? I'm planning on making a 2 into 1 exhaust using one of the stock cans and wrapping the headers. I was going to do dragbars but the cables are way too long and I don't have the tools to shorten them. Let's hear some commentary, good bad or indifferent :thumbup:
 
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#3 ·
you are on the road on a motorcycle. no matter what bike it is you are on the road. that to me has always been the one thing i love the most. looks good and no matter what you will enjoy it.
nice job and ride safe.
 
#4 ·
I share the exact same philosophy. I'm at a time in my life when I can't afford nice stuff anymore so I've become more resourceful. I think that this bike will be a lot of fun and I don't have any unreasonable ideas about its intended use. It's a cruiser and I'm a racer :lol:. I have a nice KTM to go fast on, and this will be my bike to go slow and enjoy the scenery on.

Thank you both for the props, I really appreciate it. Oh, and I knew I was going to catch some shit for the first picture :lol:. It's all good :thumbup:
 
#10 ·
Let me know what you think about it. I think it looks pretty good. Any suggestions for mods that would improve the look? I'm planning on making a 2 into 1 exhaust using one of the stock cans and wrapping the headers. I was going to do dragbars but the cables are way too long and I don't have the tools to shorten them. Let's hear some commentary, good bad or indifferent :thumbup:
I like it. Nice work!

Got it plated yet? Got'do that Hi... Easier to do whatever you want after you've got the plate in hand. :thumbup:

I normaly don't like pullbacks, but they're looking pretty good on that bike. I'd leave em.

I'd pull more stuff off:
- rear pegs can go, and then grind off the tabs
- turn signals can go: http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/laws.asp
- Personally, I'd want to shit-can that entire giant guage set. Maybe just remount the oil and neutral lights somewhere and leave the rest off. (Got that plate yet?)

How 'bout some more pics? :infrandom MOAR!!!
 
#12 ·
Ask around the local bike shops for someone who can do custom cables. I found a guy around here and just brought the old ones in & told him how long I needed. He reused some of the hardware, matched balls/barrels on the ends correctly, and left the same amount of cable hanging outside the new sheath length. Done. Better quality than I had before and cheap too.
 
#24 ·
:laughingr:laughingr:laughingr:laughingr:laughingr

I remember this like it was yesterday. I see that you conveniently forgot to mention how much booze you had consumed before getting on it :lol:. I'll never forget watching him walk back up to the house in the dark with an "I just saw Jesus" look on his face. He left the bike parked next to the palmettos and I don't think he's ridden it since :lol:
 
#20 ·
how about doing an indian larry style tank? Cut both edges off, switch the sides and invert them like this? It'd be a lot of work, but you could probably do it yourself with time and patience. It'd go good with the bobber theme.




Or since the front of your tank isn't as round may something like this



at minimum it needs some pin striping
 
#23 ·
Eric-

While I do have the tools to do the Indian Larry tank, and I feel comfortable with the job, I don't think it's worth the work. Sure, it's cool, but it's not worth the amount of time it would take me to do. You're also right about the shape of my tank. I've got a little something up my sleeve to jazz up the sides of the tank, and I'll probably be doing it when I've got the bike completed and back on the road :thumbup:.
 
#27 ·
Is it like with a bicycle, where you cut the cable to whatever length and drill out the little tab thing (whatever it's called), then run the wire through it, fray it out, then solder it? This is how you can do it on bicycles, idk if it's how the recomend motorcycle cables, but if it isn't you could always try it.
 
#28 ·
That's the exact same process. The little tab is apparently called the barrel. These guys swear by the process but say that you have to use muriatic acid to clean the cable before soldering or it won't stick as well. I've got all of the tools and materials to do this, so I might tackle the job this weekend.
 
#29 ·
I thought the barrel was the thing you twist to fine adjust the cable?

this thing.


Shouldn't be too hard if that's all you have to do then. The main issue is cutting the cable tube without causing a pinch or bur on the end that'll make the cable stick. Wire cutters will cut the tube, but if you're not careful they'll smash the end into an oval shape and will mess up the action of the cable.
 
#32 ·
Good suggestion and I appreciate it, but Dremels are kind of a long standing joke among my dad and I. I hate them with a passion. My dad uses them pretty often when doing woodwork and repairing antiques, but has finally realized after 20 or so years how shitty and frustrating they are when compared to good air tools. Now that I've demonstrated the capabilities of cut off wheels and die grinders, the Dremels have been staying in their cases. Funny, because my dad didn't even know that we owned air die grinders :lol:. Obviously there are some jobs that require the tiny size of a Dremel, so they're good to have, but I avoid them at all costs. The inability to adjust the tool's speed to compensate for load is one of my reasons, along with many others.
 
#34 ·
I agree about lowering the front so it is not so tipped up. Ditch the gauges-you don't need a tach- and get an old one at a salvage for almost nothing-chrome! Look behind those side covers to see if there is any way you can lose them and open up the frame in that area- maybe you will need to ditch the airbox and paint the battery cage, but I think it would take it much more in the bobber direction than the flat track direction, if that is still what you want. DRAG BARS ARE A MUST!
 
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