the brake hoses were free from cracks, we covered them in mesh wrap-around covers to smarten them up, along with all other visible cables and wires. Reassembly of a bike into something that’s clean enough to eat off is pretty simple; just make sure everything that goes back on the bike has been serviced, cleaned, polished, painted or replaced with new. If there’s a neater or cleaner way to fit or route something then choose that option. This is an immensely satisfying process – where each small aspect of the bike is concluded and you get to admire your handywork one chunk at a time – and a great way to stay motivated during the build. A set of aftermarket gauges replaced the bulky stock dashboard, while some pipe wrap cleaned up the exhaust headers. A Yoshimura muffler I’d collected in my travels bolted into place after a quick coat of black high-temp paint. Items like
“ANYONE WITH BASIC MECHANICAL APTITUDE AND SIMPLE TOOLS COULD BUILD THIS BIKE IN A FEW MONTHS” the headlight, bar-end mirrors, small indicators and hand controls were sourced online and bolted on without fuss. As the skeleton of the bike came together, Alan and I pondered potential paint schemes. A little amateur Photoshop work revealed that a two-tone colour scheme, with a piano black insert bordered in white, would work. From a colour chart, I chose a striking sky blue and then adjusted it by eye it to arrive at an intense matt blue. Fellow SCR club member Michael Broholm expertly applied the paint to our design,
with the 750 tank decal a neat finishing touch. The colour scheme and starkly contrasting matt and gloss finish draws many comments and is the bike’s defining feature. The aim for this project was not to employ any metal fabrication or welding, yet achieve an authentic cafe racerinspired look and riding feel. We also opted to reuse or repurpose as many stock parts as possible. This is a bike that anyone with basic mechanical aptitude could tackle with simple tools over a few months working nights and weekends. ISSUE #19
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