Concours Cafe Project

[Sport Rider]

Originally Posted by Megadan

I would be interested to see the results of the coosa board. First time I have even heard of somebody considering that as an option.

I've seen some on the web that used wood to build to seat base and then attach the skin to it. I thought about doing that and coating the bottom with something like flex seal to seal it up from water. but then went back to my boating experience and thought about the coosa instead of wood. if it's good enough for a transom, it should be good enough for this.

it might depend on how much the guy would want to put together a fiberglass shell for me. it's pretty cheap to get the plastic ones online. but if he does it, he could customize the hump per what Weld was suggesting.

[Weldangrind]

Does coosa board take staples? If so, it would be easy to cover.
Per your boating experience, you could use wood for the seat base and then coat it generously with resin.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Does coosa board take staples? If so, it would be easy to cover.
Per your boating experience, you could use wood for the seat base and then coat it generously with resin.

Coosa board doesn't retain staples very well. What makes it appealing is it's strength and weight as well as water resistance compared to plywood.

[Sport Rider]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Does coosa board take staples? If so, it would be easy to cover.
Per your boating experience, you could use wood for the seat base and then coat it generously with resin.

should probably explain better. coosa would be the base. about 5/8 thickness. fabricate (or buy) a seat base which would attach to this. maybe glued or something....not sure. then a wood seat pan which is basically rectangular That will have padding and seat cover. probably have bolts out the bottom of that which would go through the board and affix with a nut on the bottom of the coosa bases. not sure how easy it will be to attach brake and turn signals. more research to do. that's whats fun about brainstorming.

[Sport Rider]

Haven't been able to get the key for the tank lock, so I decided to order a keyless replacement. in the mean time, I drilled out the lock and removed the cap. Some rust inside, but honestly not as bad as I expected. I'm going to clean and seal it rather than replace. I've used POR 15 before, and will likely use that, but if anyone has experience with some other approach, I'm open to considering other approaches.

[Azhule]

Originally Posted by Megadan

THe obvious and ubiquitous choice would be green, but every idiot with a Kawasaki would choose that.

I was going to say green, but only because it's my favorite color of the three listed... although I could also be one of those "every idiot with a Kawi would choose green"... after all I do own a Green Turtle (KLR 650)

[Sport Rider]

another option that is growing on me more and more.

[JerryHawk250]

Yep, Something like this.

[Sport Rider]

something bright. this is hot rod orange. I also like Ford Competition Orange.

[JerryHawk250]

I like it.

[Sport Rider]

Projects always move too slow....and cost too much! :(

I had a new key made and got my top triple re-installed. I can now turn on the bike, but without a battery, it's somewhat of a futile action.

I pulled the radiator and oil cooler off the front, then removed the headers. that was so I could remove the coolant log on the front of the motor to replace o-ring seals. just precautionary maintenance. also did the same with the rear coolant log which is hidden behind the carbs.

I sourced a right footpeg bracket and peg. got that installed.

I removed the clutch slave cylinder with intentions of rebuilding it. it was froze tighter than dicks hatband. for 18 bucks I bought another used one instead. will install when it gets in. Then I will bleed the clutch as well as front and rear brakes.

I ordered a rebuild kit for the petcock. cheaper than replacing it. once that comes in, I'll get it back together.

Headers are sitting to the side. I have a friend with a 4-into-1 exhaust he's donating to the cause just so he doesn't have to look at them sitting in his shop any more. Only qualifier is I have to use them on the bike. It's a tough choice, but I think I can live with that agreement. </sarcasm>

Once the headers arrive....sometime around 2/16, and assuming I have the above items buttoned up, I'll install the headers and then put the radiator back on and properly fill it. I'll swap the tank from my other bike onto this one, and the battery too. Then it's time to see if she'll start.

After I get that far, there's only about a hundred other things to finish.

[Megadan]

In my experience it is always the little details that take the most time. Stuff like O=rings, slave cylinders, wiring, etc. It's a lot of work that you can't see in the end, so it makes you feel like you are making no progress.

I try my hardest not to look at my project bikes as 100 things to finish, but individual projects themselves. It allows me to focus more and get it done correctly. I think you are on the right path.

[Sport Rider]

I've been tinkering and thinking about the seat. last night I pulled the cover off the stock seat and chopped things up a bit more. this pic is the stock seat pan with the sides trimmed off to expose the frame. I think I like this better than the other alternatives. the lines don't seem to be too bad with the tank all one color.

[Sport Rider]

today was a day of ups and downs working on an old bike.

got the clutch slave cylinder installed. I had to pump brake fluid through it to get all the crud out of the line. in the end, working good. +1

got the front brakes bled. they were not in such bad shape because they came off the other bike when I switched back to stock. +1

then came the rear brake. couldn't get jack squat to flow through the master cylinder. going to have to find another used one. -1

had to remove the engine cover on the right side because the form-a-gasket was leaking. drained oil, removed, cleaned up, put back together. +1 for job done, -1 because I had to re-do it.

will get the rear brake fixed up and then will have to wait for the new 4-1 headers.

I guess that makes me +1 overall for the day.

[cheesy]

Sounds like the new floor project in my wife’s house.*

Can’t relocate the fridge cuz it won’t fit where she wants it to go. +1

Whaddya mean there’s no flooring under the stove? -1

Really? You want the floor vent moved? -1000

Really? You don’t want to do the bedroom floor? +1000

Yeah, I ain’t moving that cabinet from that side of the kitchen to this side. +/-1

Back to our originally scheduled program.

*In my house, the floors are fine.