Concours Cafe Project
 

now that my C10/sidecar is done, I'm moving on to another project. I have picked up a 1994 Concours 1000 for a wopping $350 and am planning to make a cafe out of it. I've already stripped it down to bare bones and starting to work on repair/replacement to get it running again. I swapped out the front end with my ZRX1100 setup and the rear wheel is my meanstreak milled to work with the rear brake rotor. I've got the carbs off, oil drained and valves adjusted. I'm going to try running pods, however, have been warned that pods on CV carbs don't do well. worst case I'll go back to the OEM air box.

I have the stock ZRX bars on it but may go with a lower set before it's all said and done. the tank is stock, but might end up with something smaller in the end too. I chopped the rear of the seat pan down just for a prototype. trying to find someone that can build a custom seatpan or may have to fab something myself and re-cover it.

still a LONG way to go, but it's the journey, not the destination that counts. :)

[QUOTE=Sport Rider;296950 I'm going to try running pods, however, have been warned that pods on CV carbs don't do well. [/QUOTE]

They don't tend to do well with pod filters because it changes the pressure ratio between the inlet and "outlet" side of the carburetors, which affects throttle as well as fueling.

The short answer is, it can be done. The long answer is, you may spend a VERY long time getting it to run properly - aka have a good stable idle and proper fueling across all RPM ranges at all throttle positions.

It also really comes down to the carb manufacturer and design. Keihin CV carbs tend to have a lovely combination of both air jets and fuel jets. In the case of my GL1000, each carb had no less than 5 jets to consider - 2 air and 3 fuel. Even changing out to a high flow air filter threw them completely out of whack, and it was a bear to get them working properly again.

This is a really neat project no matter what direction you go. I will definitely be following.

I'm told velocity stacks help with tuning CV carbs on pods. I have had many problems with my GS running a K&N lunch box filter. It hesitates and stumbles below 3500 rpm. Above 3500, hold on.

Wow, what a great bike to cafe' out!...I don't think I've seen this done before. I love it and it'll be a ripper when done ;)
I'm excited to watch the project unfold :tup:

Thanks for posting! Love to see a build come together! SUB'd!

let's see:
- coolant flushed
- sourcing ignition switch. replacement key is 75 plus tax locally. I think I can get one for 50 off ebay
- swapped alternator from another motor only because it was nicer cosmetically.
- installed case clutch cover for cosmetic purposes
- removed petcock and fuel float. internals of tank not good.
- ordered new petcock
- ordered keyless gas cap
- sourcing carbs

I'll get these things wrapped up and then work on starting the bike to be sure it's mechanically sound. after that, tank, seat, headlight, turn signals, hoop for rear, brake light, footpeg, mufflers.

Last but not least, title and tag. :)

How bad is the inside of the tank? Typical "sat a long time" heavy surface rust? Whatever you do, avoid using fuel tank sealer if you can. Once you use whatever de-rusting method you prefer (Vinegar, muriatic acid, etc) neutralize, rinse, and then fill it up with some MMO and slosh it around really well to help stop flash rusting. Once you drain the MMO back out, put the petcock and fuel float back in and fill it up with treated fuel - I personally love Marine Stabil, but regular Stabil works just as well. Tank sealers end up being more trouble than they are worth, and I have yet to see one that has held up over time.

the potential problem with the tank is some rust bubbling I see around the bottom of the tank. I'm concerned that there are at least pin leaks...if not worse...if/when I'd clean the tank out. from what I have seen so far, it's in the category of "sat a long time heavy surface rust" category. I've used POR-15 in the past with good results, but I'm not keen about the possible pinhole leaks.

From my own experience, if it is pinholed by rust, the metal that remains after removing the rust is usually very weak and very thin. A sealant might buy it a little time, but the best thing you could do is find a new tank.

give me some feedback on these prototype photos....

Purely from an aesthetic point of view, the cowl on the back of the seat in the first picture needs to end just before the rear wheel centerline. Might make the seat a bit cramped though. Other than that, it follows the line and rake of the bike very well.

Some kid drew on your pics.:hehe:

I agree. I'm hoping I can bring it in a few inches and get the right look without limiting the seating too much.

I did a quick and dirty edit to what I think would be the best compromise. Moving the rear seat cowl forward what looks to be 3 inches or so to where it begins just before the bolt on the very rear of the subframe. I think that would retain enough seating area to be comfortable while also tightening up the look/visual balance. Realistically you could probably come forward even more than this, but I think this is a practical seat size for most full sized adult males.

I'm going to try to lower the angle of the seat a bit and shorten it too.

for the seat I have my eye on, it's a 16 1/2 inch seat area. I can see 13 or so being fine. that'll save me the length to end at a better looking spot.

One of my favourite design elements on this type of build is the angle of the bum stop. I think it really complements the design to have the bum stop angle match the angle of the rear subframe triangle. I prefer that to a vertical bum stop. Make sense?

I do, and yet that's what I'm struggling with. I'm not looking for a modern sport-bike approach to the rear seat. I've toyed with the idea of chopping that frame section to allow for variation on the angle. that's also the reason for the black out on the lower rear of the tank to artificially create that visual to the eye.

One other thing to keep in mind when looking at those pics....the bike is on the center stand which raises the rear wheel/angle about 2 to 3 inches.

One other thing visually is that the bike is very well endowed at the tank. The rear end needs to be equally plump so as to have some symmetry.

that's my fav part is that fat tank!

I'm not recommending a modern sport-bike approach. The bum stop angle I had in mind is similar to this, rather than vertical.

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/p...Saddle-for.jpg

I think I get you. the front of the rear hump angled to match the back of the triangle of the lower frame?

thinking ahead. which color do you like?

yerrrow!

Orange
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/061...g?v=1485885788

THe obvious and ubiquitous choice would be green, but every idiot with a Kawasaki would choose that. Personally, I think yellow is a very overlooked color. A yellow metallic on a white base can look really retro. Or a mustard yellow on a black base for a nice dark tone. Depending on what you like. I have always loved a good solid "mustard" yellow myself. I was going to post this picture, but it is too damn big. http://kickstart.bikeexif.com/wp-con...crambler-7.jpg

Yep, I can agree with Orange too. I have only had two orange pearl metallic Hondas in a row now lol.

If I had to pick from the three colors I would go with the yellow.

Yes, that's what I'm saying. I think a vertical bum stop disrupts the flow.

I agree with you about the Green, Dan. while an obvious choice for a Kawi, I'm not so sure. I've never owned red. thinking ducati red. Yellow is my favorite. I've had two others in yellow. Might be time for orange. I kinda like that too.

check these out. there's a dark green with gold rims I like a lot.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/avtobu...109/show/?rb=1

I could go with a dark green. It's a very classy color, and not often seen on modern sport bikes.

I won't argue with Orange either. A large number of my Hondas have been orange, either by choice or coincidence. I painted my GL1000 a Suzuki color called Sunset Copper Pearl. It was a darker orange in the shade, but lit up really brightly in the sun.

https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...5a&oe=5CB883BE

I do like that color. it's still a ways off so we'll see when we get closer. for now I gotta get the ignition working and try to get it running. still have a laundry list of things to get done.

I'm going to talk with a local boat shop that does fiberglass work. I'm thinking of using coosa board and fab a fiberglass seat cover for it. I should be able to use the base to attach lights, signals, etc.

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. :D

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.

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.

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. :)

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.

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) :hehe:

another option that is growing on me more and more.

Yep, Something like this. :tup:
https://bikebrewers.com/wp-content/u...-2-600x344.jpg

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

I like it.:tup: