My conversion from naked to different...

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vwfye

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Oct 25, 2011
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SW Oregon
This is my 81. I owned it 10 years ago as a naked wing w/ plexi shield. I now own it again and have started the conversion to a cafe style wing. I still have to install my LED front and rear lamps (have them), lower the front end, build the smaller seat, bob the stock exhaust and build rear sets, but it is getting there.
 

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i pulled the touring front fender and put one from a HD Sportster, the rear LED is only 6" long and 3mm tall with brake/running/turns built in. The clubman bars are a generic brand that were wide enough. the rear view mirrors are nice billet end bars with convex lenses. i've added an electronic signal relay to replace the thermal unit, this way the LEDs will flash. The plate is directly mounted to the rear fender with the integrated lights in the mounting bolts.

basically, i'm trying to make the wing look like it is on a diet...
 
vwfye":33kjs7rg said:
joedrum":33kjs7rg said:
nice fender whats it from :mrgreen:
Ummmm.... HD Sportster...



Oh the shame................You might be ok though,it's just the fender.You gotta watch those Hardley .....I mean Harley parts...Too many and it'll start breaking down.........
 
i make sure there are no mechanical parts from an HD. The bolts holding it in place are genuine Honda :music2:
 
ajclockga":11h501xa said:
vwfye":11h501xa said:
joedrum":11h501xa said:
nice fender whats it from :mrgreen:
Ummmm.... HD Sportster...



Oh the shame................You might be ok though,it's just the fender.You gotta watch those Hardley .....I mean Harley parts...Too many and it'll start breaking down.........

:smilie_happy: I had an old Ironhead Sportster once...it liked to leave parts on the pavement at stoplights...nuts, bolts, exhaust pipes etc..... :smilie_happy:
 
tomlind":2zbjxv36 said:
ajclockga":2zbjxv36 said:
vwfye":2zbjxv36 said:
joedrum":2zbjxv36 said:
nice fender whats it from :mrgreen:
Ummmm.... HD Sportster...



Oh the shame................You might be ok though,it's just the fender.You gotta watch those Hardley .....I mean Harley parts...Too many and it'll start breaking down.........

:smilie_happy: I had an old Ironhead Sportster once...it liked to leave parts on the pavement at stoplights...nuts, bolts, exhaust pipes etc..... :smilie_happy:

So did I.A 1981.Ran great,got alot of looks,had a nice sound.Only I couldnt feel the wind in my hair............It was at the shop more than it was home.........When it wasnt at the shop,it was needing to go.I had it 1 month.1 MONTH.....Rode it a total of 120 miles.....Was in the shop 17 days total out of 30.I paid 1500 for it.Put another 1200 in it...And sold it for 3000.Boy was I glad.My first wing was a 83 Aspencade.Had it a year,had 137K on it when I bought it for 600.Needed a stator.Did the altenator conversion.Had it 7 months.No repairs at all.One night a car decided to play chicken with me and my 12 yr daughter.I couldnt get out of the way.We hit.My daughter got a scratch,never left the bike.I got 2 surgeries on my back.Both shoulder rotator cuffs,and a 2nd degree burn.Insurance totaled it.It still ran,and could be ridden.
 
Looks awesome so far. Might I suggest, check out the CB1100F.net forum, we do a lot of rear-sets over there, plenty of different ways of doing it, and on our forum they're all shown clearly with lots of tutorial type build threads. Might I suggest something off a CBR? Do you want to retain the two-up seating? If so, maybe the stock pegs off one of the 'F bikes could work, as they've got the passenger pegs integrated. It can be a problem not to move the passenger pegs back at the same time, as their feet will keep knocking your feet and vice-versa while shifting and braking, etc. So a plate set like on the 'F incorporates both, plus the brake master cylinder, spaced correctly, only needing to be cut/drilled etc to adapt to your frame. Or adapt the frame to them, or both. All you'd need is a couple of threaded bosses welded on, maybe even drill a couple of holes in the frame? If not, there's a great method on the SOHC4 forum where mountain bike steering stems are used as pipe clamps to mount stuff on the frame tubes without permanent modification. The swing-arm pivot on the GL is a bit different than on the 'F, but I'm sure that the peg plates could be shifted aft a little bit and still work great. Me, I'm partial to the old school steel tube triangles, and I'd like to weld up a set onto my 'F to give it that clean, classic look. But for the time being, I've changed the stock forward position plates to a rear-set type. Hey, on another note, companies like Tarrozzi and Raask, maybe even Dunstall, made rear-sets for these bikes when they were new. Not cheap, but they're a bolt-on modification.

I love what you've done. Have you checked out the Naked Wings forum? Randakk's cycle shak? Lots of cool cafe style 'wings over there! I'd sure love to see more of them here, and I'll be checking in on your project as well. Is that the 18" front wheel? Those are very much in demand for the CB750/900/1100F bikes. They make the 'wing look so much more sporty, and the 'F as well. I've got this wire 'wing wheel for my '82 750, but I am sticking an 18" rim on it, so it's not ready for the bike yet. Yours is waaay ahead of mine, so far as completion is concerned. I love a well done cafe, especially a 'wing cafe. Just don't deck it out in the checkers and pirate flags, please?

-Sigh.
 
If you are taking the stock turn signals and attachements for them off would you be interested in selling them?
 
I'm trying to figure out how to remove the mounts other than cut them off. I have the complete front and rear signal set on my shelf for now. I can always undo everything I've done. The only thing that won't be able to go back is when I shorten the pipes.
 
You will have to take the fork tubes off to get the mounts out and replace the headlight ears with something else. What most people do is just remove the stock turn signals and hacksaw the mounts off which makes them unusable if you want to put the stock signals back on and it doesnt look very good either. I am trying to put mine back to stock and need those mounts. I have fabbed something up for now but would like to get a set of good original turn signal mounts / headlight ears.
 
I have a pair of small LED signals that will mount right where the original lamp mounts come off the forks. They cover all the ugly almost perfectly. I just have to get to it once I can get the bike in the warm shop.
 
Part of the fun of doing this stuff is.....finding the idea, figuring out what the bike want's, and comming up with the parts. I built a CX500 DLX along the same lines as your wing. It was fun bike to ride, alas I sold it and have had regrets ever since. Nothing is impossible, if you can dream it you can do it (failure is not a option) It looks like your on the right track. I like what you have done so far.
 
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