The "Juice Cafe" Racer
From start to Ton up!

3/30/11 Update:  Parts, Parts, Parts.

I received a call from Airtech today (Thanks Dutch!) letting me know
that the last of the parts we needed (Fairing mount and headlight) were
on the way.  That should make things easier to get the fairing mounted
since I have been holding it up with boxes.  Once the fairing is mounted,
the racer will be torn down, the fiberglass sent to a local painter (A first
for me) and everything fully stripped, cleaned and painted before
reassembly a few weeks down the road.

I am sure I will be going through EV withdrawal and this has been so much
fun to ride during the testing phase. The first ride to work will be a blast!
My Drag racing hero (Tammy) has been brought on board to proof read all
of the posts as I am true technician, not a word artiste.  I write what I
think (speling? What spleing? ) not necessarily what translates to the page.
 I guess I am just having too much fun building stuff!

30 days and counting!  

 

3/31/11 Update: Just a swinging!

It is now time to start the teardown of the Juiced Café and make her
look as good as she runs. I can do some of this now as I wait for the
fairing mount to arrive. This motorcycle is 32 years old and will need
to have a good “head to toe” check. So far, so good. There are several
years of “goop” on the swing arm that will all be gone soon.

The bushings in the swing arm look fine, but
the grease will need to be cleaned out and replaced.



We also found a local painter with a great reputation (and a really
good price for the job) that is enthusiastic about the project and
promises a quality paint job to be proud of. Also a 5 day turn
around will help us to get this project done on time!

 

29 days and counting!

4/1/11 Update: Sometimes 30 years of grease is not that bad….

After finally getting some time to tear down all the “little bits” on the
rear assembly I found thick layers of grease and goop everywhere.
Part after part cleaned up very well. Under all that mess was bright
chrome and perfectly preserved parts, even some original decals!   

Each nut and bolt will be removed, cleaned or replaced (only if it is
damaged) and all clearances checked. So far all of it is looking very
good. Both sets of brake assemblies were also checked today. Even
with one brake assembly removed on the front (two are not needed
on such a light motorcycle) it stops with controllable confidence.  

 

  28 days and counting!

4/2/11 Update: I hate painting.

Since spray paint in cans, in the USA anyway, has become “eco-friendly”
it has gotten tougher to get a smooth solid look.  I really do not want to
strip the frame completely, but every time I put a layer of gloss black
(a tough color to get right) it does not come out as well as I expect. I did
get a very nice layer of paint on the swing arm today as well as the rear
brake tube. The frame seems to be fighting me all the way.  

It may be the years of wax that has gotten into the paint that is giving me
the trouble. Whoever owned the motorcycle before kept it in great
condition so I think wax was part of the maintenance. I may also need to
let the paint/primer dry longer before giving it the final coat of color.  I
will let you know tomorrow if that strategy works.

27 Days and counting!  

 

4/3/11 Update: Frame painting is done (Did I mention I hate painting?)

After a frustrating Saturday of stripping, painting, repainting, restripping, and painting again, today was much better. The frame paint is now complete.
This is not my first rodeo in painting.  I have painted many frames and
even whole cars, but for some reason this bike was not having any of it.
We went to the store and purchased several cans (remember it is a DYI
project) of gloss black paint and black primer to determine the best
combination for this project. After several tries, it turned out to be a
can of automotive primer and a “premium” can of black lacquer.

I have also taken special care to keep the original decals. As luck would
have it one of the few spots that paint would not lay flat for any reason….
there was a decal. Even after stripping down to bare metal, it would not
flow correctly. I have found a NOS replacement decal and should be able to
(no don’t, say it!) hide the offending area with something that was supposed
to be there anyway. 

I have all day training for the next two days so
work on the bike will be limited to an hour at best.

26 days and counting!   

 

4/6/11 Update: It is almost ready for the Orange paint!

We finally received the last two parts for the Café racer today, the faring
mount and the small, but powerful headlight. I am glad we went with the
factory racing fairing mount as it is much lighter than I could have made
here in the shop. The mounting system also is rather innovative.  All I need
to do now before sending the entire fiberglass parts off to the painter is
mount the headlight bucket and do some minor sanding.

Turning issues with the handle bars "turned" into a headache. There is only
a small amount of clearance with a race fairing. I did some research and
found out they limited the travel of the front end so that you did not hit
the fairing or fuel tank when turning.  Most road racing did not need the
same amount of movement than street use. I have added a steering limiter
and will take the bike out tomorrow to ensure that I have no steering issues.
From pushing the bike around the garage it looks to be OK.

23 days and counting!

 

4/7/11 Update:  She is ready for paint!

It has finally gotten to the point of getting the fiberglass finished for
the painter. Everything was mounted today and I took it for a good long
run.  It all felt great.  No rattles and on an electric motorcycle with no
engine noise you will hear every loose part and rattle.  

The photos are the “before” pictures. Before all the pretty parts go on.
Before all the last few items get painted. Before it gets abused by my
driving it to work….a lot.   The reassembly will still take a week or two
so even though it looks like I am ahead of schedule I think it will still be
down to the wire!  I have a bunch of bolts to get changed out to the
correct size and type. (Some Stainless, other grade 8). All of the drive
train is done so no issues there.

22 days and counting!

 

4/9/11 Update:  Bits and pieces.
Now I get to do what Ted (EV friend) likes best, paint, and paint a lot
of small stuff. While the rest of the bike gets all that bright Orange, it
is now time to get all the small parts trimmed, cleaned up and in some
cases, painted. I have been sifting through the nuts and bolts bins looking
for all the spare lock nuts I can find before running off to the hardware
store.  So far I have found everything the bike needs “in house”.  We may
still need a few stainless items since this will be a street bike and I do not
want to spend too much time re-cleaning and painting in the future. Maybe
even a few aluminum bolts for the non stress parts? Time will tell.

20 days and counting!!  

 

4/11/11 Update: Polishing Comstar Rims

I do not know what these rims are made of (alloy) but they are tough
to polish. I have read mixed opinions on the looks of them and I have
seen many more ugly rims compared to these. They are very well made
and not much heavier than spokes. These we have are period correct,
original to the racing version and I personally like them. They have clean
lines and are definitely not as bulky looking as the"reverse comstars"
I see on the later Honda's.

After a couple different types of polish, I went hunting for more info
online. So far I have not found the secret way of making them look
original. I am not trying to get them looking like chrome just the
matte finish they came with.

More work on this tonight. :)  

 

18 days and counting!!

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