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Post by sdcruzin on Sept 10, 2011 0:35:39 GMT -6
turning this into a bobber, gone with some cheap modifications so far, been holding off until I could get it running good only has 3500 original miles on it here's what it looked like when I got it then I did this to it and now it looks like this still got lots of work to do, like replace the fork seals next, sounds fun
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qwerser
Junior Member
chop till you drop
Posts: 169
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Post by qwerser on Sept 12, 2011 6:05:00 GMT -6
howd you get the seat like that, did you just cut and tuck the fabric? And whatd you do to paint it, is it just spraypaint?
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Post by sdcruzin on Sept 21, 2011 2:01:54 GMT -6
yep just a cut and tuck, nothing fancy yet, like I said I've been holding off til I can get it running good, which it is now. I just put some pod filters on, and some savage shocks on the back, so it's lowered about 2" now. after I replace the fork seals I'll lower the front end to match. the frame has rust here and there, so I'm just using spray paint for now, until I get the final set-up. (new seat and rear fender and lights...) then I'm gonna tear it all down and spray it proper. once I get the front lowered, I'll post a new picture.
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Post by chopperfreak2k1 on Sept 25, 2011 22:24:41 GMT -6
hey cruzin, lookin good brother! in your second pic how did you go about eliminating that awful lookin black plastic that holds the license plate under the fender? i have been tryin to figure out a good lookin way to do that very thing and still keep my license plate located under my brake light. any pix you might would be cool too, thanks man!
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Post by sdcruzin on Sept 25, 2011 22:46:55 GMT -6
hey cruzin, lookin good brother! in your second pic how did you go about eliminating that awful lookin black plastic that holds the license plate under the fender? i have been tryin to figure out a good lookin way to do that very thing and still keep my license plate located under my brake light. any pix you might would be cool too, thanks man! I dont remember exactly how that black fender was in there, but I cut it down until just about 3/4" of the black plastic was hanging down under the brake light. Then took some scrap plastic from the cut up black fender (I think), and riveted the license plate to it, and then riveted that piece to the black flange hanging down under the brake light. Then I drilled two 1" holes in the bottom of the brake light (using a hole saw), one under each bulb. Then I cut a piece of CD case and siliconed it on the inside of the brake light to seal up those holes. Now the brake light/ running light is also the license plate light, which is a big deal here in Cali. I didn't come up with this idea, I actually saw it somewhere here on the interweb. But it did clean up that rear fender look.
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Post by sdcruzin on Sept 26, 2011 0:35:57 GMT -6
Successful fork seal replacement! ;D Big thanks to Sean the Dog, Suave, and GWK. The write up in - The 454 Riders Modifications eBook - is awesome, better than my Clymer manual. I've got a few tips that might help someone like myself, so I thought I would share. These are my modified or supplemental tools I recommend breaking the allen bolt loose first thing, while the spring is still in giving resistance. If the parts spin with the bolt, use an impact wrench or impact driver. I cut a 6mm allen wrench down to about 2.5", put it in a 6mm socket, on a 1/4' driver for my 18 volt impact driver. Popped loose! (pic.) Next comes removing the cap and ring, use a 12mm deep well socket with a long extension. This gets your hand out of the way while you pry with a tiny screwdriver, then have needle nose pliers ready to grab the ring. (pic.) Then you'll need something to pull the spring out with, I took a piece of copper wire, a foot or so, and bent a little hook on the end. (pic.) My fork tubes are rust pitted, which is why my fork seals are gushing oil. So I spent about 45 min. sanding each tube with 400 and 600 grit. You will need a fork seal driver in order to seat the seal properly, so I took a piece of PVC that was 1-7/8" OD and belt sanded it down an 1/8th or so, and rounded the bottom edge so as to not damage the seal. worked great! (pic.) Finally you will need to measure 355mL of oil. 12 fluid oz. is the equivalent. When I poured it in, I decided to check the level using a zip tie. I just measured down the tie and marked it at the proper level with a chisel on both edges. It turns out that my volume measurements weren't very precise, so the zip tie/ dip stick, came in handy. The ladder on it holds the oil measurement very well. (pic.) So it all went pretty smooth, I painted the rusty lower triple clamp while I was at it, and the lower fork tubes. Buffed the rust off the brake disc, and set the front end lower to match the rear. And here is the new picture I promised Still more changes in store, I'll keep you posted. By the way, what size spark plug socket do I need?
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Post by eaglerider on Sept 26, 2011 5:36:38 GMT -6
Thin wall 18 mm.
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Post by crazycoyote82 on Sept 26, 2011 12:41:11 GMT -6
Id like to see a closer pic of how you mounted the tag.
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jp
Junior Member
Posts: 188
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Post by jp on Sept 26, 2011 12:43:47 GMT -6
VERY thinwall.. Most are not thin enough. Sears 18mm thinwall is a definite winner.
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Post by sdcruzin on Sept 26, 2011 12:51:07 GMT -6
Id like to see a closer pic of how you mounted the tag. If you mean like in the second picture, when I still had the full fender, sorry, didn't take any. Now I just have it mounted sideways on the left side, in front of the shock, no license plate light now, guess I shouldn't ride after dark.
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Post by chopperfreak2k1 on Sept 26, 2011 14:48:22 GMT -6
thanks for the reply cruzin, and for all the tips about fork seals and the tools needed. you're a real class act brother.
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Post by crazycoyote82 on Sept 27, 2011 8:19:06 GMT -6
I was talking about how you have it now
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qwerser
Junior Member
chop till you drop
Posts: 169
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Post by qwerser on Sept 27, 2011 11:29:11 GMT -6
What about all of the wiring under the passenger seat? What did you do with that? Is it neat and organized looking? I'm thinking about eliminating the back seat and fender all together and mounting a brake light and licence plate on the side with no blinkers. We don't need them here in NC.
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Post by Blaine on Sept 27, 2011 14:57:57 GMT -6
What about all of the wiring under the passenger seat? What did you do with that? Is it neat and organized looking? I'm thinking about eliminating the back seat and fender all together and mounting a brake light and licence plate on the side with no blinkers. We don't need them here in NC. Most that have pod filters,relocate the harness under the right side side cover.
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Post by crazycoyote82 on Sept 28, 2011 7:18:26 GMT -6
Thats where I put mine at.
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qwerser
Junior Member
chop till you drop
Posts: 169
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Post by qwerser on Sept 28, 2011 9:55:03 GMT -6
Yea I'd love to make it into a one seater and cut the fender completely off. Only problem is, how would I pick up the ladies?? Yea it looks cool as crap, but why have a girl thingy snatcher when you cant pick them up?
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Post by sdcruzin on Sept 28, 2011 14:36:40 GMT -6
What about all of the wiring under the passenger seat? What did you do with that? Is it neat and organized looking? I'm thinking about eliminating the back seat and fender all together and mounting a brake light and licence plate on the side with no blinkers. We don't need them here in NC. Actually for now, I just have it sitting right on top of the battery, it fit nicely, and I cut out the bottom of the seat to make room for it. But mounting it under the side panel sounds good. I have to get a new fender and seat mounted in, then the small stuff will fall into place. And I had to cut off the second seat to make more room. I'm 6'2" and with the single seat my legs gained like 4". Right now my arse rides halfway on the rear fender. No big deal until I hit a bump
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Post by sdcruzin on Jan 4, 2012 14:57:21 GMT -6
So I ordered this seat pan from sinister seats, saw it on ebay. The length sounded right, so I thought, hey I can cover a seat right? Welded some mounting brackets on the bottom, drilled it for the chicago screws, and sprayed truck bed liner on the bottom as a durable coating. The seat is still removable for battery access. I also bought a round fender, british bike type, old stock, chopped and shaped it, welded mounting brackets and support struts on the swing arm, and mounted it with bolts so it is removable. Also made a license plate and tail light bracket, got a trailer light, and mounted it in the hole the belt guard was mounted in. You can also see where I cut and welded caps on the frame, and mounted turn signals in the holes the aluminum rear end mounted in. Also you can see how I cut the kick stand down and welded the foot back on. Next I cut the exhaust at the crossover, and put on Emgo 12" shorty mufflers. They're kinda loud. Gonna paint them black and wrap the headers in black. I also cut the old exhaust mounting bracket off, and removed the center stand. still got some work left, you can see the bare metal spots here and there, the fender is still raw. but she's fun to ride now. and the weather here in san diego is still ok.
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Post by scottm on Jan 4, 2012 18:30:14 GMT -6
Awesome bike mate, I want to turn mine into a bobber aswell these bikes have such a mean angle on them, did you have to rejet the carby's with the new pod filters? Are you thinking about putting smaller tacho and speedo on? There are some nice ones on the newmotorcycleparts.com site
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Post by sdcruzin on Jan 5, 2012 21:03:50 GMT -6
Awesome bike mate, I want to turn mine into a bobber aswell these bikes have such a mean angle on them, did you have to rejet the carby's with the new pod filters? Are you thinking about putting smaller tacho and speedo on? There are some nice ones on the newmotorcycleparts.com site yes i re-jetted and shimmed the needles, and now with the new exhaust set-up, i need to fiddle with the carbs again a little. this is all half the fun of the motorcycle tho... and yes, i have been looking for smaller gauges to put up front, that end of the bike is coming up for some changes now, i just wanted to get the rear end figured out first. too bad that speedo is out of stock right now, I'll keep my eye on it, thanks
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Post by Blaine on Jan 5, 2012 21:23:10 GMT -6
If you go to replace the factory gauges (speedo & tach) I would be very interested in buying them.
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Post by sdcruzin on Mar 15, 2012 23:24:22 GMT -6
just a new pic with the stock front signals removed and small black ones mounted in the tabs that used to hold the plastic collar thing over the neck of the frame. got a puppy and been pretty busy other wise. gotta get this thing painted soon, those chrome mufflers are ugly.
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Post by ericstaehlin321 on Apr 26, 2012 9:26:54 GMT -6
man that looks sweet bro mine sordof looked like tah when i bought mine but i put mine bck to stock to have a new fresh plating field to make adjustments an changes to my liking having a spare bike that has almost everythin including a tittle was nice to use to make a fresh start for me but i did spray my tank a flat black to my liking hope to see more pics bro looking good keep on riding an good luck with your new puppy
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Post by vonltd on Apr 26, 2012 15:12:09 GMT -6
Nice work. Would you say the exhaust is too loud?
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Post by Jet⚡Black on Apr 26, 2012 19:27:49 GMT -6
If I started out in that condition of a bike and really wanted a bobber I think I would have tried to trade or sell it and get a bobber instead...just because it looked almost show room to start with these are rare to come across in that condition.
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Post by sdcruzin on May 2, 2012 15:35:22 GMT -6
Nice work. Would you say the exhaust is too loud? maybe, but safer I don't gas it until I'm a few blocks from my house, don't want to piss off my immediate neighbors. And as far as what the bike looked like when I got it, compared to now... I don't really care what anybody else thinks about it, I'm not nostalgic and I got it cheap! Still gonna get a fast bike soon... this thing is just fun to work on and get around town quick, not good for road trips.
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Post by chopperfreak2k1 on May 3, 2012 2:30:05 GMT -6
i understand what Jet is saying about preserving a fine original example of a 454, but i do agree with Cruzin. if it's yours, do what you want with it and make no apologies for it.
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Post by Jet⚡Black on May 4, 2012 19:36:13 GMT -6
Nothing wrong with bobbing and chopping at all; I didn't mean to come across negative, just meant I wouldn't have had the heart to do it myself.
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Post by joenson on May 13, 2012 0:30:49 GMT -6
Where did you get the shorter rear shocks.?
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Post by lordnor on May 13, 2012 8:07:57 GMT -6
I'm pretty sure those are shocks from a Suzuki ls650. Many is if here have swapped out for those, I got mine on eBay.
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