Project Budget Cafe Fighter

[phil delivers]

Are you still on 'budget' then, cause I'm not......

[Jon]

Yer still on the cheap as usual for me. Steel sheet was scrap mostly. The box section for the subframe was scrap offcuts out of a skip too. Spent £20 on the aluminium for the side panels. Paint for engine/frame, etc is just whats left in the spraygun after spraying paying work as my day job.

Not spent much really. Few quid on exhaust gaskets, etc. I'll need to buy some idiot lights, an ignition switch and some LED's for brake light, etc, but nothing expensive.

[LKC73]

Such a shame your at a stand still mate. Would be cool to see more of this thing. But at least you can get out and ride something while your waiting.

[Jon]

Bit slow again Im afraid. Works through the roof so working days, evenings and weekends at minute airbrushing. Not a bad complaint by any means as pays the bills, but seriously short of spare time by the time I work/eat/sleep. lol

Had a bit of a mixup with exhaust gaskets = more waiting. Got right ones sorted and headers on though.:-



Only to find out that because I hadn’t drilled n mounted the other swingarm plate when stripping the bike (because bike was tight against wall other way round at time) the plate wouldn’t fit as ran right where headers sat. Can see in pic I blanked off original hole with allen bolt. No way panel was going to fit in there. Bugger. :-



Needed chopped back and repainted and swingarm redrilled/tapped for fixings, etc. PITA but one of those things.:-



Exhaust can I painted up in same colour with a wee Decepticon logo on end. Took me hours to get can back together as oval shape of sleeve just wouldn’t line up with end caps. Must press fit the parts at factory or something. Patience n lots of hammering got it together at last. Drilled n riveted. Not perfect but certainly miles better than dented n scuffed like was before. Back end done. :-



Don’t think endcan needs a support strap tbh. Downpipes are solid mounted to gearbox of engine at back and the stainless aftermarket dowpipes are really thickwall. Tried standing and jumping up and down on end where can bolts to and couldn’t even wobble it with my fat arse. Lol. Endcan is all alloy and hollow too. Weighs nowt. Not like original flimsy tinfoil downpipes and elephant-dick exhaust can.

Also got fairing top and bottom panels sprayed up. Sitting ready for when needed anyway. Ignore bondage Pocahontas themed helmet in background that’s for a customer. Lol.

[Jon]

Been out of the building game for a while. Felt a bit burnt out after the mammoth turbo bandit build and went back to just riding for a while. Between my trike n Harris sitting there to use:- And my weirdola turbo bandit thing up n running:- The temptation was far greater to get out and ride than sit in the garage building a bike which is getting sold as soon as finished. Not much motivation when know its not yours at the end of the build. Feel refreshed for the break from building. Back into it now though as my pile of parts for the next bike build are stacking up, and got a 6` fiberglass tot-rod bodyshell on way too to build a miniature hotrod for the kids. Ninjas getting in the way of those projects so given me a bit of drive to get it done n gone so can get onto other projects. In last week or so I finished off a few brackets, etc, and sprayed up the side panels. Got metallic silver tribalwork in background in same hue as on black parts. Some logo airbrushing, etc too. :- Got the 3 pieces of each panel bolted together and back on the bike.:- Got the seat undertray sprayed up too ready to go back on.:- Given the seat unit several reshapes and filler/primer sessions. Pretty much in shape now and ready for paintwork.:- So yeah got a fair few bits done in not many days. More updates as get more stuff done, but want it done/sold asap as its holding me up with next project build now. Im fairly pushed for free time as airbrushing works just getting busier n busier, but I’ll do a bit each evening or something.

[K6Thou]

Amazing work mate.

[pav69]

gunna look wicked as usual mate as always good work keep goin im keen to see this one done

[LKC73]

Nice work on the air brushing and paint work mate. Looks great!

[Jon]

Cheers guys. Really want to crack on n get it finished now n gone so can move onto other projects. Last week of evenings n weekends though were spent under my daily driver hearse making up a new stainless exhaust system for it from scratch. 4.5 metres or so n rubber mounts, an endcan, etc, etc. PITA but need transport for family so had to be done. Shops/hospital, etc 50 miles away so need to have it on the road. Done now tho thankfully so frees up my free time again.

[slingy88]

Hey Jon,

Mate, this is looking awesome!!!! Love your vision with this, keep it up. It reminds me a bit of judge dread. GREAT

[Jon]

Cheers bud. I do seem to think up some bizarre creations. lol. I like very different bikes though n have something REALLY bonkers planned for next year or so. Need to get ninja gone tho so have space to build it. I'll be sad to see this one go tho. Bikes taken me up n down the whole country in sun/rain/snow with no breakdowns at all for last 10 years or so. Had a lot of good times with it, but time to move on. Got other bigger/better builds to do. Someone else can enjoy it for years to come with its new lease of life.

[Jon]

Last week of evenings and the other weekend were taken up making a new stainless steel exhaust system for my daily driver hearse. Bout 4.5 metres of thickwall stainless tubing n baffles from scratch, etc. PITA. Always something getting in the way of bike building. Lol. Still playing about with the baffles in it as loud enough to wake the dead. Pardon the pun. Lol Anyway got some spare time back again for bike fiddling at last. Sure beats lying under a damn car in the pissing rain for days on end. Did few odd’s n sod’s when had the chance. Got out today though n made this side mount numberplate bracket. Scrap steel offcuts leftover from doing car exhaust brackets.:- Spot of weld, few holes and a light costing a mighty 60 pence! Lol. Bolts on behind wheel spindle nut/washer. Little rubber shrouded bolt stops it moving downwards under its own weight over bumps, etc. Shouldn’t move anyway, but removes possibility. Still needs tidying up and painting gloss 2K black, but I’ll do that during week with work stuff. Also paint the light lens apart from small section underneath to light up plate. :- Sits at a high enough angle to give good ground clearance. Far enough out that standard sized legal numberplate fits right on for mot’s. lol. Cheap n cheerfull. Should look alright once tidied n painted up. :- I’ll get the alloy indicator, horn, idiot lights and ignition switch brackets made up this week in the evenings. Up town later this week so I’ll grab some wire, idiot lights, an ignition switch and possibly some rear lights too. Get everything wired in next weekend which should just leave little bits to do, and the seat unit/tank to spray up. Im prepping those bits along with work stuff tho so getting there now back on the case. Sure feels good to be back in garage messing about tho.

[Jon]

Productive weekend in n out of my garage crawling between the bikes like the Viet cong lol. Even got some spraying work done n few bits done on my daily driver hearse. Side mount number plate setup tidied up and painted, etc. Wired in too.:- Little idiot light console with flip cover ignition switch tucked down side of frame and fairing side panel. Need a blue and a green light to finish it off, but all wiring in place. Shop up town didn’t have all the colours I needed so gonna have to get couple of Egay.:- Front indicators and horn brackets made and wired in. All tucked away down sides at front behind fairing panels. Not perfect, but neat enough.:- Couple more bits of wiring to do n few more piddly brackets, etc. Moving along at decent pace again tho. Seat unit is sitting in black basecoat so can get that airbrushed one evening this week. Tank is in bare metal ready for primer n filler work. Need to buy back lights, couple idiot lights, rear brake light switch, battery, antifreeze, petrol. lol

[Jon]

Not updated for a while. Things have been stressfull here so slipped out of order of importance tbh.

Terminal illness in family to deal with which has been ripping my family to bits last 6 months or so. Add on top of that straight 70+ hour weeks with commission work n just couldn’t find motivation to build/update about what Im doing.

Been trying to spend less time in garage and more time indoors to see us through it so progress has been slow.

Built this monkeybike sized fighter in meantime in house with my eldest to take his mind off things. All just junk old parts and some metal out of skips, etc. Fork springs made out of some old gsxr valve springs off Yantosh. Old damaged carbon fibre hugger chopped up for front muddy. Seat unit riveted up out of scrap metal. Bash plate out of stainless scrap. Handlebars out of old bandit ones chopped down 4” and risers made out of offcuts, etc, etc.

From this.:-



To this with lotta graft.:-





Gave me something to do indoors though and eldest is chuffed with it and looking to get some road legal tyres n daytime mot on it soon as almost 16.

Been chopping about my turbo bandit a hell of a lot too. Just waiting on Yantosh having some spare time for new headers to finish it off.:-




Get a proper forum update done somepoint on it.

Back to ninja though and up n running now. Good wash/polish n bit of a fettle n job done I think. Feels extremely small and lightweight to ride.









Sad to see it going up for sale but got 2 other bikes n trike and this is lesser of them so has to go. Anyone want to buy it? Make me an offer.

Bike prices are through floor at minute so if doesn’t fetch much then it`ll not be going anywhere. Not giving it away.

[nick76]

Thats come up real nice!!!
Looks like it should be on a movie set somewhere!

[RevHead]

looks like its from robo cop

[BANDITROD]

that ninja is looking shit hot mate well done

[Jon]

Cheers guys. Pretty happy with it tbh. Nice and useable even in shitty weather as minimal polishing, etc to keep on top of. Dont really want to sell it, but too many other bikes. lol.