'78 Special Brat / Cafe Racer Build

SAFU

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Picked up a running '78 special from craigslist with PMA installed kickstart only. Took the battery box out and waiting for Counter Balance brat seat to arrive in a couple days, then plan on cutting the fender and make an electronics pan to hide all the wires.
 

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Made an cut an aluminum electronics pan under the seat to hide all the wires. unnamed-9.jpg unnamed-8.jpg
 
Hi SAFU and welcome,
interesting build.
You gonna run teensy battery or capacitor?
Most folks who re-wire swap the glass tube fuse block for an automotive style mini-fuse block.
See scallywag303's fuseblock in the list's classified for as small a unit as you can get.
You'll need his 3-way + a single to house the stock wiring's 4 fuses.
And if it's got cooling fins on it, don't put it inside a box, eh?
 
Thanks for the info about the fuse box Fred ill look into that. I mounted a Sparx capacitor to the bolts on the cam chain tensioner case. unnamed-10.jpg
 
Hi SAFU,
OK, the Sparx capacitor is fer sure not sealed away mounted there but what if the carb drips gas on it and some of the sparx get out?
 
Been ghost and just lurking this is my build so far
 

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Lots of good details to look at on your bike and I like a lot of them, especially that limited production front wheel. It must have been hard to find. I think some members have had trouble fitting them as well, I was looking for the thread but cannot find it.
Thanks for the update.
 
I could be wrong (I was once) but, shouldn't the front fender go under the fork brace?
Nah, if the fender was mounted under the fork brace perhaps it'd rub on the tire.
And unlike you, I am never wrong.
But if it were mine I'd stack a few more rubber washers between the fender and the fork brace's rear arch to keep the tire/fender gap the same all round.
 
Lots of good details to look at on your bike and I like a lot of them, especially that limited production front wheel. It must have been hard to find. I think some members have had trouble fitting them as well, I was looking for the thread but cannot find it.
Thanks for the update.

I had no problem installing my wheels, I stumbled upon it on an ebay auction about a year ago for under a 100 bones, I think I was the only bidder but I knew they were rare, seems that there was a XS500 version as well.
 
I think the key word there Fred is "perhaps". So he has a choice......Fred's way or the right way! :umm:

Hi solo,
there is no "right way".
There's ways that work well, ways that could work better and there's ways that don't work at all.
Judging only by SAFU's photo, he's taken the middle ground.
FWIW, my "throw some washers in there" fix is the quickest and easiest way to move the front fender's heel further from the front tire.
But to do it properly yes, the fender should mount underneath the forkbrace.
Where it don't look like it'll fit unless the fork to brace adapters get re-worked to tilt the brace so it's parallel with the fork rather than
being tilted back the way the photo shows.
 
Back again from lurking and getting my bike running from sitting, some of the steel have been rusting nicely. Removed the front fender for now as it looks cleaner. Most of the heavier parts has been removed and or replaced, such as the battery, starter, fenders, original seats, stock triple tree. The bike has been rewired and wiring simplified. PMA with sparx capacitor kickstart only, starts in a couple kicks, anymore than that than I know the carbs need to be cleaned. Next on mod on the bike would be to replace the original Pamco electronic ignition with the new Pamco electronic ignition with integrated advancer.
 

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Simplified wiring harness, was able to hide the capacitor and fuse block under the tank. Mounted a toolbox/registration holder to one of the engine mounts. Relocated the speedometer with a L bracket from hardware store.
 

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