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Cafe ala Carte - NEW update! (Read 2863 times)
smokin_blue
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Cafe ala Carte - NEW update!
09/10/13 at 18:51:05
 
Wow!  This has been a long slow project.  I have not posted for quite some time as family life and work has taken priority of my time,  This project is not done but a major milestone has been reached.  Café ala Carte is now on the road for shake down testing.  After debug it will still need paint, polish, and powder coating.

I am currently working on jetting in my Mikuni TM36 carb which is proving to be quite a job but I am getting close.  I did add a temporary O2 sensor and Air/Fuel mixture gage and that has been a huge help since the carb came way over jetted and no guidance to even start by.

I have done all the work myself except for the upholstery of the seat, the ceramic coating the header, and the fabricating of the muffler.

For those who are not familiar with the project here are links to my past posts.  

12/07 update
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1196943498/0

6/08 update
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1196943498/34#34

3/09 update
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1237084786/7#7

10/09 update
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1257039622/0


Also if you want to see my previous projects go to
http://www.street-unique.com

For now here are some current pictures.





Notice in the next picture how the header takes a nice side step around the front frame rail.  Yet, from the photo after that one you can see from the side it still looks like the classic BSA header.  THIS TOOK HOURS TO GET RIGHT.  I made that header from J-Bends (mandrel bent blanks) where each section is cut and welded together and then the welds ground smooth.  There are 8 sections that make up that header.  All ground smooth and then ceramic coated in black.  



The muffler is a beautiful piece of custom work done by Epco Stainless out of Ohio.  They built the muffler to my design and print in polished stainless steel.  It is made up of two rolled cones (so they technically have a seam in the back) and a short straight at the connection point.  They fabricated it and ground out all the welds and mirror polished it.  I cannot find any of the welds except for one tiny weld pit on the back side.  Absolutely stunning considering a mirror finish quickly shows optically any surface waves.





Some explanation on these tail lights.  Inside I have LED’s tail lights from a SV650 that have been split and laid on their side.  They match the curve of the tail and point directly rearward then so it worked out.  I wanted frenched in lenses so here is how it was done.  Before any windows were cut in the tail, I took 3/16” thick red acrylic and heated in the oven to the softening point.  Then I stretched it over the tail section in the place I was going to put them and allowed them to cool.  I made 4 for each side so I would have extras.  Then I cut the openings in the fiberglass tail section.  From there I cut the lenses to fit.  I then had to go back and heat and form 1/8” clear acrylic over the same areas so I could cut rings of it for form a flange for the inside of the lens to hold it in the tail.  I bonded those rings to the lenses such that the lenses were flush with the tail.  Now they fit perfectly and match the 3 dimensional curves of the tail section.



Hope you enjoyed it.  I will try to update in the future as I have tons of photos of the custom work and much detailing to come.
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« Last Edit: 11/01/15 at 13:32:58 by smokin_blue »  
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Jiggyfly
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #1 - 09/10/13 at 22:57:28
 
Looks awesome!
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OK.... so what's the
speed of dark?

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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #2 - 09/11/13 at 01:00:35
 
Youz guyz,.. are pushing our bike into infamy...
Want a bike to customize?...
Harley... Triumph 650,...Yamaha XS650,... Yamaha SR500...
Suzuki Savage...

I'd put us in the top 5...
In fact,.. I'd put us 4th... due to the limited production of the SR...
That's a beautiful job you're doing, Smoke... Wink...
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Ludicrous Speed !... ... Huh...
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justin_o_guy2
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What happened?

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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #3 - 09/11/13 at 03:45:37
 
TopNotch sstuff,, MIghty Fine
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LANCER
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Savage Beast
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #4 - 09/11/13 at 04:20:55
 
Super clean
Beautiful
Stunning



What's your impression, performance wise, of the addition of the Gold Valves to the forks ?
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ToesNose
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Pardon me, do you
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #5 - 09/11/13 at 04:22:46
 
Looks great Smokin Blue!  but I think you need to upgrade the tank badges to 650!!!!    Roll Eyes
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smokin_blue
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #6 - 09/11/13 at 05:22:08
 
LANCER wrote on 09/11/13 at 04:20:55:
Super clean
Beautiful
Stunning



What's your impression, performance wise, of the addition of the Gold Valves to the forks ?


I realize your question is about the forks but first I have to say I have the stage one cam and all the basic let it breath mods and now that I am getting the jetting sorted out that engine pulls like an engine should!

so as far as the gold valves I can't really say yet.  I have been so focused on getting the jetting sorted I really haven't ridden it long enough or hard enough to matter.  My general thought is in the stock form of the S40/savage I don't think they would help.  In a sporty/café/fighter kind of set up they might.  I will let you know as I have more time to evaluate.


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smokin_blue
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #7 - 09/11/13 at 05:23:32
 
ToesNose wrote on 09/11/13 at 04:22:46:
Looks great Smokin Blue!  but I think you need to upgrade the tank badges to 650!!!!    Roll Eyes



That is just one of the MANY details I need to attend to during paint and polish phase.  What you don't think it will be a sleeper as people think they just got dusted by a 260?  I could put my yellow tank on and then it would be a 360!   Grin
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smokin_blue
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #8 - 09/11/13 at 05:25:42
 
Lancer,  I must say that that 320mm rotor finally brings some stopping power to the bike.

My wife had a GZ 250 and just upgraded to an S40.  Brakes on GZ were hands down better.  I went and measured and the disc on the GZ was just about 1" bigger in diameter!  

Now if we could just get them to enlarge the tank a little bit......
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #9 - 09/11/13 at 09:54:49
 
Smokin Blue:

I had a chance to read through the build threads....thanks for providing a link to those so I could catch up.  I have been a member here for about 1.5 years.....and didn't know about this build.  There are lots of old threads to look at, and I had not gone back far enough to see this one.

That is a great bike you have built.....and I have wondered before if transplanting the Savage engine into a different frame would make a better bike than trying to convert a cruiser.  It looks like it was not an easy job.....but the results look spectacular! Roll Eyes    
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smokin_blue
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #10 - 09/15/13 at 17:58:07
 
Dave, the biggest thing that made the transplant a challenge was the swing arm pivot was set up so high for the engine that Benelli was originally going to put in that frame.  The original engine was the one that became the Benelli 650 Tornado.  It was a 650 twin with a high CS sprocket.  I had to lower it to make the engine sit properly in the frame.  That was the biggest pain.  The rest of the engine mounts were half way easy and I wanted the frame to look clean.  Of course there was the slight issue with centering the engine meant I needed to skim cut the inside of the frame for chain clearance...... guess now it doesn't seem so bad but you are right it wasn't a clean stuff.  

I was originally thinking about using a GS550 frame and had bought the bike to steal it from but it just didn't seem like it would look as good and then this frame came along I had to go that direction.

The funny part of this build is to me the tank.  You see these tanks everywhere today on cafe bikes.  I started this project 4 years ago when the cafe builds were not yet a main stream craze.  The tank is the correct tank for the frame.  It is a Mojave frame and that is the Mojave tank.  Both are knock offs by Benelli of the Rickman bikes.  Now I bought two tanks at the time for $50 and $60 each.  Today I looked on ebay and with everyone using them on Honda cafe bikes they are now selling (yes actual selling prices) of $425-$450 a tank!  that is just crazy!!!  The down side of them is the 2.3 gallons of gas that they hold doesn't get you very far.  Smiley

I like the Vapor speedo but I am not sold on the tach set up.  If anyone has had a truly good tach install on one of these let me know.  I have tried many things that I have read and gotten first hand from Trailtech but none have done a solid job of a decent tach reading in my mind.
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #11 - 09/18/13 at 23:35:56
 
an epic adventure, and one I'm sure that has been filled with grins and groans!

bike looks most excellent. there are some awesome build coming forth.
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smokin_blue
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #12 - 09/20/13 at 21:33:27
 
The grins and groans continue.  I have purchased pretty much every part available for this carb to push it in the leaner direction.   That would be two extra jet needles, 3 needle jets, 5 pilots, 5 mains, 2 air jets, 3 choke jets, and now 2 slide with leaner cut aways.   I am pretty close on the jetting now.   I just need time to ride and test.  I have a wide band O2 sensor and Air/Fuel ratio gage that reads to 0.1 increments on the ratio.  The problem is you give an engineer the ability to take data and things seem to get thoroughly analyzed.  Let just say I have in the range of 22-25 jetting run combinations run on the TM carb now.  Along with that I had to mic the needles my self to determine what they were doing with the needle option as Sudco said that Mikuni won't publish needle data for the big TM's.

So now that I have that close I need to move on to solving a small handling issue.  The bike is a bit more unstable that I would like at speed.  I measured out the front end and laid out the trig and I have the steering geometry of my GSX-R1100.  Small wonder with the light weight and small contact patch of the front tire it feels the way it does.  Fundamentally it needs more trail.  I can accomplish that with less offset on the triple clamps.  So today I finished my research and ordered up a better set of triples.  Thank you ebay.  Once I get them I need to throw them up on the mill and do a few mods and then I should add about 5/8-3/4" of trail and that should help.  I will be real curious to see how it feels in comparison.

It has been an interesting adventure as every custom I have built has gotten more and more complex in the changes I have made and have gotten further from the bike it started with.  This one in particular is very distant from the stock frame/running gear.
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #13 - 09/21/13 at 01:30:30
 
BTDT!

Mostly with race bikes. I look at it when I'm done, & it's nothing CLOSE to what it started as. I've been fortunate, (or lucky?), enough that every one of them was for the better.
Sounds like you've gone through some tough times with the carb!!
An engineer??? Alright....show us your chart on the jetting! LOL
just teasing.

I love your front brake set up. I'm building one now with KZ cast aluminum wheels, & I just got my big EBC rotor. I'm really contemplating a brembo caliper. It would be attached to my Brembo radial master, & such complete retched overkill, especially on the Firestone tires....that it's ridiculous. But they look like sex!  Smiley
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smokin_blue
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Re: Cafe ala Carte - 2013 update!
Reply #14 - 09/21/13 at 08:58:12
 
Start a thread when you get your front end further along.  It would be interesting to see.  I have been contemplating upgrading my wife's S40 brakes but she likes them as they are.  I just compare to the ones on her previous GZ250 and laugh.  That thing had much better brakes.  I take it you are going to run stock forks and then make a caliper mount bracket like I did on this one?  I am running GS500E forks with a PM caliper so it took a custom plate adapter to make it work.  The rotor is a 230mm rotor off a Ducati.  Stopping is currently not an problem for me right now   Wink
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