Bocaj Industries - 1971 Honda CL350 Cafe Racer

Now that the electrical is well on its way to being done, I have the opportunity to focus on the seat for a while.  The first step for me for creating a new seat pan is to have a nice flat surface to work off of.  So, this brings up the first issue...the battery.  As it sits in it's factory location, it sticks up about an inch and a half above the frame.  This is no good if you want your seat pan to sit flat on the frame.  So, I made two small brackets and modified the battery box to attach to these brackets.  After reinstalling the battery box with it's new mounting points it now sits about half an inch below the frame. 

Next, I was able to get some sheet metal and lay it flat on the frame to get a rough sketch of the shape I needed to cut out.  I got the metal cut to a nice shape I liked and then carefully rolled the edges for a nice finished look.  Finally I added the little kick-up on the tail of the seat.  Fits great!

I had been on the fence about the design of this seat for a while as to weather or not it should have some kind of cowl on the back or if it should just be flat.  After some heavy duty staring I decided to mock up a cowl with some cereal boxes which work awesome for sheet metal mock up by the way.  I fell in love with the result.  Now I have a nice template to use to cut out the cowl section from sheet metal.  I'll tig weld it all together when I have all the pieces cut out and ready to go.  One last little touch to complete the look and line of the bike is I raised the back of the tank about 1.5 inches so the line on the bottom of the tank now flows nicely into the new seat.  I'll need to make a bracket to keep the tank in this new position.  I also still need to work on the front section of the seat to create a small curved cowl to fit over the gas tank mounting brackets.  So, a little more work to do on the mock-up stage of the seat and then some fun welding in my future. 

-Bocaj

LIGHTS!  Played with some battery acid and got that bad boy all charged up and installed.  Got the new LED turn signals and tail light all wired up as well as the new headlight.  I also got a new rear brake light indicator switch that connects to the rear brake foot pedal.  The old one was not working.   Nice and bright and fun to see some "life" in this motorcycle!  The turn signals do not flash right now because they are LED bulbs and don't pull enough of a load to trigger the stock flasher relay, so I need to get a new electronic flasher relay to replace the stock one and we'll be in business.  The speedometer and tachometer light up nice as well.  Also working well is the starter!  I can't wait to get some gas lines run and fire this thing up...Work on the new seat is well underway.  Stay tuned.
-Bocaj

I love getting new parts in the mail!  The new sprocket keeper and bolts showed up yesterday and I found some time to install it right away along with cleaning up the area under the sprocket cover.  With the sprocket securely attached and my clutch adjustment put back together I could mount the drive chain and put the sprocket cover back on the engine.  The foot control shifter can now go back on too.  
-Bocaj

Huh...that's weird.  So, as I progress on this build, the corners I cut are very vibrantly shown to me.  This time it was when trying to put the chain back on the sprockets to run the rear wheel.  As I was fishing the chain up and over the sprocket that comes out of the engine right next to the clutch connection, it was feeling very loose.  Then...off it came, right into my hand.  What the s*$t is this!  So, I had to take this small cover off to be able to see what was going on behind it in this mysterious Bermuda Triangle where parts just fall off in your hands...  Sure enough, that means taking the exhaust off and the foot controls off as well.  When I finally got the cover off I found more mud wasp nests and a wad of crap the size of my fist.  But more interesting is what I did not find...no keeper plate or bolts for the sprocket.  So, I ordered a new one that should arrive shortly.  Goes to show ya, the one place you don't look on your build is where your problems will be hiding...be thorough and take your time.  The end result will benefit.
-Bocaj

As sometimes happens while being creative, I've changed my mind.  After doing some serious sitting and staring, something just wasn't looking right to me.  So, out comes the grinder.  I removed the chopped rear fender and the new taillight and cut off the rear seat bracket making a nice flat surface to mount a new seat pan.  I also removed the old seat swivel mounts and got rid of the old seat pan which I had been planning on recovering.  So, next I needed to create a new seat pan...This cardboard cut out is the first draft and will eventually be transferred to a sheet of metal and mounted to the frame.  A nice thin pad of some type will complete the look.  After sitting on it with the new seat design I can feel quite an improvement in the comfort of the hand controls.  Just lowering the seating angle a couple inches really helps the comfort of the whole design.  The idea is to get a side mount tail light with a license plate bracket for the right side of the bike and leave the seat nice and simple and clean.  I'm liking this new direction and am glad I made the jump into some more fabrication with it...when sparks are flying you know you're having fun!
I also got both of the carbs rebuilt and installed with their new filters...oooh shiny! 
-Bocaj

I finally got the front tire and wheel all fixed up and clean.  I put a new tube in it as well.  The brake pads are still in good shape so I kept them.  Now it looks almost done...because it is.  Next I have the carbs to rebuild and then fuel to run.  I just got my new petcock in the mail.  After that, some wiring and it should fire up.  The last thing is the seat.  Things are getting down to the nitty-gritty.       

-Bocaj